Eagan Boys Hold Off Stubborn Lakeville North

Sixth-ranked Eagan held off a hard-fighting Lakeville North team that never gave up Tuesday, winning 75-68 in a South Suburban Conference boys basketball game at Eagan.

Eagan led the entire game, but the visiting Panthers cut it to 67-64 with two minutes to play. However, Eagan salted the game away by making of 8 of 12 free throws in the last two minutes.

The Wildcats cashed in big at the free throw line, making 16 of 21 for the game.

“They were really coming on strong down the stretch and we were able to keep them from ever getting the lead,” said Eagan senior Ben Sicoli.

League-leading Eagan won its fifth straight game to improve to 18-3 on the season and 11-2 in conference play.

Lakeville North dropped to 7-6 in the South Suburban Conference and 9-12 overall.

“They (the Panthers) came in playing awfully good, they came off a big win over Eastview and they’re been shooting the ball really well, Petterson especially,” said Eagan head coach Kurt Virgin. “So I think we could have done a little bit better job defensively. We were a little slow sometimes in our switches and our reaction defensively.

“But, overall, they didn’t go away and we hung in there and we hit our free throws which was huge,” Virgin added.

Matt Hentges led a balanced Eagan offense with 16 points. The Wildcats had five players in double figures, including Nick Sabatke with 13, Sicoli with 11, Jameson Parsons with 10 and Eric Wittenburg with 14.

Adam Petterson led Lakeville North with 19 points, including four 3-point field goals.

“I don’t think Petterson should have made any threes,” said Eagan senior captain Matt Hentges. “We could have stopped him more.”

“I think we can still do better than that,” added Hentges. “Our offense was going good. Our defense we didn’t hold them to the least amount of points as we have been lately but I think we made up for it by hitting some shots.”

The game was somewhat similar to the first meeting between the two teams, a contest Eagan won 50-41 in the first meeting Jan. 14.

Eagan jumped out to a 24-14 lead midway through the first half, but could never quite shake the Panthers. The Wildcats led 43-31 at the half.

The second half was tighter as Lakeville North gradually chipped away at Eagan’s lead until it Was a 67-64 game with 2:12 to play.

In the bonus by then, Eagan’s Wittenburg and Sabatke each made a pair of free throws for a 71-64 lead. Lakeville closed to 72-68 on a basket by Trey Heid with 40 seconds to play, but that was the last the Panthers would score.

“We definitely didn’t play as well as we could [have],” said Sicoli. “But Lakeville North is always known for fighting every game and if you don’t play your hardest the whole game they’re definitely going to stick in there with you.”

Eagan hosts Apple Valley Friday in a game starting at 7:15 p.m.