Lance Runde Boards 21 as Bluejay Boys Get Rare Win

Northeast Nodaway’s boys broke an eight game losing streak and got their second win of the year by beating DeKalb 47-22 Friday in the seventh place game of the King City Tournament. Lance Runde had a big night on the boards for the Bluejays, grabbing 21 boards. Jake Redden had 19 points and grabbed another 15. Reece Gray added 15 points. As a team, the Bluejays grabbed 51 boards. Keegan Hansen had 9 tips on defense. Reece Gray had 6 assists.

The Bluejays had not even been close in those losses, giving up 60 or more points in each of them. But they turned things around and scored a season high in points.

The focus of DeKalb was to faceguard Lance Runde and Jake Redden and make someone else beat them. But they got out of it after Reece Gray scored a shot from the wing and then a 3-pointer, Kyler Scadden got a putback, and Lance Runde saved one to Jake Redden to make it 9-2 at the 2:58 mark of the first quarter.

The Tigers switched to a 1-3-1 and it caused some initial problems as Nolan Huffman sparked them with a pair of free throws, Luke Miller scored after Huffman grabbed an offensive board, and Kale Cassity scored from inside to cut the DeKalb deficit to 11-8 early in the second.

But then Reece Gray broke the run with a 3-pointer from the left wing. Kaiden Myers countered with a backdoor layup, but Keegan Hansen, and then Jake Redden scored four straight to make it 19-10.

Gavin Moore’s putback cut it to 19-12, but then Myers, their best ballhandler, picked up his third foul for DeKalb, which opened the floodgates for the Bluejays.

Keegan Hansen started the run with a 3-pointer, and then Jake Redden scored seven straight and Hansen added a steal. Reece Gray got a putback to make it 36-12 before Myers came back and cut it to 36-15 with a 3-pointer.

DeKalb switched to a man to man and scored the first five points of the third quarter to cut it to 36-20. But then Myers picked up his fifth foul and Jake Redden hit back to back 3-pointers and the rout was on for the Bluejays. Reece Gray cut inside for the Bluejays and scored and Keegan Hansen hit a 3-pointer to give the Bluejays their biggest lead of the night at 47-20.