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Sports

Lakeville South Boys Basketball Squad Drops Another Heartbreaker

Alex Richter scores 33 to pace the Cougars, but visiting seventh-ranked Eagan rallies to score a 73-70 boys basketball victory Tueaday

Led by star senior forward Alex Richter, the Lakeville South Cougars made shot after shot Tuesday night.

But a relentless Eagan team that wouldn't be denied kept coming and eventually overcame the Cougars, winning a South Suburban Conference thriller 73-70.

The win keeps Eagan's hopes for a conference crown alive. The loss, Lakeville South's third straight, knocked the Cougars out of contention.

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Eagan (14-3, 21-4) ends the regular season with a game at Bloomington Kennedy (9-8, 14-11) Friday.

Lakeville South fell to 12-5 in the conference and a into tie for third place with Apple Valley. The Cougars, 17-8 on the season, host Burnsville (7-10, 12-12) Friday in the regular season finale.

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"The difference in the game, was I think they made some plays when they needed to and we couldn't," said Lakeville South head coach John Sheehan. I mean it was a good game, basically up-and-down. It was a physical game."

Richter, Lakeville South's all-time leading scorer, had 33 against the Wildcats, scoring from just about everywhere on the court. Richter scored six straight points in the game's final 45 seconds to keep Lakeville South alive.

But Eagan kept pounding the ball inside, drawing fouls, and cashing in at the free-throw line. The Wildcats made six straight free throws in the final 38 seconds to hold off the Cougars.

Lakeville South led 64-62 with 2:32 before Eagan went on a 5-2 surge to gain a 67-64 lead with 1:03 to play. Richter scored inside to cut the margin to one point and that set the pattern for the final minute. Richter would score, then Eagan three straight times made two free throws.

Richter scored a final time to cut Eagan's lead to 71-70 with 8.5 seconds left only to have Eagan's Nick Sabatke make two free throws with 6.9 seconds left. The Cougars couldn't find the range for a last-gasp three to tie and that was that.

Free throws were the difference in the game. Eagan was 26-of-32 at the free-throw line compred to just 13-of-18 for Lakeville South.

"They're a good team, you have to give them credit," said Sheehan of the Wildcats. "They're very athletic. It seems like they just made some plays and got some calls down the stretch. And unfortunately we don't."

West had 14 points and Christensen 10 for the Cougars.

North Boys Basketball: Panthers 62, Rosemount 59, (OT)

The Lakeville North boys basketball team won, 62-59, in overtime at Rosemount to improve to 11-14 overall and 9-8 in the South Suburban.

Brett Rasmussen led the Panthers with 14 points, as Tyler Flack and Adam Petterson recorded 13 and 12 points, respectively.

North finishes the regular season on Friday night by hosting Prior Lake at 7:15 p.m. A win over the Lakers combined with a Bloomington Kennedy loss will clinch fifth-place in the conference standings for the Panthers.

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