Wyatt Sparks (22) shoots over his opponent to score two points for the United South Central Rebels.

The United South Central Rebels boys basketball team had a tough game when they played Lewiston-Altura at the Kasson-Mantorville High School on Saturday, Feb. 1. The final score was 95 to 69.

The Rebels struggled with turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game as Lewiston-Altura jumped out to a 31-6 lead. The Rebels settled in with a great run of their own to cut the lead to 33-20 with about six minutes left in the first half.

“Dylan Bonsack and Jayden Barnick sparked us and the game went back and forth from there,” coach Adam Walker said. “But we were never able to get the lead into single digits.”

Lewiston-Altura led by 15 to 18 points for most of the second half with each team answering the other’s punches.

“Lewiston shot the ball very well scoring 95 points which is the most our Rebels defense has given up all year,” coach Walker said. “We had only given up over 70 six times and no teams had gotten to the 80 point mark until Saturday.”

Barnick led the team with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Wyatt Sparks added 18 points. Dylan Stephens had nine points and Bonsack had eight.

The Rebels shot 57 percent, 26 of 46, for 2-pointers and 25 percent, 4 of 16, for 3-pointers, and were 5 of 12, 42 percent for free throws.

Lewiston-Altura was 27 of 46 for 2-pointers (59 percent), 13 of 29 for 3-pointers (45 percent) and they made both of their two free throws.

The Rebels had 29 rebounds to their 36, 18 assists to their 24, four steals to their 14, four blocks to their seven and 20 turnovers to their 10.

Next up for the Rebels was a game on Thursday, Feb. 6 against Alden-Conger and one on Friday, Feb. 7 against WEM.

This week they play T/ML/GHEC on Monday, Feb. 10 and host Medford on Friday, Feb. 14.

USC 74, NRHEG 49

The United South Central Rebels outscored the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panthers 42 to 24 in the first half and 32 to 25 in the second stanza on their way to a 74-49 win on Thursday, Jan. 30.

The Rebels found their footing early in this game, knocking down seven first half 3-pointers en route to an 18 point first half lead.

“We jumped all over them early in the second half to build our lead up to 28 at one point,” coach Adam Walker said. “And would finish the game out with a big 74-49 win!”

The Rebels had four players reach double figures in scoring, and two had double-doubles.

Dylan Bonsack led the way with 20 points and Dylan Stephens had 13.

Wyatt Sparks had 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Jayden Barnick had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

As a team, the Rebels made 18 of their 34 2-point shot attempts (53 percent), 10 of 26 3-point attempts (38 percent) and 8 of 13 free throws (62 percent).

The Panthers were 14 of 35 for 2-pointers (40 percent), 5 of 24 for 3-pointers (21 percent) and 6 of 9 for free throws (67 percent).

The Rebels had 42 rebounds to the Panthers’ 27, 21 assists to their 10, five blocks to their two and 16 turnovers to their 15. Both teams had eight steals.