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Parker denies Milton

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Milton's Philip McCarthy eyes a shot with Parker's Tyler Teubert defending.

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Parker's Creed Knutson squeezes between Milton's Sam McCann and Mitch Trewyn, right.

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Parker's Jordan Thompson pressures Milton's Brandon Farnsworth.

MILTON — He constantly wiped brow. He took off his suit jacket and crouched down in anticipation.

Yes, Janesville Parker High School boys basketball coach Ryan Masterson was on edge as he watched his team squander an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead against Milton.

But through all the angst and sloppy play, the Vikings put it together just in time to knock off the host Red Hawks, 59-56, in nonconference action Tuesday night.

Tyler Teubert paced the Vikings with 21 points, while Jordan Thompson had 12, and Creed Knutson and Matt Fiedler had 11 and 10, respectively, to help Parker improve to 2-4.

“I’m proud of guys and the way they stepped up and made some big plays down the stretch,” Masterson said. “But they’re

(Vikings) trying to give me gray hair.”

Masterson’s worries started with the Vikings going scoreless for the first 4:35 of the fourth quarter. During that stretch, the Red Hawks erased an 11-point deficit with a 12-0 run to claim their first lead since the first quarter, 54-53.

“One thing we’re battling is we have to learn how to win,” Masterson said. “We don’t know how to handle prosperity. We were clicking and then we got tight.”

But the Vikings showed they know how to win down the stretch.

With his team searching for some way to answer, Thompson drilled an open three-pointer from the left corner to put Parker up, 56-54, with 3:25 left.

Nate Hammon answered with a put-back on the ensuing Milton possession to even the game at 56 with three minutes to play.

That wound up being the final Red Hawk points of the game.

Milton failed to score on the next three possessions, while Fiedler, Knutson and Thompson each sank a free throw to give Parker a 59-56 lead with 23 seconds to play.

On their final possession, the Red Hawks worked the ball around the horn and eventually found a wide-open three-point shot for Sam McCann. But McCann’s shot fell short as the buzzer sounded to end the game.

“Sam McCann is probably not the first person I want taking that shot, but he’s not a bad shooter,” said Milton coach Zach Groelle, in regard to his team’s final possession. “I thought maybe we had Brandon Farnsworth open in the corner for one extra pass, but again it’s so hard with time running down and you want to make sure you get a shot off.”

Senior center Mitch Trewyn led the Red Hawks with 12 points, while Hammon added 10.

Milton’s offense struggled for most of the game. Knutson’s five first-quarter points gave the Vikings a 15-14 lead after one quarter.

The Vikings later built its lead 28-19 midway through the second quarter and led 39-29 at halftime.

PARKER 59, MILTON 56

Parker (59)—Teubert, 5-10-21; Thompson, 4-2-12; Simonson, 1-0-2; Schroeder, 1-0-2; Knutson, 4-3-11; Fiedler, 4-2-10; Husen, 0-1-1. Totals: 19-18-59.

Milton (56)—Knudtson, 1-6-8; Farnsworth, 1-4-7; McCarthy, 3-0-6; Hammon, 5-0-10; Trewyn, 5-2-12; McCann, 2-4-8; Goodman, 1-0-2; Ross, 1-0-3. Totals: 19-16-56.

Janesville Parker 15 24 14 6 –59

Milton 14 15 13 14 –56

Three point goals—Parker 3 (Thompson 2, Teubert), Milton 2 (Farnsworth, Ross). Free throws missed—Parker 16, Milton 7. Total fouls—Parker 22, Milton 24. Fouled out—Simonson, Hammon

Sophomores—Parker 49, Milton 40.