Virginia at Aitkin

Recap

In a regular season rematch where Aitkin snuck out in the second half for a 61-56 victory over Virginia, it was the #11-seeded Blue Devils coming out the victors with a 61-56 victory over the #6-seeded Gobblers to open the Section 7-2A Playoffs.

In their first home game in 20 years, the Gobblers fell behind early 11-2 with the Blue Devils getting a pair of three-pointers from Gavin Dahl. Aitkin was able set their presence in the post and quickly tie the game 11-11. The score continued to be short leads and back-and-forth but the Gobblers eventually pulled a 36-33 halftime advantage.

The short leads continued into the second half but Aitkin struggled to hit shots and make their rebounds convert into points. Virginia was able to keep themselves in the ballgame by being patient and taking advantage of Aitkin’s missed shots. The Blue Devils got clutch points from Jalen Miskowitz in the final moments even with 3 fouls throughout the 2nd half and eventually propelled Virginia into the upset victory of the Gobblers. Landon Janzen led all scorers with 21points and collected 11 rebounds, and Zack MacDonald added 19 points and 7 rebounds.

Virginia improves to 8-19 on the season and will move onto the Section 7-2A Quarterfinals Saturday at 5:30pm at Hermantown HS. Aitkin finishes their season at 10-15 with the final appearances of seniors from Gus Sanford, Landon Janzen, Zack MacDonald, Jaeland Williams, and Micah Lane.

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Aitkin Stats (3-10 FT, 32 rebounds, 6 turnovers): Landon Janzen 21pts, 11rebs; Zack MacDonald 9pts, 7rebs; Gus Sanford 8pts, 1reb; Alex Palm 4pts, 6rebs; Micah Lane 4pts, 2rebs; Jaeland Williams 5rebs; Eli Christy 2rebs

Viriginia Stats (3-8 FT; 22 rebounds; 11 turnovers): Gavin Dahl 15pts, 4rebs; Jalen Miskowitz 11pts, 3rebs; Casey Aune and Maxwell Williams 9pts, 2rebs; Ryan Herberg 6pts, 3rebs; Noah Mitchell 6pts, 2rebs; Zane Lokken 5pts, 5rebs