Chargers’ season ends with loss to Ponies

by Scott DCamp Sports Editor A deep playoff run was not in the cards for the Goodridge/Grygla Chargers. The Chargers entered the postseason as the number three-seed in the west half of Section 8A, with a sparkling 20-6 record. They exited after just one game, a surprising 71-61 loss to sixth-seeded Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Thursday night at Northland Community & Technical College. “The Chargers faced a tough matchup to open up the playoffs against the Ponies,” said Head Coach Andrew Sundberg. “It just wasn't our night. We did a lot of things well, but unfortunately we had our worst shooting night of the season and couldn't overcome it.” The Chargers defeated the Ponies 66-45 when the teams met Dec. 14 in Grygla, and 83-77 on Jan. 23 when the teams met in Warren. The Ponies went 8-2 after that loss and played like a much different team at the end of the regular season. The Chargers and Ponies were even for most of the opening half, with the Ponies pulling away late to take a 39-27 advantage into the locker room. In the second half, the Chargers battled to cut the lead to single digits on multiple occasions. Each time the Chargers had a chance to get within two possessions, the Ponies would come up with a big defensive stand or take a tough charge to turn the Chargers away. “A lot of credit goes to the Ponies - they defended us very well, executed on offense and deserved to move onto the next round,” Sundberg said. “Our boys fought hard until the very last second like they always do.” Thursday night’s game was the second game of a Section 8A West quarterfinal double header that drew a paid crowd of 1,172 fans. “We had a great fan turnout and our team is very appreciative of all the support we received this season,” Sundberg said. “Although the ending was disappointing, we accomplished so much and had such a great season.” Thursday night’s game was the final one in a Charger uniform for Chase Manderud, Blake Rychlock, Carson Rubischko, Christian Loken, Lewis Jones, Spencer Coan and Russell Rian. “We have to say goodbye to an unbelievable group of seniors - Chase, Blake, Carson, Christian, Lewis, Spencer and Russell have contributed so much to our program and have always represented our communities with character and class. Their impact will be felt for some time.” Scoring 1 2 T Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 39 32 71 Goodridge/Grygla 27 34 61 Warren-Alvarado-Oslo leaders - Kaden Pierce 29, Derek Moehrle 16, Adam McIntyre 13. Goodridge/Grygla - Blake Rychlock (13 pts, 11 reb), Spencer Coan (3 pts, 4 asst), Owen Larson (3 pts, 4 reb), Carson Rubischko (12 pts, 3 reb), Lewis Jones (25 pts, 9 reb), Russell Rian (5 pts, 4 reb), Gavin Aune (2 pts, 3 reb).