Rated Tigers torpedo Braves, 67-36

SPENCER - The undefeated Spencer Tigers raced away on a 20-4 scoring run in the third quarter to blow open a competitive game to a 57-28 advantage on the way to a resounding 67-36 Lakes Conference boys basketball win here Tuesday night.

Once again, the Braves had trouble putting the ball in the basket, making just 14-42 shots for a chilly 33 percent, including a cold 2-10 effort from the three-point arc. Cherokee sank 6-10 free throws.

Spencer shot a sizzling 51 percent from the field, nailing 27-63 field goals and 12-16 free throws to run away from the Braves.

Eric Wilkie led the Cherokee scoring with 17 points, while Stetson Dagel and Brett Walker managed six apiece and also pocketed six rebounds each.

Matt Klemme led the Tigers offense with 24 points, and Tanner Morris added 17 for a stout one-two punch. Klemme also paced Spencer on the boards with six rebounds.

"Spencer showed tonight that they are very deserving of their ranking (#5 in Class 3A)," said Cherokee coach Bob Lee. "We were proud of the focus and execution our guys started the game with. Spencer threw many different presses at us, and we felt like our guys did a real good job of identifying them and breaking them.

"We played solid defense, and made good choices on offense. Unfortunately, we are still not shooting the ball the way we feel we can, and the lack of scoring made it hard for us to stay close in the second half."

The Braves (0-4) host second-ranked Hull Western Christian (4-0) tonight.