Trojan boys struggle in 3 losses

A young, inexperienced New Prague Trojan boys basketball team took its share of lumps last week, losing three games, to Lakeville South, Shakopee and Robbinsdale Armstrong.

The Trojans were scheduled to face Chanhassen on Tuesday, Dec. 12. They will host Coon Rapids on Friday, Dec. 15, then on Tuesday, Dec. 19, they travel to East Ridge High School in Woodbury, where they will face their former coach, Bryce Tesdahl. The Raptors are ranked No. 6 in Class AAAA. New Prague hosts Rochester Mayo on Thursday, Dec. 21, their last game before the Christmas holiday.

“We are growing as a team,” Coach Blake Nicols said of his squad. “We played three very tough teams who are well coached. They did a nice job against us. We are learning how to be consistent at the varsity level. I thought in each game we showed flashes of where we are strong, especially on the defensive end. Our offense will continue to get better as we gain experience and chemistry together. Our team’s one goal is to get better every day, and we are continuing to do so. We are gaining experience by playing such a tough non conference schedule, which prepares us to be at our best in March.”

Cougars 67, Trojans 51

Lakeville South defeated New Prague 67-51 Tuesday, Dec. 5, in the Trojan gym.

The Cougars broke open the game in the second half and held off the Trojans as they made several late comeback attempts.

The Trojans were led by Parker Johnson, who had 15 points as he went 5-of-6 from three-point range. He also had six rebounds. Austin Zimmer added 11 points and had two assists. Tyler Kemp had 10 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Also scoring for the Trojans were Nathan Brusseau (8), Ben Novak (2), Tyler Thoresen (2) and Cody Harder (1).

Sabers 72, Trojans 46

Shakopee led most of the way, building a 17-point halftime lead and leading by as many as 31 points on their way to a 72-46 win over New Prague Thursday, Dec. 7, in Shakopee.

The Trojans were hurt on the boards, as the Saber had a 34-21 advantage. Shakopee had 11 offensive rebounds. New Prague also had 19 turnovers. Nathan Brusseau led New Prague with.....

To see more on this story pick up the December 14, 2017 print edition of The New Prague Times.