MELLETTE -- Aberdeen Christian set a school record for wins in a season and avenged an earlier loss to Northwestern with a 66-53 victory over the Wildcats Friday in non-conference action.
The Knights pulled away from a five-point halftime lead by outscoring the hosts 23-16 in the third quarter. Sam Palmer and Job Niewenhuis combined for 15 of Christian's points. The Knights were also effective from the free-throw line throughout the game, connecting on 18 of 23 attempts.
Christian caught fire from the floor in the second half, sinking 57 percent of its shots (12 of 21) and was 22 of 42 for the game.
"We didn't shoot very good in the first half. It was closer than we would like it," said Christian coach Dave Palmer. "In the third, we pulled away a little and were a little more deliberate on offense."
Sam Palmer and Niewenhuis led a balanced Christian attack with 19 points each, while Matt Rohrbach finished with 15. Palmer also collected nine rebounds, while Rohrbach had seven assists and five steals.
The Wildcats edged the Knights in January in the Lake Region Conference contest. Coach Palmer said that loss was beneficial to the team.
"That loss helped us more in January and February," Palmer said. "You always want to practice and play like you lost your last game. It made us a lot better team."
Corbin Smith tossed in 15 points to lead four players in double figures for the Wildcats. Ray Lerew added 12 points, Landon Fischbach had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Nathan Palmer had 10 points.
"You have to give Northwestern credit. They have kids who work hard and do the little things," said Palmer. "We just don't match up with all the size they have and had to do some different things, spread them out and break them down."
The Knights finished their regular season at 13-6 and will begin district play on Monday at the Aberdeen Civic Arena.
ABERDEEN CHRISTIAN: Noah Aderhold 2 0-0 4, Seth Lundeen 0 2-2 2, Matt Rohrbach 6 2-2 15, Tanner Droog 2 2-2 6, Job Niewenhuis 7 5-8 19, Sam Palmer 5 6-6 19, Josh Holsing 0 1-3 1. Totals 22 18-23 66.
MELLETTE: Ray Lerew 5 0-0 12, Nathan Palmer 4 2-2 10, Silas Franco 1 1-2 4, Evan Finley 0 1-2 1, Landon Fischbach 5 1-1 11, Corbin Smith 5 0-0 15. Totals 20 5-7 53.
Aberdeen Christian (13-6)| 12 27 50 66
Northwestern (3-14)| 7 22 38 53
3-point field goals -- Rohrbach, Palmer 3, Lerew 2, Franco, Smith 5. Total fouls -- Aberdeen Christian 10; Northwestern 17. Rebounds -- Aberdeen Christian 22 (Palmer 9); Northwestern 33 (Fischbach 12). Turnovers -- Aberdeen Christian 8; Northwestern 11. B Game -- Northwestern 42-29.