In what could be their last outing of the season, the Atlantic boys faced off against Denison-Schleswig in Glenwood for the first round of Sub-State on Monday night. Ranked ninth in class 3A, Denison-Schleswig had beaten Atlantic two times this season, both by a double-digit margin.

After suffering another loss to the Monarchs just four nights prior, the Trojans focused on breaking Denison-Schleswig’s zone defense and getting the ball through the hoop. The starting lineup for Atlantic contained the same five individuals from Thursday night’s loss at home. Junior Tyler Moen tipped off, and postseason action began for the Trojans.

In the first quarter, the teams raced to get in front of one another, but the score was tied up at 15-15 at the end of one. However, Denison-Schleswig was able to push the tempo in the second quarter, and positioned themselves in front going into the locker room.

Both teams increased their defense as the second half got underway. Atlantic was limited to single-digit scoring, but also restricted the Monarchs’ offense. Facing a 13-point deficit going into the final quarter, the Trojans played hard to keep their season alive.

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans scored a monstrous 30 points. This incredible offense allowed Atlantic to crawl back within the lead and fight for a shot at the next round. With less than two minutes left in the game, the Trojans were down by one, 61-60. Senior Chase Mullenix was fouled and hit both free throws to put Atlantic back in the lead. A quick Monarch field goal and a Trojan free throw tied the score up 63-63 at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Denison-Schleswig slowly pulled away from Atlantic. The final from Glenwood was 70-65, in favor of the Monarchs. This was the closest loss Atlantic had to Denison-Schleswig all season, as they had dropped both games by double-figures. The boys mounted an amazing comeback in the fourth quarter, but said goodbye to their season at the end of overtime.

With the loss, seven seniors move on from Trojan boys’ basketball–Mullenix, Sam Granner, Jalen Petersen, Nate Behrends, Cooper Leonard, Zade Niklasen, and Logan Reilly.

Mullenix led the boys with 26 points against the Monarchs. Reilly put up 16 points–nine of which came from beyond the arch. Petersen and Behrends each had a steal, assist, and a rebound in their last game. Granner took a couple shots, and Leonard and Niklasen got some court time in OT.

The Trojan boys’ 2018-19 campaign ended with a record of 9-12. In conference play, they went 4-6. They scored 1,177 points, grabbed 664 boards, and stole the ball 173 times though 21 games.