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The Dogs beat Hancock 47-43 on Friday night in the semifinals but lost to Benson 70-64 on Saturday in the finals.

The Dogs led from the start against Hancock, holding a 27-21 advantage at the half and building that into a 10-point lead at times, according to coach Phil Carlson.

"We saw good defense most of the game and kept them down," added Carlson of the low-scoring affair. "They made a key run in the end with Mark Andrie sealing the win with two clutch free throws."

Junior Cory Nietfeld led the Dogs with 16 points and and 12 rebounds. Senior guard Trent Hansen added a season-high 10 points and five steals. Senior post Aaron Braun added nine points and eight rebounds.

"Our bench gave us some good minutes and kept Hancock's offense down," continued Carlson. "It was a good team effort."

Against Benson on Saturday, the Dogs rallied from a 37-33 deficit at the half to take the lead in the second half, but Benson rallied for a 70-64 victory.

"We came out and took the lead in the second half," said Carlson, "until about four minutes to go. They hit some perimeter shots and isolation playsŠand also shot 15 for 19 from the line while we only got to the free throw line five times."

"We played an overall hard/exciting game but shot ourselves in the foot with some unforced mistakes," added Carlson. "I was very proud of our efforts and improvements from the players. We need to continue this throughout the season."

Nietfeld again led the Dogs with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. Braun matched his varsity high with 15 points and also had eight rebounds and three blocks.

Senior Derek Stanger added 11 points and four assists, and junior Ben Moser added eight points, ten rebounds, and four assists.

The Bulldogs (2-3) played at New London-Spicer on Tuesday night. They do not play again until January.

Friday Semifinal: Paynesville 47, Hancock 43

Paynesville--	27	20	- 47
Hancock--	21	22	- 43

SCORING: (FG-FT/FTA-PTS)
Paynesville 47 - Cory Nietfeld 7-2/2-16; Trent Hansen 3-4/5-10; Aaron Braun 3-3/6-9; Elliott Wall 2-0/0-4; Mark Andrie 0-3/4-3; Ben Moser 1-0/0-3; Derek Stanger 0-2/4-2; TOTALS: FG 16/54, FT 14/21, 3's 1.

Hancock 43 - Nate Holleman 7-1/6-15; Nathan Hacker 5-0/1-10; Ben Hacker 3-3/3-9; Austin Schmigdall 2-1/2-5; Tanner Gramm 2-0/0-2; TOTALS: FG 19, FT 5/12, 3's 0.

STATISTICS: 3-pointers - 1 Moser 1; Rebounds - 44 Nietfeld 12; Braun 8; Moser 8; Stanger 6; Assists - 12 Nietfeld 3; Stanger 3; Steals - 15 Hansen 5; Nietfeld 3; Stanger 2; Wall 2; Blocks - 2.

Saturday Final: Benson 70, Paynesville 64

Paynesville--	33	31	- 64
Benson--	37	33	- 70

SCORING: (FG-FT/FTA-PTS)
Paynesville 64 - Cory Nietfeld 10-0/0-20; Aaron Braun 7-1/2-15; Derek Stanger 5-1/2-11; Ben Moser 3-1/1-8; Mark Andrie 3-0/0-6; Nathan Nietfeld 1-0/0-2; Elliott Wall 1-0/0-2; TOTALS: FG 30, FT 3/5, 3's 1.

Benson 70 - Dan Fragodt 7-4/4-18; Joey Fragodt 7-4/6-18; Tyler Guest 3-5/6-12; Jessy Helm 5-0/0-10; Brett Cairns 2-2/3-6; Aaron Hagen 2-0/0-4; Kyle Mikkelson 1-0/0-2; TOTALS: FG 27, FT 15/19, 3's 1.

STATISTICS: 3-pointers - 1 Moser 1; Rebounds - 56 Cory Nietfeld 15; Moser 10; Braun 8; Stanger 8; Andrie 6; Wall 5; Assists - 18 Nietfeld 5; Moser 4; Stanger 4; Steals - 7 Cory Nietfeld 3; Nathan Nietfeld 2; Blocks - 7 Braun 3; Cory Nietfeld 2.

Albany 44, Paynesville 28
Albany held the Dogs to 28 points and defeated Paynesville 44-28 in the Dogs' first conference game on Monday, Dec. 12.

The Huskies scored a third of their points from behind the three-point arc (15 of 44). Both teams made 13 two-point field goals, but the Dogs were scoreless from behind the arc.

The Dogs also failed to outscore the Huskies at the charity stripe despite having more attempts. The Dogs shot two of nine on free throws while the Huskies shot three of five.

"This was an off night for us offensively as we missed many shots in the lane," said coach Phil Carlson. "Our defensive efforts kept Albany in check as it was a seven- to nine-point game most of the way after they jumped out to an eight-point lead early. Trent Hansen and Derek Stanger were key elements for our defensive intensity along with many others."

"We need to hit the inside shots and free throws any night we play, as this is a big part of any offensive attack," added Carlson.

Albany--	23	21	- 44
Paynesville--	16	12	- 28

SCORING: (FG-FT/FTA-PTS)
Albany 44 - Eric Harlander 4-0/0-12; Josh Overman 4-2/2-10; Bryce Rushmeyer 3-1/3-7; Josh Wolford 2-0/0-5; Adam Moser 1-0/0-2; Kurt Overman 1-0/0-2; Aaron Schiffler 1-0/0-2; Cole Schiffler 1-0/0-2; TOTALS: FG 18, FT 3/5, 3's 5.

Paynesville 28 - Cory Nietfeld 4-0/0-8; Aaron Braun 3-0/3-6; Mark Andrie 1-2/2-4; Derek Stanger 2-0/2-4; Trent Hansen 1-0/0-2; Ben Moser 1-0/2-4; Elliott Wall 1-0/0-2; TOTALS: FG 13, FT 2/9, 3's 0.