East Ridge boys basketball: Raptors drop pair, fall to 8-14 overall on year

Since earning a big win over rival Woodbury on Feb. 3, the East Ridge boys basketball team has been stuck in a rut.

The Raptors dropped two Suburban East Conference games last week – 55-49 to Forest Lake and 60-50 to Mounds View – to see its losing streak grow to three games since topping the Royals. East Ridge is now 8-14 overall and 5-9 in the SEC.

In the first game of the week, Forest Lake (9-12; 4-9 SEC) broke a 29-29 first-half tie with a 26-20 second half and escaped Woodbury with a 49-40 victory. Three players scored nine points for the Raptors in the loss – seniors Justin Pahl and Nnamdi Nwokolo and sophomore Brian Ishola.

Against Mounds View (15-7; 8-6 SEC) on Friday, at East Ridge High School, Mounds View jumped out to a 26-17 first-half lead. The Mustangs and Raptors played a 34-33 second half, but it wasn’t enough for the Raptors to overcome the deficit.

Ishola led all Raptors scorers in the loss with 15 points, while Pahl netted 13 points. Conrad Sexe and Jake Knupp each chipped in nine points.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Raptors this week. East Ridge took on eighth-ranked Roseville on Tuesday, Feb. 21, before tipping off with Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday, Feb. 24, at East Ridge.

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