Park boys basketball: Wolfpack hangs with White Bear Lake

A fledgling Park boys basketball team went on the road and hung with a veteran-laden White Bear Lake squad, but the Bears hung on for a 78-58 Suburban East Conference win over the Wolfpack on Friday in White Bear Lake.

White Bear Lake (8-5; 5-2 SEC) took a 39-27 halftime lead on Park, then kept the Wolfpack at bay, winning the second half 39-31 for its 20-point win. Park (2-12; 0-7 SEC) shot 52 percent from the field, including going 20-of-33 from inside the 3-point line in the loss. The Wolfpack also hit 8 of its 12 free throws.

Park, which has just one senior on its roster, was led by sophomores Aaron Gorres and Kaleb Fischer. Gorres, a forward, scored a team-high 14 points and had a team-best five rebounds. Fischer, also a forward, scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting to go along with four rebounds. In addition, junior guard Ryan Klika had six points, four rebounds and two steals and junior guard Anthony Tola had five points, three assists and two steals.

One of White Bear Lake’s seven seniors, Beau Smit, led the Bears with 19 points.

Prior to playing the Bears, Park fell 65-35 at Mounds View on Tuesday.

Mounds View (8-7; 3-4 SEC) built a 31-19 halftime lead and kept its foot on the gas in the second half, outscoring Park 33-16 after the break for the 29-point lead. The Wolfpack struggled to get the ball in the basket against the Mustangs. Park shot just 23 percent from the field and 59 percent from the free-throw line.

Gorres led the way for the Wolfpack with a team-high 13 points and five rebounds. Klika chipped in eight points, four rebounds and five steals.

Park plays host to its two fellow District 833 schools this week. Park took on Woodbury (11-3; 5-2 SEC) on Tuesday, Jan. 22, after the Bulletin went to print. Next, the Wolfpack welcomes rival East Ridge (12-2; 6-1 SEC) on Friday, Jan. 25. Tip-off is set for 7:15 p.m.

Tags: sports, park, basketball, wolfpack, prep, updates