The Tri-Valley Mustang boys basketball team dropped their first two games of the season on Friday, December 11th and Saturday, December 12th.  The Mustangs traveled to Garretson on Friday and hosted Sisseton on Saturday.

Garretson took an early lead in the first quarter behind some hot shooting from beyond the three-point line.  The Blue Dragons led 19-14 at the end of the first quarter.  Tri-Valley grabbed a slim lead in the second quarter, but Garretson got on a run and took a 38-29 lead into halftime.  Tri-Valley cut the lead by one in the third quarter and trailed 49-41 heading into the final quarter.  The Mustangs pulled within three points at 54-51 with 3:00 to play, but Garretson knocked down enough free throws in the final minutes for a 64-57 win.

The Mustangs shot 43% (22-51) from the field, 39% (9-23) on three-point shots, and 29% (4-14) from the free-throw line.  Garretson finished the game shooting 43% (17-40) from the field, 38% (8-21) from three-point area, but 76% (22-29) from the free-throw line.

Riley Haynes finished with 18 points, six rebounds, and two steals.  Lance Dewitt had 13 points and three assists.  Owen Besmer added 10 points and three rebounds.  Tyler Johnson had seven points and eight rebounds.

Tri-Valley then played host to Sisseton the next day on Saturday.  The Mustangs started the game on fire making their first four shots while getting out to an 8-0 run, but Sisseton pulled away in the second half for a 66-45 win.

The Mustangs led 18-16 after a big offensive first quarter.  Sisseton took their first lead at 29-27 with 3:41 to play in the second quarter.  Tri-Valley went on a 5-1 run for a 32-30 advantage with 2:00 to play in the half, but Sisseton ended the half on a 7-0 run for a 37-32 halftime lead.

Tri-Valley battled back in the first four minutes of the third quarter.  They tied the game at 39-39 with 4:00 to go, but Sisseton held them to just one more point the rest of the quarter for a 48-40 lead after three quarters of play.  The cold streak continued for the Mustangs as they were outscored 18-5 in the final quarter.

The Mustangs finished the game shooting 31% (16-52) from the field, 30% (10-33) from three-point area, and finished just 3-11 from the free-throw line.  They had a total of 26 rebounds.

Nick Hass had a team-high 19 points along with four rebounds and two steals.  Owen Besmer finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two assists.  Levi Hanson had five points and four rebounds.

Tri-Valley (0-2) will host Madison on Tuesday, December 15th.