Pequot LakesÕ Michael Goerges dribbles past Detroit LakesÕ Connor McLeod in Mid-State Conference action on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

The PatriotsÕ Michael Ward, 54, shoots over two Detroit Lakes players in boysÕ basketball action on Tuesday, Jan. 26, in Pequot Lakes. The Patriots won 53-42.

The Pequot Lakes Patriots boys' basketball team got a pair of much needed wins last week to improve to 8-7 on the season.

In a Mid-State Conference clash at home on Tuesday, Jan. 26, the Patriots avenged a 14-point loss on the road earlier this season by defeating Detroit Lakes 53-42.

Pequot Lakes coach earns 300th victory Pequot Lakes boysÕ basketball coach Garry Grewe earned his 300th career coaching victory in the PatriotsÕ 62-57 win over Pierz on Saturday, Jan. 30. Grewe earned 77 varsity wins in his seven seasons at Park Rapids, 80 wins in seven seasons at Bemidji, and 143 wins in eight seasons at Pequot Lakes.

Then on Saturday, Jan. 30, in Pierz, the Patriots edged the Pioneers 62-57 on the strength of a 41-point second half.

The Patriots, 2-4 in the Mid-State, host Staples-Motley in key conference game on Friday, Feb. 5.

Patriots 53, Detroit Lakes 42

In beating the Lakers, the Patriots led early 7-6 before going on a 10-3 run featueing a three-pointer by Matt Michaelson and a layup by Tomas Parker. The Patiorts went on to lead at the half 29-21 behind seven points from Kurtis Moody.

In the second half, the Lakers kept it close and trailed 33-28 when Moody picked up his fourth foul while scrambling for a loose ball with 14:41 remaining.

They would cut the lead to four, but with eight minutes to go, Parker grabbed a long rebound and popped in a 12-foot shot for a 40-33 lead.

Michael Goerges drove for a layup to make it 42-33. But with 4:00 remaining, Connor Hedstrom hit a three for the Lakers. However, the Patriots rattled off seven straight to push the lead to 13. Moody made four of five shots from the line in the last minute to seal the win.

Moody led the Patriots with 18 points. Parker added 12, Michael Ward eight and Goerges seven. Josh Stalberger and Tyler Fode each had nine for the Lakers.

The Lakers were 4 for 8 (50 percent) at the line, while the Patriots were 11 for 16 (69 percent). The Patriots enjoyed a 33-24 rebounding edge with Ward pulling down eight, Parker seven and Nevin Greer six.

The Patriots only had nine turnovers in the game while forcing 14. Moody had six of the 12 steals.

"We really played well tonight as a team, and both Moody and Parker had good nights for us offensively." said Coach Garry Grewe. "And we took better care of the ball than we have been doing lately."

Patriots 62, Pierz 57

Against Pierz, the Patriots got off to a slow start, but made up with a strong finish for a key win over the Pioneers. Pequot Lakes had a following of fans against Pierz, 2-13 overall, but with eight losses by six points or less.

Pioneer coach Kurt Stumpf and Coach Grewe both elected to play zone defenses, and after six minutes the Pioneers led 6-1 on two Preston Weber three pointers.

The Patriots didn't get their first field goal until Moody put in a layup with 7:57 left in the first half. With a little over five minutes remaining, the Patriots still trailed 16-9, but a layup by Ward, a three pointer by Goerges and Parker's turn-around jumper tied it at 16.

Ward grabbed a rebound 30 seconds later and swished a 12-foot shot for the Patriots' first lead, but Caleb Janson hit a three for Pierz for what was to be their last lead. The scored was tied seven times after that.

Goerges hit a three pointer before the break, and the Patriots led by one at 21-20.

Both teams played well in the first nine minutes of the second half, but the Patriots couldn't pull away. They never led by more than four points before Goerges hit another three for a 43-38 lead with six minutes left.

Moody later hit Parker with a nice pass for a turn-around jump shot and a 45-40 lead with just over four minutes left. However, Janson swished another three for the Pioneers.

Pequot Lakes' Jordan Anderson later came up big when he swished a three from the left side for a 48-43 lead. Moody then turned a three-point play with a little over two minutes left. It looked like it might be over, but Parker made one of two free throws to push the lead to nine.

With 40 seconds remaining, Janson hit a three, but Ward answered with two free throws. Brandon Meyer then got a layup for Pierz before time ran out.

Then in a wild final 20 seconds, the Patriots added seven points from the line, and the Pioneers scored six points.

"Once we got going, we took some better looks, and the shots started to fall," Grewe said. "But I think the two big keys to the win was us making only five turnovers while forcing 16. And we were 17 for 24 at the line to their 10 for 17.

"We were more deliberate the second half and we hit some big shots."

Grewe added: "And I think Michael (Goerges) had one of his better games of the year. Tomas (Parker) also played well with 10 points and eight rebounds, and Michael (Ward) had a good game for us too."