Hornets fall to Panthers 71-56 in HOL action
Sports | Published on January 20, 2026 at 12:27pm EST | Author: frazeevergas
0By Chad Koenen
Publisher
After a week off from competition, Frazee was unable to get by the Park Rapids Area Panthers on Friday night as the Hornets came out on the short end of a 71-56 game as part of a boys-girls doubleheader on the road.
The Hornets came out of the gates and took a brief lead, but Park Rapids seized an early lead and never looked back as they were able to drop Frazee to 2-9 on the season and 1-6 in Heart O’ Lakes Conference action.
The Panthers led 35-28 at halftime and shot 52.7 percent from the floor, while Frazee shot just 34.6 percent from the floor and went just 12-36 from inside the 3-point line.
Head coach Ryan Vigen said the Hornets will need to shoot better from inside the 3-point line if they want to find success later in the season.
“We shot better from the 3-point line tonight, but we can’t shoot 33 percent from 2’s. They made it tough, but we have to meet the challenge,” he said.
The Panthers also had a big advantage in the paint as they outscored the Hornets 44-22 down low and held a 13-0 advantage in transition points.
Noah Mekalson led the way offensively with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Adam Vigen chipped in with 16 points and Ben Reierson scored 13. Ayden Grossman and Dawson Lyman each scored three points and Conner Erickson and Mason Mickelson rounded out the scoring with two points apiece.
The Hornets will host Barnesville on Tuesday night, before heading to Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton on Friday night in a rematch of Frazee’s regular season opener on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The Rebels came away with a 65-53 win that time around as the Hornets will look to reverse the tide on Friday.
Frazee vs. Park Rapids
POINTS: Benjamin Reierson 13, Adam Vigen 16, Noah Mekalson 17, Ayden Grossman 3, Dawson Lyman 3, Conner Erickson 2, Mason Mickelson 2
ASSISTS: Benjamin Reierson 2, Adam Vigen 1, Noah Mekalson 3, Ayden Grossman 1, Conner Erickson 1
REBOUNDS: Benjamin Reierson 5, Adam Vigen 6, Noah Mekalson 8, Ayden Grossman 5, Dawson Lyman 1, Conner Erickson 2, Mason Mickelson 2
STEALS: Adam Vigen 2, Ayden Grossman 1
BLOCKS: