Junior Cole Hebrink put together one of the best performances in Austin Packer history as he nearly broke a school record, while also setting up his teammates for big shots in a 90-73 win over Red Wing in Ove Berven Gym Thursday. Hebrink poured in 43 points, coming just shy of Emmanuel Manyuon’s mark of 45 points that came against Albert Lea in 2021, as he connected on seven three-pointers. Hebrink also added six steals, three rebounds and five assists as he was double teamed for most of the second half. “The energy in here was definitely a lot. It was a good atmosphere for sure,” Hebrink said. “I was just thinking that we needed to get good shots. Once I found my groove, my other teammates were able to hit shots. J’dan (Stevens) started to hit some shots, Banyaan (Omot) was getting downhill and Micah (Christopherson) was hitting. I just fed off them. When they started doubling me, I just started setting screens. When two are one, one is going to be open. I just let those guys do their own work.” Christopherson finished with 20 points as he connected on six three-pointers of his own in the win. As a team, Austin drilled 18 three-pointers. Christopherson said the win was a huge momentum booster for the Packers (6-5 overall) and he was quick to credit Hebrink for being unselfish in the second half. “Cole Hebink is a damn good basketball player. That was electric and you can’t replicate that. The gravity he creates is just crazy,” Christopherson said. “The reason I got so many points was because of Cole. They were doubling him and it left a blind eye for everyone else. It was a great night.” The Wingers (5-6 overall) put together an 8-0 run in the first two minutes of the game and they led 15-5 before Hebrink started catching fire. Austin took its first lead when Hebrink hit a three to make it 30-28 and Hebrink hit another three right before the halftime buzzer to put the Packers up 47-35, giving him 29 points in the first half. It was a much welcomed fast start for an Austin team that has been struggling at home this season. “I think we’ve been doing too much celebrating at home and we’ve been trying to do too much extra stuff,” Hebrink said. “Coach got after us on that and we went down to the basics. It worked out pretty well, I’d say.” Austin led 71-52 with 7:25 left and although the Wingers crept within 75-64 with 4:11 left, the Packers were able to pull away when Stevens hit a three to make it 78-67 with 3:23 left. Austin head coach Jamaal Gibson credited his team for recognizing Hebrink’s hot shooting touch early on, and he also gave credit to Hebrink for knowing when it was time to be a distributor. “This is one of the more connected teams that we’ve had over the years. You can tell that they really like each other and they don’t care if Cole’s going off. They would’ve loved to have him break the school record,” Gibson said. “When Cole’s rolling like that, everyone else is going to get going. Cole is a really good passer as well and he’s one of the most selfless guys we’ve had for someone who could score like that.” Winger senior Juju Koehler registered his 1,000th career point in the first half.  RW 35  38  –  73 Austin 47  43  –  90 Austin scoring: Cole Hebrink, 43; Micah Christopherson, 20; J’dan Stevens, 11; Banyaan Omot, 6; Xavien Severin, 3; Boden Bergstrom, 3; Ohlani Omot, 2; Mady Kwot, 2 The post Hebrink explodes for 43 as Packers clip Wingers in Ove Berven Gym appeared first on Austin Daily Herald.