Two long winning streaks came to an end Thursday at the boys state basketball tournament. Brennan Cougill tapped in a missed free throw to beat the buzzer as number-four Sioux City Heelan posted a heart stopping 57-56 win over the top ranked and defending champion Cyclones in a class 3A semifinal, snapping the cyclones winning streak at 52.
Cougill’s heroics came after the Crusader’s Clint Sargent missed the front end of a one-and-one with one-point-six seconds remaining. Cougill says John Daniels got it to the rim and he did a "swim move" over his guy, shot it backwards and it went in.
For the Cyclones and coach Mitch Osborn it was a long second and a half. Osborn says he was surprised they could get two shots off in that time. Osborn says after Daniels missed he thought he horn would go off. But Osborn says his team should have knocked the ball out of there, and there are no excuses. Harlan had taken a one point lead after a pair of free throws from Kyle Haake with six seconds remaining. Haake led Harlan with 24 points. Cougill had 17 to lead Heelan.
The Crusaders will play Waverly-Shell rock in Saturday nights 3A championship game. the Go-Hawks jumped out to a 39-22 lead at the half and cruised past Grinnell 39-22. Clayton Vette had 32 points and 13 rebounds as Waverly-Shell Rock beat Grinnell 68-51 and earn a spot in the 3A championship game. The Go-Hawks took command by outscoring the Tigers 25-8 in the second quarter. Vette says he was focused and knew his team needed him and says when his shots fell early, he got his confidence.
Western Christian’s attacking style paid off as the game wore on. The Wolfpack outscored top ranked Nodaway Valley 41-24 in the second half to down the defending champions 73-57 in a class 2A semifinal round game. Western and coach Jim Eekhoff says it was a great performance by his team. Eekhoff says his team is so young, and for them to knock off a great team is really incredible. It was the first loss of the season for Nodaway Valley which took a 36-game winning streak into the contest.
Wolverine coach Darrell Burmeister says his seniors are 102-5 in the last four years and the school hadn’t been to state since 1948, so the seniors have done a lot for the community. Burmeister says they wanted to go back-to-back, but did get the title last year.
Just a few weeks after being under .500 Mid-Prairie of Wellman will play for state championship. The Golden Hawks held off TriCenter of (Neola) for a 59-58 victory in the 2A semifinals. Mid-Praire coach Don Showalter says if you told him three weeks ago that they would be playing for a state championship he "would have told you, you are on some stuff you shouldn’t be on." Showalter says they won some games at the end of the season, and all of a sudden the team thinks it can’t be beat. Kurt Spomer had 32 to lead Tri-Center.
Iowa Mennonite and Northwood Kensett meet in tonight’s 1A title game. Brad Hhershbergers layup beat the buzzer in the second overtime in a 63-62 win over WLVA. Northwood-Kensett beat Lone Tree 55-49.
