Keota scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to take the lead for good in a 56-47 victory over Easton Valley in the class 1A quarterfinals. Senior guard Kolton Greiner led Keota with 21 points and his desperation three at the end of the third quarter trimmed the Easton Valley lead to two.
“Some games you’re feeling it, and this game I happened to be. I’ve been struggling the last couple of games…I just kind of launched it up there in desperation, and when it went in, it was awesome,” Greiner says.
Greiner’s three pointer came moments after a dunk by Easton Valley 6-8 center Logan Wilhelm had given the River Hawks a five point lead.
Greiner finished 5 of 10 from three point range but says defense was the key to the game.
Easton Valley coach Dan Beck says the three pointer at the end of the third quarter shifted the momentum. “Yeah, that was uncalled for. We should have had a steal on that pass instead of letting the kid hit a 3. You know, we had them dead out front were we wanted them. Yeah, we should have known better.”
Easton Valley shot a chilly 28 percent for the game and Beck says his team learned a painful lesson. “I thought our kids were taking these guys too lightly. They were kind of I think giddy to get here and weren’t real impressed with what they saw on film. I told them they didn’t see enough film,” Beck says.
Chase Zaruba led Easton Valley with 16 points as they end the season with a record of 21-3.
West Lyon/Newell Fonda
Eighth ranked West Lyon turned the game around with an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter and raced away to a 72-57 win over second ranked Newell-Fonda, handing the Mustangs their first loss of the season.
The Wildcats claimed the win in their first trip to the tournament. “I didn’t know how we would absorb being down here, but the kids have handled it well, we’ve had a good time and are just fortunate they’ve stayed mentally focused,” West Lyon coach Aaron Johnson says.
Kyle Groeneweg led four Wildcats in double figures with 18 points. Newell-Fonda scored the opening basket of the fourth quarter and led 48-42 before West Lyon made its run. The Mustangs were outscored 30-11 in the final frame.
Newell-Fonda ends the season with a record of 25-1