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Island of doom sinks Longhorns' state plans
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Captain Jack Goering and the Island-based team simply didn’t bounce enough coconuts off their feet Monday night.
“When you get behind a team like GI (Grand Island) CC (Central Catholic), it’s tough to come back,” Chase County coach Chris Bartels explained about the C1-7 district title game. “Because they just don’t make mistakes.”
Plus it doesn’t hurt to have a 6’6” cleanup man like senior captain Jacob Herbek.
When Crusaders like senior guard Goering (15 points) or sophomore Koby Bales (16) did miss a shot, Herbek was often ready to turn those missed shots or miscues into putbacks.
The Longhorns have been on a terrific comeback trail since starting 1-8 last season.
They’ve won 26 of 36 games since, so it was no surprise to see them score 20 third-quarter points following a 30-15 first half Monday night.
However, the GICC Crusaders countered with 24 more points which all added to an inevitable 66-44 victory.
“We started hitting shots, but hey got it down to their bigs. They just killed us down there,” Bartels admitted as his tallest player is listed at 6’3”.
The Crusaders (17-7 record) rumble into Class C-1 state tournament play on a five-game winning streak. They knocked off Southwest Conference finalist Broken Bow last week, 45-34, for a subdistrict championship.
Meanwhile, Chase County finishes a strong season at 16-6 featuring wins over state qualifier Wauneta-Palisade, Dundy County-Stratton, Southern Valley and the Hershey Panthers.
“All the credit goes to the kids. They put in the work and believed in the coaching staff,” Bartels said. “They enjoyed a lot of the dividends.”
Senior Braden Space’s 15 points paced the Longhorns one more time while classmates Parker Dillan (eight) and Scott Wheeler (six) teamed to score another 14.
Dillan battled through foul troubles, drawing his fourth midway through the third period.
He still joined Space in igniting that Chase second-half attack.
Space swished a corner “triple” and cut past Crusaders for two inside baskets.
Dillan drilled a pair of three-pointers and helped push GICC into taking one time-out.
Yet the Longhorns couldn’t get closer than 10 points, and Bartels didn’t believe it had anything to do with negative after-effects of last week’s subdistrict defeat.
“Honestly, we had two of our best practices we’ve had all year,” he said following the 64-46 semifinal loss to Cozad’s Haymakers. The Longhorns were part of a “loaded” subdistrict at Sutherland last week.
Ogallala won that title and remains unbeaten at 23-4going into Class C-1 state.
“We knew we’d be playing in a district final anyway,” Bartels said. “I don’t think the loss had anything to do with it. GICC is just a real good team.”
Senior Cole Wiest still buried a late jump shot that drew big cheers from the large Chase County fan following.
Despite a rough first quarter where they fell behind 19-8, the Longhorns scored more points against GICC than anyone since Hastings St. Cecilia five games ago on Feb. 7.
“They play central Nebraska defense and we struggled with their pressure,” Bartels explained. “If you’ve never seen it before, it’s quite the thing. They can play physical without fouling.”
The Crusaders’ first C-1 state tournament opponent was still to be announced at Gazette press time today.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns will focus on continuing their steady rise during these past two seasons.
Juniors Taylor Jablonski, Kobe Clevenger and sophomore Cedric Maxwell are all players who will likely return to important roles.
“We have some juniors and sophomores who I think are ready to step up,” Bartels concluded.
CHASE (44) — Braden Space 15 points, Parker Dillan 8, Scott Wheeler 6, Cedric Maxwell 6, Taylor Jablonski 4, Kobe Clevenger 3, Mason Nordhausen 2, Kole Wiest 2. Three-pointers: Space 2, Dillan 2.
GRAND ISLAND CC (66) — Sophomore Kolby Bales’ 16 points led the 17-7 Crusaders while senior Jack Goering scored 15 and senior Jacob Harek added 13.