Warrior boys get second win of the season in thriller against NFV
Warrior Seth Bena handles the ball in last week’s upset victory over NFV. (Photos by Bev Hamann)
Parker Vaughn defends an MFL MarMac player during Central’s Feb. 1 loss in Monona.
Dan McGreal shoots a free throw against the TigerHawks.
Corey Weber works around an MFL MarMac defender.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The Central boys basketball team started last week with a 58-54 upset victory, taking down 11-7 North Fayette Valley, who sits third in the Upper Iowa Conference.
“No one gave us a chance heading into that game, but our guys had enough belief in themselves, and in one another, to put together our best performance of the year,” said coach Brady Stramer.
“Throughout the season, we have had troubles playing our best as a collective unit for extended periods of time. We would have a good quarter here and there, but were never able to have sustained success,” Stramer continued. “Fortunately for us, our guys were able to finally put together a complete four quarters without having long droughts offensively, and worked hard on the defensive end for the entirety of the game.”
The Warriors finished the game with three players in double digits, including Dan McGreal with 14 points, Gabe Erickson with 12 and Caden Erickson with 11. Three other starters, Seth Bena, Corey Weber and Tate Berns, all combined for 21 points.
Central shot an impressive 55 percent from the field, including 42.9 percent on three pointers, and hit a stunning 88.9 percent of their free throw shots. That proved critical down the stretch.
The Warriors also out-rebounded the TigerHawks 27-25, and finished with more assists, with Berns leading the way with six. They had more blocks, with four, all coming from Berns.
On defense, the Warriors forced 10 turnovers, while limiting their own to 19, and came away with four steals.
“The reason we were able to have sustained success and balanced scoring was due to our great ball movement. NFV played a variety of defenses throughout the game, but regardless of what they threw at us, our guys continued to stick together and move the ball until an open shot presented itself. Our guys played with confidence throughout the game, and showed great poise down the stretch, [and] for not having been in many close games with a lead, I was very pleased with how our guys closed the game,” Stramer said.
In a season that’s been littered with injuries and sick players, the game forced the Warriors into a six-man rotation, but on this night, the team rallied together and won its second game of the season. As Stramer put it, they were “extremely excited with the outcome, as they should be.”
However, the victory laps would be short-lived over the course of the next two games, both of which were 40-point losses.
The first came against MFL MarMac, as the Bulldogs took home a 71-31 victory, limiting the Warriors to fewer than 10 points in three of four periods.
The Warriors shot 30.8 percent from the field and fell to 17.6 percent on threes. On free throws, which were so critical against the TigerHawks, the Warriors made just 50 percent.
McGreal led Central with 15 points, while Bena scored six and Weber and Gabe Erickson both had three.
The Warriors were out-rebounded 39-19, finished with 22 turnovers and gave up 16 steals to the Bulldogs.
In the following game, the Warriors once again got down early in the first period and never recovered, losing to Edgewood-Colesburg 70-29.
Central was again held to fewer than 10 points in three out of four periods, but eight players scored points, led by McGreal with nine.
The Warriors shot just 28.6 percent from the field, compared with the Vikings’ 53.1 percent. On three point shots, the Warriors went 2-13, and they were limited to four free throws while the Vikings shot 22.
Other players to score included Bena with six and Berns and Caden Erickson with three.
Central finished with eight assists, including three from McGreal, and while they continued to keep their turnovers low with 19, their 15 fouls led to 10 points for the Vikings.
“MFL MarMac and Ed-Co are both great teams, which their records and statistics show. In both games, we dug ourselves too big of a hole to climb out of. We tried multiple defensive looks in both games, but were unable to find sustained success with any of our options. We took a step backward in the turnover department, but I give a lot of credit to the other teams for outplaying us for four quarters,” Stramer said.
The Warriors have two more regular season games before the playoffs. First is a quality road test at Kee (9-11) on Feb. 7. The last regular season game, which will also be senior night, is scheduled for Feb. 8, versus 2-16 Postville.
The Warriors will have a play-in game on Friday, Feb. 11, against winless Starmont.
“This season has undoubtedly been frustrating in many ways, and the fact that this group of guys continue to show up and give their best is a big testament to their character,” Stramer shared. “I’ve said all season it’s about continuing to improve each day, and we do that by building good habits that transfer from the practice floor to game situations.”
