Central loses close game to Ed-Co, turnovers costly against MFL MarMac and Kee

By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register

The Central boys basketball team opened last week on the road against Edgewood-Colesburg, in what would be a fast-paced, nail-biting game that came down to the closing seconds.

The Warriors pulled out to an early 7-4 lead, including a layup by Owen Hammersland, who finished with 12 points, and a long-range shot by Isaac Loan, accounting for three of his seven points. Ed-Co took an 8-7 lead with just over three minutes left in the quarter, but a foul on Jake Hertrampf sent him to the free throw line, where he scored two of his six points, giving the lead back to Central. Ed-Co responded with back-to-back threes and Griffen Hammersland knocked down three of his eight points as the period closed with Central trailing 14-12.

Griffen Hammersland opened the second period hitting free throws, and a layup by Vaughn Zittergruen gave the Warriors a 16-14 lead. Zittergruen scored a game-high 16 points on 66.7 percent shooting. While the Ed-Co student section disputed most of the Vikings’ 17 fouls, the Warriors took advantage of them, making eight for 12 in the game. They also hit jump shots, as Hertrampf and Owen Hammersland led a furious charge to pull ahead 25-24 at halftime. 

Central fell behind early in the third period, but Zittergruen buried a three-pointer two minutes in to give the lead back to Central. The teams exchanged free throws and Zittergruen put the Warriors ahead 33-29 midway through the period. A three later in the period put the Warriors ahead 36-32, but some untimely turnovers gave Ed-Co a 38-36 advantage in the final two minutes. The Warriors trailed 39-38 heading into the fourth period. 

Ed-Co jumped ahead 41-38, but Griffen Hammersland netted a big three to make it 41 all. The Warriors then overcame another four-point deficit at the midway point for a 46-45 lead. The lead exchanged a few more times, as Isaac Loan and Owen Hammersland took turns retaking the lead for Central. The Warriors held a 50-49 lead with a minute remaining, but Ed-Co regained it with 46 seconds remaining. Central turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, followed by a contested layup by Zittergruen that didn’t fall. Down 53-50, Central had 5.2 seconds to send the game into overtime, but Hertrampf stepped out on the inbounds pass, giving Ed-Co the 53-50 win.  

“Our road game against Ed-Co was a close battle throughout. We did a good job of taking away their opportunities in the paint, but to their credit, they were able to hit some perimeter shots. Offensively, we were able to get a few opportunities close to the basket by pushing the ball in transition,” said coach Brady Stramer. “While we did a lot of good things in our half court defense, our inability to take care of the ball prevented us from scoring enough points down the stretch.”

On Dec. 17, the Warriors welcomed undefeated MFL MarMac, in a game in which the Warriors struggled with turnovers and converting on offense, while losing leading scorer Owen Hammersland early in the contest. 

But early in the first period, it looked like the Warriors would be able to keep pace, and they even held a 13-12 lead at the midway point on brilliant three-point shooting by Mason Loan, who hit two early to add to his eight points. Griffen Hammersland got in on the three-point action, scoring three of his five points, and Hertrampf found success at the free throw line, hitting both in the period to go with his team-high 11 points. But at the 4:01 mark, the Bulldogs began a 13-0 run and closed the period leading 25-13.

“On a back-to-back against a very good opponent, our guys came out and executed very well on the offensive end. We continued to move the ball and got open looks at the basket even though our shooting percentages fell off after the hot start. Defensively, we weren’t able to turn them over, or prevent some easy opportunities near the rim, which led to them scoring 25 first-quarter points,” Stramer said. 

The second period was slow for the Warriors, who took nearly three minutes to score. Central struggled to get open and break through the Bulldog defense, and although Zittergruen made a shot underneath and Hertrampf put home a three-pointer, the Warriors trailed 45-22 at halftime. 

“In the second quarter, we were able to get a few stops early on, but continued to struggle to convert offensively, and began to turn the ball over more, which allowed MFL to increase their lead before the halftime break,” Stramer said.

The third period got underway with a three-point shot by the Bulldogs off a Central turnover, but the Warriors battled, with Hertrampf hitting multiple threes in the period. But the Bulldogs, who shot 46.2 percent compared to 37 for the Warriors, made the most of their opportunities, closing the third quarter up 61-33.

“After a bad second quarter, I thought our guys did a good job of adjusting in the second half and lowering our turnovers, which allowed us to be more competitive, losing that half by seven points,” Stramer said. 

It was a closer game in the fourth period, with Mason Loan scoring off a defensive rebound and pass by Julian Singleton. Zittergruen added another layup, and the Warriors found opportunities with Griffen Hammersland, Singleton and Garrett Burns, but ran out of time to mount a serious comeback, falling to the Bulldogs 75-45. 

The defense forced seven turnovers and one block. Mason Loan led the offense with five assists, and Isaac Loan passed for three. Burns and Hertrampf finished with two each. Zittergruen led the team in rebounds with six, followed by Hertrampf with five and Mason Loan with four. 

The last game of the week was against the Kee High Hawks, and with Owen Hammersland still injured, Griffen Hammersland got his first varsity start. 

Both teams came out struggling offensively, scoring just eight points combined through four minutes of play. The Warriors had scores from Hertrampf and Hammersland, who scored eight points. Zittergruen, who led the team with 17 points, scored the remaining six points of the period, but Central trailed 12-10. 

The Warriors continued to keep it close in the second period, with Zittergruen scoring from the free throw line and in the paint. He was helped out by Mason Loan hitting free throws and knocking down a three-point shot, scoring five of his eight points on two shots. Carson Ruegnitz also hit a shot, and Hammersland  put back a layup off a rebound to end the period with the Warriors trailing 28-22. 

“In the half court, we struggled to hit shots from the perimeter, shooting only two of 14 from three on the evening. However, while we struggled to convert from long range, our guys did a really good job of moving without the basketball and finding back door cuts, allowing us to get some layups in order to keep the game tight,” Stramer said.

The second half started rough for the Warriors, who were turnover prone. Kee drained multiple three-point shots, extending the lead to 12 points, but despite not scoring until three minutes into the period, the Warriors continued to stay within reach. Down 40-28 with less than three minutes to go, the Warriors went on a 6-2 run to close the period.

The Warriors gave themselves a chance entering the fourth period, but that slowly slipped away as they went ice cold from the field and free throw line and turned the ball over. Central didn’t score for well over four minutes, when Hammersland hit a layup, followed by a three-point shot by Mason Loan, which would be all the points scored by Central in the period. The Warriors lost 58-39. 

“I thought our defense for most of the week was very good. I thought we battled on both ends of the court in terms of rebounding, but still need to be more consistent. Turnovers continue to cause issues for us, and if we want to start winning these games that we are competitive in, we need to start finding solutions in that area,” Stramer said. 

The Warriors shot 35.4 percent in the game, but just 30 percent at the foul line. The defense amassed five steals, with Zittergruen getting three, and forced 17 turnovers. 

“With Christmas break coming up, we will look to clean up a lot of things, specifically our half court zone offense and being able to get high quality shots without forcing passes that aren’t there, or being weak with the basketball. We will also carve out practice time to work on situational things, especially late game situations so we have more familiarity with what we are looking for in a variety of scenarios,” Stramer said. 

The Warriors will be back on the court at home on Friday, Jan. 3, versus Cedar Valley Christian.