Warriors stage dramatic comeback against Waukon, lose to South Winneshiek

By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register

As the regular season is rapidly coming to an end, the Central boys basketball team is providing dramatic finishes and comebacks on the basketball court. 

On Feb. 3, the Warriors played at Waukon. The first quarter started off well enough, after Griffen Hammersland scored two of his 13 points, with an assist from Jake Hertrampf, who finished with four. It remained close through the first four minutes, after Owen Hammersland grabbed a rebound from his own shot and put it back for two with Waukon still leading 5-4. 

The remainder of the quarter was all Waukon, who outscored Central 9-4. Isaac Loan had a four-point play, after being fouled on a three-point shot and converting the free throw. Though the Warrior offense was limited on the scoreboard, they were still taking good, open shots, but many were a little off aim, giving Waukon an early 14-8 lead. 

“Waukon’s early full court pressure gave us some trouble, as we turned the ball over early and allowed them to get some high percentage shots near the rim,” said coach Brady Stramer. 

The second quarter did not start out well for Central either, as Waukon came out hitting deep threes. The Warriors trailed by 15 points with about five minutes remaining in the half. 

After a series of turnovers from both teams, the Warrior offense put the scorekeepers to work, starting with a pair of threes from Carson Ruegnitz and O. Hammersland, who finished with a team-high 15 points. 

Loan added another three-pointer to go with his 13 points, and G. Hammersland took a steal to the basket to put the Warriors within eight, at 30-22. Central pulled within six on an inside layup by Vaughn Zittergruen, who scored 12 points, but faltered in the final minute, as Waukon held a 33-24 lead at halftime. 

“Our guys came out and had a slow start to this game, losing each of the first two quarters. However, we were able to reset at halftime and played some terrific basketball on both ends of the final two quarters,” Stramer said. 

The third quarter was a turning point for the Warriors, who outscored the Indians 21-13, after opening the quarter with a jump shot by Hertrampf, who finished with 13 points. Central chipped away with back-to-back layups by Zittergruen. After a Hertrampf bomb from beyond the arc and a fast break layup by O. Hammersland, the Warriors were suddenly within three points, at 38-35. 

Another three by Hertrampf gave Central its first lead of the game, 41-39, with under three minutes to go in the quarter. Another three by O. Hammersland put the Warriors up 44-41, but then the whistles started blowing and fouls mounted. Waukon benefited from three fouls in the final two minutes, hitting five of six, while the Warriors went one for four, allowing Waukon to limp into the fourth quarter with a 46-45 lead. 

“We were able to move the ball with great efficiency, and when an open shot presented itself, our guys shot the ball with confidence. We were able to not only limit our turnovers, which were an issue early on, but we were able to force them into making some mistakes of their own. We also found open looks for most of the game due to great ball movement,” Stramer said. 

It was a back-and-forth final period, but the Warriors stepped up, with Hertrampf draining a three to respond to Waukon. A layup with a foul put Zittergruen on the free throw line to tie the score 51-51 with two minutes gone. 

Central continued to match the Indians shot for shot, including G. Hammersland putting up six points, Loan hitting a layup and Zittergruen adding a free throw. With less than four minutes left, Central held a 62-57 lead. 

The next three minutes were foul plagued, as the refs called 39 total fouls, leading to 45 free throws shot in the game. The Warriors attempted to pull away on an O. Hammersland three that put them ahead 68-64, but whistles put the Indians on the line where they pulled to within one. With Central clinging to a 69-68 lead and no timeouts remaining, Waukon had the ball with 30 seconds left. Central’s defensive rotations were executed perfectly on a dribble drive opportunity, as Zittergruen slid over to stop it, then Ruegnitz flattened out to stop the drop off pass. This not only stopped the Indians from getting a layup, but tipped the ball and giving Central a much needed steal. Loan recovered the loose ball and was immediately fouled.

Loan hit both free throws and extended the Warrior lead to 71-68. Waukon called its final timeout and had the ball with 13 seconds left. On the ensuing play, O. Hammersland stayed attached to the Indian shooter, forcing him into a difficult perimeter shot that bounced off the rim before the buzzer. Central pulled off the 71-68 comeback victory. 

“All things considered, this was our best win of the season and I was extremely proud of how our guys came together and battled through adversity, especially down the stretch of a physical game,” Stramer said. 

The Warriors’ Feb. 7 game against South Winneshiek did not end with a comeback victory, as Central was thoroughly out-shot 51.9 percent from the field and 57.4 percent on three-point attempts, compared to their own  28.8 percent from the field and 6.7 percent on threes. 

“On our final road contest of the regular season, South Winn came out of the gate making shots and converting on their first three field goal attempts, which included two three-point shots, allowing them to jump out to an 8-2 lead. The rest of the quarter went by a similar script, as South Winn was able to find open shots against our half quarter defense and converted a high percentage of them,” Stramer said. 

The Warriors were down 43-16 by halftime, and while the offense put together a 16-point third quarter, they followed it with just six in the fourth, and were defeated 72-38. 

“To South Winn’s credit, they made things really difficult for us in our half court offense, often doubling the ball handler. We struggled to pass the ball quickly enough to find the open man on the weak side, which resulted in some tough contested shots,” Stramer said. 

The Warrior offense was led by Zittergruen with 12 points, while O. Hammersland finished with eight and G. Hammersland added seven. Loan led with five assists and Zittergruen had a team-high five rebounds, followed by Garrett Burns with four and Hertrampf with three. 

“This was our second lowest scoring output of the season, along with our third most points given up on defense. We will look to bounce back on Tuesday, specifically in terms of our shooting percentages and our turnover numbers,” Stramer said. 

Central hosted Clayton Ridge for the final regular season game on Feb. 11, which was also senior night.