Written by Jamie Steyer, Varsity Bound
Coppock and Van Ballegooyen’s Late-Game Heroics Lift West Sioux Over Lawton-Bronson
22-10 1:50 1q
25-15 1q
33-30 2q
Down three with just 18 seconds left, the West Sioux Falcons looked poised for one final shot at sending the game to overtime. A timeout allowed coach Jerome Hoegh to draw up a play and assemble the ideal lineup. The play ended up being simple enough: Carter Bultman inbound to Mason Coppock, Jordan Rehder ballscreen up top, a quick spin move and… a wide open three for Coppock!
Where many would run the final five seconds out, though, Blake Van Ballegooyen saw opportunity: pressuring the frontcourt with Bultman, he swiped the dribble and floated up a layup as time expired. Shot counts, game over: Falcons win, 63-61.
The Falcons were the picture of perseverance Thursday night, overcoming a 12-point first quarter deficit to beat the Eagles. The Falcons survived the Eagles offensive onslaught in the first quarter, holding the visitors to only eight second-quarter points and cutting the halftime lead to three.
A low-scoring third quarter saw the Falcons take their first lead off a three-pointer from Van Ballegooyen assisted by Booker Walsh, 39-38 with 1:50 to go in the quarter. Another Van Ballegooyen just before the end of the quarter was waved off for traveling, and the fourth quarter began knotted up at 40 all.
A back-and-forth fourth quarter saw both teams relying on post scoring and guard drives as outside shots wouldn’t fall. Walsh and Jack Monsma saw success down low, finding angles for shots and drawing fouls. Despite maintaining a lead throughout the quarter, West Sioux couldn’t quite pull away, giving Lawton-Bronson a shot at the victory.
A Hayden Dahlhauser layup brought the Eagles ahead by one with just 30 seconds remaining. After a stolen inbounds pass on the other end put the Eagles back in possession with only 18 seconds now remaining, the Falcons sent Joey Thelander to the line in hopes of earning another chance to score. Thelander’s two made free throws brought the Lawson-Bronson lead to three, but West Sioux’s five points in the last 18 seconds would ultimately give them the victory.
West Sioux begins post-season play Monday, February 15 vs. Hinton at 7 pm for their Class 2a substrate first round matchup.