Lynnville-Sully is a young and learning on the fly boys basketball team.
Montezuma is a been there, done that, but still excited to learn new ways to get there and do it again bunch.
They meet for a third time this season Thursday night, Feb. 18, in a Class 1A district semifinals game in Montezuma. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Montezuma won 77-48 in Sully on Dec. 15. The Hawks were minus some players for that one and the Braves were without one of their wheels, 6-4 post forward Eddie Burgess.
Fast forward to Feb. 2 in Montezuma. The squads were full and the Braves added three points to their margin, winning 71-39.
Montezuma’s defense and rebounding stood out. The Braves limited the Hawks to 24 percent field goal shooting, and out-rebounded their opponent 36-28, with Burgess grabbing 20 caroms.
That didn’t hurt the Braves’ offense at all. Montezuma shot 60 percent from the field.
Braves Coach Derrick Dengler knows it usually isn’t a given to beat a team three times in one season. “Especially in this league, (SICL) because there are so many good coaches in it,” he told KGRN’s Chris Varney this week.
“It’s hard just to win a game in this conference,” Dengler said.
Lynnville-Sully brings in a 13-8 record to Montezuma’s 19-2.
Dengler noted how the Braves have started several recent games with strong early efforts on the defensive end.
“When we start with good energy like that it helps us start our offense,” the coach said.
“We’re fortunate to have three really talented players on offense,” Dengler said. “But the whole team puts in a ton of time on our offense.”
Trey Shearer, the 5-10 senior guard, scores 27.4 points per game and shoots .585 from the field and .486 from three-point range.
Cole Watts, a 5-10 senior wing forward, averages 19.6 points, .607 from the field, and .517 on three-balls.
Burgess is scoring 13.7 per game and shoots .733 from the field, which includes .500 on treys.
There’s more where those figures come from. Burgess averages 12.6 rebounds and just set a new school record for a single game with 22.
Watts averages 6.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
Trey Shearer dishes 5.0 assists and averages 5.4 rebounds.
“Eddie (Burgess) has done a great job with his outlet passes,” Dengler said. “Our spacing and movement have been really good. I’ve been pleased with our transition game and the guys playing their roles,” he said.
“We gave guys who play really well in unstructured offensive situations,” Dengler said.
Preston Rodibaugh, a 6-2 sophomore, leads Lynnville-Sully scorers at 15.4 points a game.
Corder Noun Harder, a 5-9 freshman, averages 11.5 points and 4.7 assists.
Klayton Van Dyke, a 6-5 freshman, scores 7.4 points per game and averages 8.7 rebounds.
Lynnville-Sully shoots .369 from the field on the season, while the Braves are at 531.
THURSDAY’S WINNER – Advances to the district title game, now scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday 23. Their opponent will be the winner of Thursday’s North Mahaska vs. Keota game, which will be played in Keota.