IOWA PREP BB: Perennial power Harlan halts Atlantic’s run, Cyclones advance to State

IOWA PREP BB: Perennial power Harlan halts Atlantic’s run, Cyclones advance to State

Trojans finish season with 22-2 record, one step short of Des Moines

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Feb. 26, 2013

COUNCIL BLUFFS – It feels as though late every February, tradition seems to take hold of Harlan’s fortunes.

Little does it matter how the Cyclones’ fare throughout the season, or how they finish their schedule, so long as they are playing apex basketball when they hit the tournament trail.

That lesson was delivered again to Atlantic Monday night, as unranked Harlan knocked off the No. 2-ranked Trojans 52-43 in their Class 3A Substate 8 final to clinch a spot at the State Tournament set to start next week.

It was the first time in three attempts Harlan has defeated Atlantic this season, but it is by far the most important.

“We’ve been fortunate to be able to peak at the right time of the year, most generally,” Harlan coach Mitch Osborn says of his team. “You might lose some along the way, but you never give away everything during the regular season. There are always more important things ahead.”

Osborn is headed to State for the 17^th time in his 29-year career, and improves his Substate record to 17-6 all time in his collective work at EHK, Pomeroy-Palmer, and Harlan.

Monday night, Atlantic struggled with its offense, and never was able to find their shooting rhythm. Countless high-percentage shots rimmed out, and the Trojans struggled to make up the difference in a defensive grind.

The Trojans fell behind midway through the first quarter, and tried to chase Harlan down over the next two. Buzzer-beating shots fell for Harlan at the close of the first and second quarters, and the Cyclones took a modest 23-18 lead into the break.

“It was a physical basketball game, and we got out-physical-ed,” Atlantic coach Steve Blazek said afterwards. “It seemed like we were rushing our shots a little bit, and didn’t continually run our stuff.

“But hats off to Harlan, they played well. They made free throws down the stretch and didn’t turn the ball over too much.”

Atlantic shot just 24 percent (7-of-29) from the field in the first half, but their tenacity on the glass gave them a chance as the Trojans hauled in 15 boards over the first two quarters, nine of them on the offensive end.

“They killed us on the offensive boards in the first half,” coach Osborn says. “They had nine second-chance shots, and we were lucky just to be ahead at halftime.”

On one single trip up the floor in the second quarter, Trojans’ senior Ben Nelson collected three offensive rebounds, only for it to be an eventual empty possession for the Trojans. But, for all that went wrong for Atlantic in the first 16 minutes, the Trojans were not about to panic at the break.

“At halftime, we felt like if we could shoot the ball a little bit, then we had a chance,” coach Blazek says. “But we didn’t get to the free throw line as much as we would have liked, and we missed too many bunnies.”

Atlantic made a move in the third quarter and knotted the game at 27-27 when Sam Markham scored on a put back with 3:48 left in the frame. It marked a 7-0 run for the Trojans, and AHS would regain the lead with 2:22 left when Stuart Hoegh dished an assist to his twin Harrison Hoegh to push Atlantic back on top 29-28. It was the first lead for Atlantic since they were up 4-2, but it would not last long as Harlan would take a 30-29 lead into the fourth.

In the final frame, Harlan steadily pulled ahead while Atlantic struggled to hit.

With about four minutes left, Harlan went to their “Carolina” ball control keep away game, and it could not have worked out better for the Cyclones.

HCHS connected from the free throw line a perfect 14 of 14 tries in the fourth alone, and the Cyclones iced the victory. On the night, Harlan converted 17-of-18 free throws.

Osborn says Monday night was the earliest his team had gone to “Carolina” this season, and the Cyclones were committed to rolling the dice with half a quarter of clock remaining.

“We were either going to make a lay-up, free throw, or we are going to lose the game,” coach Osborn says. “We made our free throws down the stretch, and that was huge. You’ve got to hit your free throws, if you don’t, you take the chance of losing.”

Fouling didn’t allow the Trojans’ to make up ground as Harlan continued to convert from the line.

Four different players finished in double digits for Harlan, led by junior Trey Lansman’s 16 points. Nate Cave added 12, and Adam Juhl and Gabe Ferry each finished with 10 points apiece.

Atlantic had three players in double figures, as Markham, Chad Christensen and Dalton Franken all finished with 10 points.

Having already been beaten twice by Atlantic this season, Harlan entered the sub-state in an unfamiliar underdog role. It was something they thrived on, as Atlantic shouldered the pressure while HCHS seemed to be playing with house money at this stage of the playoffs.

“That’s one thing we felt we had an advantage in, the pressure was all on them,” coach Osborn says of Atlantic. “They’re a senior-laden team, and this is their last go-round. We are a team of juniors, and we were more loosey-goosy. But there is no guarantee you are going to get a chance next year, so we encouraged the guys to take advantage, and seize the opportunity before them.”

Atlantic finishes the season with a 22-2 record, and won the Hawkeye 10 Conference for the second straight season.

Monday night offered a bitter pill to swallow for a group with big aspirations.

“I told them afterwards that there is nothing I can say that is going to make them feel any better,” coach Blazek says. “But this group has won a lot of basketball games in the last three years, and they’ve done a lot for Atlantic Basketball without a doubt. They are a class act…a great group of kids.”

Game Scoring (02/25)

ATLANTIC (22-2): Sam Markham 10, Dalton Franken 10, Chad Christensen 10, Harrison Hoegh 8, Stuart Hoegh 5     Free Throws: 5/8

HARLAN (18-6): Trey Lansman 16, Nate Cave 12, Adam Juhl 10, Gabe Ferry 10, Jake Daeges 2, Hunter Kloewer 2     Free Throws: 17/18

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IOWA PREP BB: Harlan the last team standing in way of trip to Des Moines for Trojans

Atlantic will look again to slay a fellow Hawkeye 10 team for a third time this season

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Feb. 24, 2013

ATLANTIC – There are a number of obstacles waiting for the No. 2-ranked Trojans when they take the floor to face Harlan Monday night in Council Bluffs (AL).

First, as any basketball team will acknowledge, it is difficult to beat a quality opponent three times.

Secondly, Harlan is playing awfully good basketball right now.

Third, there is the elephant in room so to speak…last year’s playoff defeat at the hands of Harlan on the same court to be played on Monday. That 73-52 loss still ought to resonate with the Trojans and their senior-dominated squad, and how the lesson is applied will be played out soon enough.

However you frame this Class 3A Substate 8 Final, the stakes are always the highest during playoff basketball.

“It’s going to be another tough one,” Atlantic coach Steve Blazek said of Harlan. “They are a little bit different (than Creston)…they have a lot of guys capable of shooting the 3, and they are very streaky.”

Harlan (17-6) charges into the Substate round playing perhaps its best ball of the season. Following a five-point loss to Creston on Feb. 12, the Cyclones burned Glenwood and Raccoon River Conference champs Carroll twice, the second of which came 51-43 in Friday night’s District 16 final at Denison.

A group of mostly juniors have led the Cyclones this season, with Trey Lansman (16.7 PPG), Nathan Cave (11.2), Gabe Ferry (8.9) and Adam Juhl (8.2) picking up the bulk of the scoring.

Lansman leads the team in boards as well with 198 on the year, and an 8.9 RBG average, though his athleticism allows him to play out and slash a bit.

Atlantic will look to put together another defensive program for this game, tailored to containing Lansman much like the Trojans’ dealt with Luke Neitzel Friday.

“Lansman is a tough matchup for us,” coach Blazek says. “We need to limit what he’s able to do, and then chase the (perimeter players) off the 3-point line. Make them put it on the floor to beat us.”

The Trojans have a disappointing recent history when facing Harlan in the postseason, and a lot of that has to do with the tact of Harlan coach Mitch Osborn, and his imaginative arsenal of defensive packages. Whatever defense and tempo Harlan attacks Atlantic with Monday is certain to be fresh schematically and how Atlantic handles it will do a lot to determine how the game plays out.

The Trojans dealt with Friday’s pressure well as they settled in, seizing the game in the third quarter. Eventually, Atlantic had built a 20-point lead against a quality opponent that had lost to just one other school over the course of the entire season.

After Friday’s game, Blazek praised the team’s effort and the court leadership, in particular senior point guard Chad Christensen, who played at less than 100 percent, though you would not have been able to tell by his play against Creston.

The senior-laden Trojans take a 22-1 record and a 19-game winning streak into the Substate, just one win away from securing a spot at the State Tournament in Des Moines the next week.

How they finish is up to each side.

“They put in a lot of time,” coach Blazek says of his group. “Hopefully, we will be able to put the ball in the basket a little, and guard Lansman little, get a hand in their 3-point shooters’ faces…then we are going to have a good outcome. But, we are probably going to have play a little better team defense than we did (Friday) if we want to beat Harlan.”

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IOWA PREP BB: Trojans crush Creston in third meeting, advance to Class 3A Substate Final

Atlantic wins 19th straight game with 68-48 playoff win over Creston

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Feb. 23, 2013

GLENWOOD – They say it’s difficult to defeat a team three times. Friday night in Glenwood, the Trojans made it look easy.

No. 2 ranked Atlantic turned it on in the second half to knock off Creston 68-48 in their Class 3A District 15 final, handing the Panthers a loss for the third time in three meetings, and eliminating them from the tournament field.

The victory marks the 19th straight for Atlantic (22-1), who advances to face Harlan (17-6) Monday night in a Class 3A Sub-state final.

Postponed for one day and relocated because of a winter storm, Atlantic hit the neutral floor Friday night in Glenwood with a stronger will to win than did Creston, and it played out like that over 32 minutes.

“I really didn’t think we could come down here and beat Creston by 20 (points),” Trojans coach Steve Blazek said afterwards. “My hat is off to our kids for that. Creston is a fine basketball team, and they had a great year, and we just feel fortunate that we are moving on.”

Atlantic senior Sam Markham turned in one of the grittiest performances of his career, finishing with 22 points to lead all scorers.  Although such point production is impressive on its own, the effort proved downright colossal if you factor in style points.

Markham collided with two players while fighting for an offensive rebound midway through the third quarter, when he hit the floor hard, his head sandwiched between the court and Creston senior Luke Neitzel on top of him.

Markham got up slowly with a bleeding gash above his left eye. He left the game momentarily to get bandaged up, and then came back with a vengeance, hitting two jumpers in the final 30 seconds of the quarter. The second of which drove Atlantic ahead 47-37 at the close of the third frame, and put them on a victory footing.

Sixteen of Markham’s 22 points came in the second half, 14 of them he scored with a bandage wrapped around his head after the collision.

“He did it at both ends of the floor,” coach Blazek says of Markham. “He got a couple of big steals and a couple of tough baskets. I thought we played unselfishly at the offensive end.”

Atlantic led 13-12 after one quarter, and 29-28 at the half.

Then, in the third quarter, the teams traded the lead twice with ties at 30-30 and 32-32 before Atlantic broke off a 15-5 run to close out the frame.

With 4:50 left, Atlantic senior Chad Christensen forced a steal and fed it up-court to Markham for a four-point lead at 36-32, and Creston was never relevant again. A moment later, Stuart Hoegh coolly drained a 3-pointer from in front of the Trojans’ bench, and the Trojans were on their way.

Creston’s shooting touch grew increasingly icy, though the Trojans’ defense played a role in aiding that.

Second half adjustments had allowed Atlantic to deny Creston the lane off the dribble and smothered the Panthers ability to get the ball into the low post, forcing them to settle for contested jump shots.

Neitzel had 16 of his 22 points in the first half, when Creston as a team shot 69 percent from the field. In the second, he and teammate Briar Evans were held to just six points apiece after the two combined for 25 of the team’s 29 in the first half.

Coach Blazek says defensive tact was what probably turned the tide.

“I think (the difference) was Stuart Hoegh’s defense on Neitzel, and Harrison Hoegh’s defense on Evans,” he says. “Defensively on the box, and keeping Neitzel out of the lane off the dribble were pretty big keys.”

In the fourth quarter, Atlantic built on its lead that ballooned to 15, 17, then 20 points. The Trojans finished 22-of-27 from the line.

Atlantic won the turnover battle 18-4, a stark comparison between two top-five ranked squads. Even more surprising is the way Atlantic tallied those, not by overwhelming full court pressure, but more deliberate as the Trojans’ half court defense shut down passing lanes.

“It’s an advantage all year for us…the turnover margin,” coach Blazek said. “But 18-4 is pretty good for us.” 

Atlantic advances now to the Class 3A Substate 8 Final Monday night at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, where they will face another team for the third time this season. Harlan emerges from District 16, having defeated Carroll 51-43 Friday night in Denison.

It’s one more opportunity to dig deep, and focus on business as the team continues to peak.

“There have been times when we haven’t shot the ball real well, but this group of kids just finds a way to win,” coach Blazek says. “We’ve been pretty good at the end of games, grinding things out, making our free throws, and not turning the ball over.”

Game Scoring (02/22):

ATLANTIC (22-1): Sam Markham 22, Dalton Franken 19, Stuart Hoegh 12, Chad Christensen 7, Jared Fulk 4, Harrison Hoegh 3, Joseph Walker 1     Free Throws: 22/27

CRESTON (19-4): Lucas Neitzel 22, Briar Evans 15, Colby Taylor 6, Trey Thomsen 3, Kainen Somers 2     Free Throws: 5/8