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
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