Lake's late basket shocks Plainsmen

By BURDELL HENSLEY

NEW SHARON — Kody Lake’s 15-foot jump shot with three seconds left on the clock gave North Mahaska a thrilling 58-57 win over the Belle Plaine Plainsmen Tuesday night.



It was the season opener and South Iowa Cedar League opener for both teams and what a thrilling game it was. The game was so back-and-forth that the lead changed hands 21 times in the course of the contest.



North Mahaska took a 54-51 lead with 1:50 left in the game as Clayton Korell drove the lane to score. Belle Plaine grabbed the lead back with baskets by Ben Ehlen and Chris Janss. Korell stepped up big again with an inside move for two and a 56-55 North Mahaska lead with 45 seconds left. Ehlen answered with 33 seconds left to put the Plainsmen up 57-56. After a trading of possessions, the Warhawks had the ball out of bounds under their own bucket with seven seconds left.



The pass came in to Lake on the perimeter. He dribbled left into the key and pulled up for a soft jumper that found nothing but nylon. Lake then sealed the deal when he stole the long pass by the Plainsmen. That sent the red-clad crowd into a state of euphoria.



The win was the first for new Warhawk coach Jeff Phillips and he spoke of team leaders making big plays.



“We expect our senior leaders to make big plays,” Phillips said. “Kody Lake and Dylan Boyle came up with some big plays for us. We had other players step up with big plays and you would have to say that it was a total team effort. The two teams were very well-matched and it was a competitive game. We are in a learning process and everything is new, but as long as we play with the heart that we showed tonight we will be alright.”



The Plainsmen took as 10-8 lead after one quarter as Janss had eight of the 10 points. In the second quarter, the Warhawks began to get into the flow of the game. A three-point basket by Boyle sent North Mahaska into halftime with a 30-29 lead.



Midway through the third stanza the Plainsmen hit a 14-2 run to go up 44-38, but North Mahaska had an answer. A 7-0 run in the final 1:26 for the quarter put the Warhawks up 45-44 heading into the super-charged fourth quarter. That run featured a bucket by Lake in the paint, two free throws by Boyle and a three from the corner by Chaz McBirnie.



Lake, Boyle and Korell took turns making big plays to set the table for the Warhawks in the final two minutes and the Warhawk fans approved of the menu.



Boyle led North Mahaska with 18 points while Lake was also in double digits with 14 points. Boyle, McBirnie and Brock Davis led the team on the glass while Lake, Korell and Trent Lindenman led the perimeter defense.



The Warhawks will hit the road Friday night for a SICL battle at Sigourney.



North Mahaska 58, Belle Plaine 57



BP 10 19 15 13 — 57



NM 8 22 15 13 — 58



NORTH MAHASKA (58) — Dylan Boyle 7 2-4 18, Kody Lake 6 1-3 14, Clayton Korell 4 0-1 8, Chaz McBirnie 3 0-0 8, Trent Lindenman 1 3-3 5, Brock Davis 2 1-1 5.



3-point goals — Boyle 2, McBirnie 2, Lake 1.

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