By BURDELL HENSLEY
SULLY — Two long time rivals and South Iowa Cedar League foes met for the third time this season in a Class 1A district semifinal battle at Lynnville-Sully.
The Hawks already owned a pair of big wins over the Montezuma Braves and the Braves came into this game determined to spring an upset. But it was not to be as the Hawks rallied from behind in the second half to take a 39-30 win.
The Hawks are tall and talented and the Braves chose to slow the game down and let their big guy, Damon Bryan, work on the inside. The Braves also put a high degree of emphasis on defense and not allowing the high octane Hawks to get into a transition game.
The plan worked to perfection for the entire first half. In the first quarter, Montezuma pounded the ball inside to Bryan and the husky senior scored all nine Montezuma points. The defense did its thing and limited the Hawks to only five points.
In the second stanza, Bryan put down a basket and three free throws, but he got some help from Steven Vavroch with a three-ball and a drive through the middle. But again the Hawks struggled with the Montezuma defense and scored only seven points. Montezuma would take a 19-12 lead into intermission.
Montezuma opened the third quarter with an inside bucket by Bryan for a 21-12 lead. But then the Hawks turned up the heat on defense. The Braves would not score for four minutes while the Hawks got the tempo more to their liking. Chase Culloen zipped in a three from the corner, Logan Vos tipped in an errant shot, Jacob Van Maanen cut through the lane for two and on the next possession he drained a long three for a 22-21 Hawk lead.
Montezuma fought back as Bryan sandwiched a free throw and an inside basket around a rebound put back by the Hawk’s Taylor Van De Krol to tie the score at 24-24 with a minute left in the third period. A drive through the lane by Zach Stafford gave Lynnville-Sully a 26 24 lead heading into the final eight minutes and they would not give up that lead.
The Hawks opened the final quarter with a bucket in the lane by Van Maanen and steal and a layup by Cullen to extend the lead to 30-24.
Once more the Braves would fight back. Bryan and Levi Hoksbergen both hit from the inside and Bryan made one of two free throws to cut the deficit to 30-29.
Cullen scored for the Hawks on a slick move through the lane and then it was ball control and free throw shooting that allowed Lynnville-Sully to post a 39-30 win.
“We did everything we could,” Montezuma coach Derek Schulte said. “I’m really proud of the way we battled. Lynnville-Sully is a very good team. They raised the level of defense in the second half. They were able to get some turnovers and turn them into points, but we kept battling. Our goal was to hold them under 50. We did that, but we couldn’t score enough off of their defense.”
Bryan led the Braves with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Cullen led the Hawks with 13 points and Van Maanen added 10.
The Braves finish the season at 14-10 while the 22-1 Hawks move on to the district final at Meskwaki Settlement School Thursday night against Keota. Keota and the Hawks have split a pair of games this year, so it will be the rubber match.
Lynnville-Sully 39, Montezuma 30
Mon 9 10 5 6 — 30
L-S 5 7 14 13 — 39
MONTEZUMA (30) — Damon Bryan 8 7-13 23, Steven Vavroch 2 0-0 5, Levi Hoksbergen 1 0-0 2.
3-point goal — Vavroch. Rebounds — Bryan 12, Victor Bushong 3. Assists — D. J. Sutfin 4, Vavroch 2, Bushong 2.
