By Becky Walz,
Kole Hageman splits a pair of Kee defenders in the paint on a fast break to the hoop during Tuesday’s district final. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)
Free throws can make or break a game, and the Warriors left at least 10 points off the board from the charity stripe Tuesday night in the Class 1A District 6 final. The South Winn boys basketball team made the short trip to Waukon to battle No. 10 Kee, coming up short 59-56 in overtime.
The Warriors finished the season 15-9. The Hawks (22-2) will take on Gladbrook-Reinbeck (20-5) in the substate final Saturday, Feb. 24, at Waterloo East High School, with tip-off at 7 p.m.
Of the 10 points the Warriors scored in the first period, Matson Winings accounted for seven of them, including a three-pointer, as the Hawks put up 15. In the second quarter, Winings continued his hot stretch with South Winn’s first eight points of the period. Back-to-back treys by Kole Hageman put South Winn on top, 25-22, with 2:53 to play before the break. Braiden Todd added seven points for the Warriors in the second, with Kee sinking a three-pointer at the buzzer to pull within one of South Winn, 30-29.
Kee came out hot in the third, pulling ahead by as many as 10 points with 2:53 left on the clock; however, a long shot from Hageman and a deuce from Winings pulled South Winn back within five, 43-38, with eight minutes remaining in regulation. Little by little the Warriors scratched their way back into contention with Todd connecting from behind the arc at the 3:32 mark to give South Winn the lead once again, 48-46. In the final 2:06, both teams had multiple chances from the free throw line to put the game away, but nobody could get the job done as the UIC squads went a combined 4-of-14 in free throws, leaving a 51-51 tie to send the game into overtime.
In the extra four minutes of play, the Hawks sunk a free throw early only to see Winings answer with a free throw of his own. Back-to-back Kee baskets pulled the Hawks out front 56-52 before Carson Streeter put up a three to pull the Warriors back within one. In the closing 14 seconds, Kee’s 3-of-4 free throws were enough to secure the win.
Individual stats were unavailable at press time.
South Winn will graduate three seniors — Kole Hageman, Eric Kriener and Brody Tieskoetter, but has a bunch of young talent returning in juniors Nolan Sabelka, Kaden Barton-Franzen, Irving Flores as well as sophomores Braiden Todd, Matson Winings, Carver Wenthold, Logan Tieskoetter and Carson Streeter. Also picking up experience on varsity this season were freshmen Landon Livingood and Landon Humpal.
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