Goessel boys pick up two wins
Staff writer
The Burrton invitational tournament proved to be a good venue for the Goessel boys to pick up wins Thursday and Saturday.
The Bluebirds trailed by 1 point at the end of one quarter on Thursday against Fairfield. Good defense and decent shooting allowed Goessel to snag a 15-13 lead at halftime.
Balanced team scoring in the second half gave the Bluebirds a 29-23 lead with one quarter to play, and they matched the Falcons point for point in the fourth quarter for a 41-35 win.
Three players scored in double figures for only the second time in this season, led by Jordan Griffin’s double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Rhett Makovec and Dylan Lindeman each scored 11 points.
Saturday’s tilt against Little River was a low-scoring defensive affair, with the Bluebirds emerging triumphant, 29-27, to claim fifth place.
“That was probably the best defensive game we have played this season,” coach Curtis Guhr said.
Makovec opened the scoring with Trevor Beisel and Miguel Guerrero adding points, but a quarter-ending buzzer beater went in for Little River and the Redskins held a 7-6 lead.
Griffin hit a jumper and Guerrero dropped in a 3-pointer as Goessel kept pace, trailing 14-13 at halftime.
Makovec scored from close range and Josh Schmidt arched in a trey to tie the game at 18 with 5 minutes to play in the third quarter. The lead changed nine times in 8 minutes as both teams tried to find some rhythm on offense.
The Bluebirds took a 25-24 lead with 4:26 left in the game when Makovec led Griffin on a fast break for an easy basket. The Redskins recaptured the lead with two free-throws, but Dylan Lindeman dropped in a 15-footer to put the Bluebirds ahead 27-26. After Little River tied the score on a free throw, Carson Sterk’s first points of the game with one minute to play proved decisive, as time expired with the Bluebirds ahead 29-27.
“We rebounded strong,” said Guhr, who celebrated his birthday with the win. “Our bench gave us some quality minutes when we got into early foul trouble.”
Lindeman also won a freshman free throw contest by hitting 27 of 30 charity shots.
The boys, 5-7, play Friday at Moundridge.
Girls
In a matchup Friday of state-ranked teams, a late surge by Moundridge, 10th in 2A, dealt Goessel, fifth in 1A Division 1, its first loss of the season.
Goessel fell behind early, trailing 18-12 at halftime in the non-league game, but came storming back to lead 24-23 at the end of three quarters.
But the magic did not last. Goessel increased its lead to 26-23 in the fourth quarter, but then Moundridge took charge, outscoring the Bluebirds 17-3 to win 40-29. Goessel shot just 23 percent from the field.
Olivia Duerksen hit a season high 10 points, while Brittney Hiebert added 8.
Goessel, 9-1, will play Tuesday against Stafford in the opening round of the Eli J. Walter Tournament at Berean.