Goessel boys defeat Moundridge
By DELBERT PETERS
Contributing writer
The Goessel boys' varsity team shook off first-game jitters to come from behind to beat Moundridge 41-40.
Goessel trailed almost the whole game. After a 5-4 lead in the first quarter, Goessel fell behind by as many as nine points in the third quarter. It was an 8-0 scoring burst in the fourth quarter that propelled the Bluebirds from a 31-38 deficit to a 39-38 lead with 1:00 minute to play.
Moundridge scored a bucket with .38 seconds to play to take back the lead. Goessel failed to convert on its next trip down the floor, but the Bluebirds forced Moundridge into a turnover with 18 seconds remaining.
The last 18 seconds saw five timeouts as coaches tried to set up plays for the particular circumstance on the floor. Ryan Janzen hit a 17-foot jump shot with two seconds to play from the right side of the free throw line. Moundridge threw the ball past half court, but the 30-foot shot at the buzzer bounced off the back board.
"We executed the inbounds play after our time out with 9.7 seconds, but we were not able to get the first shot we wanted. Janzen got himself open and knocked down the jumper," said Coach Coup.
Ryan Janzen scored 15 points, followed by Travis Buller's nine, Garrett Hiebert with six points and seven rebounds, Jordan Voth five, Tyler two points. Goessel will participate in the Norwich tournament, but will start with a home game against Argonia on Tuesday and then travel to Norwich on Friday.
Junior varsity
The Goessel High School basketball teams kicked off the season with Moundridge on Friday night. The girls' junior varsity team stayed close to the Wildcats through three and a half quarters, but Moundridge took advantage of Bluebirds' missed shots and handed Goessel a 42-33 loss.
The Goessel boys' junior varsity team lost 37-35 in their first game of the season. Moundridge held Goessel scoreless in the second quarter. Nathan Ensz, 6-5 freshman, scored 20 points and Brett Goerzen had five steals.
