Linn boys finish second at Eugene tourney

By Neal A. Johnson, UD Editor
Posted 12/11/19

Linn had a final opportunity to win the Eugene tournament Saturday against St. Elizabeth after a tough, physical game that epitomized high school basketball.

A pair of free throws by Caleb Maassen …

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Linn boys finish second at Eugene tourney

Posted

Linn had a final opportunity to win the Eugene tournament Saturday against St. Elizabeth after a tough, physical game that epitomized high school basketball.

A pair of free throws by Caleb Maassen put Linn on top 44-43 with 36 seconds to play, but the Hornets ran off most of the clock before hitting a bucket for a 45-44 lead.

After a timeout, the Wildcats had 3.0 on the clock with which to pull out a win, and there was a foul on the long shot, which led Linn fans to erupt with glee as the three shots — and no time on the clock — could well seal the game.

However, the official said the foul happened on the floor, prior to the shot, and with only five team fouls, that meant there was no trip to the line. Instead, after a short conference, officials put 0.6 seconds back on the clock and gave Linn the ball, but the subsequent shot fell short, and Linn finished second, 45-44.

“This was a tough loss,” said Coach Clay Crouch.

“A few things didn’t bounce our way but that’s how it goes sometimes. That does not overshadow the good things we did. We hit some big shots and did some good things defensively. I mean, we held them to 45 points and 39% shooting.

Our effort has been there through our first five games, and it has made us a tough team. Like I told our guys, we have to learn from this and grow because of it and knowing these guys I think they will. I love these kids and proud of them.”

This was a game with nearly identical stats for both teams, though Linn hit more three-pointers, going 7-17 compared to 3-14 for the Hornets. The Wildcats hit 37.9% from the field.

Each team scored nine points on turnovers, and rebounding was a dead heat, 34-33 in favor of Linn.

At the end of the first half, Linn led 23-22, and gained a little separation in the third before St. Elizabeth evened things up near the end of the period.

The Hornets edged the Wildcats 14-11 in the fourth to claim the win.

Alek Peters led the Wildcats with 12 points, including two three-pointers, as all of Parker Patterson’s nine points came from beyond the arc.

Drew Voss scored eight, Maassen put in six, Andy Hueste (trey) added five, Alex Grellner (trey) posted three, and Austin McKim finished with one. Peters also paced the team with five assists to go with three from Patterson, two each from D. Voss and Jackson Voss, and one from Grellner.

On the boards, rebounding was pretty even, as J. Voss, D. Voss and Peters each grabbed four, and McKim, Maassen, Patterson and Grellner pulled down three apiece.

Patterson recorded two steals, and Grellner and D. Voss had one each, while Maassen had the only block.

In the semifinals, Linn ran away from Eugene with a 67-33 win.

“Our defensive effort won us this game and it was everyone,” said Crouch.

“We stayed very disciplined and made every possession for them tough. We defended well and ended possessions with rebounds, which we talk about all the time.

This allowed us to get in transition offensively and get some easy buckets. We hang our hats on defense so holding them to 33 was nice to see. It was a good team win and I am proud of our effort but we have to stay focused and continue getting better.”

With 21 points in each the first and second quarter, Linn staked to a 42-18 halftime lead, and continued to increase the divide with a 12-5 third quarter.

Peters caught fire from the outside, going 4-5 from three-point range, and Maassen had a solid performance inside, as each scored 16 to lead the Wildcats. Maassen added 10 rebounds for a double-double, and Peters nearly got there with eight assists.

Grellner (trey) and D. Voss scored seven apiece, as Hueste (trey) and J. Voss each posted six points, Patterson had four, McKim put in three, and Caden Robinson finished with two.

Also with rebounds were McKim (6), J. Voss (5), D. Voss (4), Patterson (4), and Grellner, Hueste, Robinson and Peters (1 each).

Grellner had three steals, followed by Peters (2), and Maassen, Robinson and Hueste (1 each).

The first round saw a severe mismatch, as Linn defeated Tuscumbia 89-7.

After a 36-1 first quarter, the Wildcats tacked on 29 more in the second to give Linn a 65-2 halftime lead.

Leading scorers were Maassen and Patterson, each with 14, followed by Peters (13), McKim (12), Grellner (10), J. Voss (10), Hueste (8) and D. Voss (8). Robinson had a team-high seven assists, followed by Patterson (6), Peters (4), J. Voss (3), Hueste and D. Voss (2 each), and McKim (1).

On the rebounding front, Grellner’s nine led the way, followed by D. Voss (8), Peters, Maassen and McKim (4 each), Robinson and J. Voss (3 each), Hueste (2) and Patterson (1).

Defensively, Patterson had four steals, followed by Peters (3), Maassen and D. Voss (2 each), and Robinson, Grellner and J. Voss (1 each). D. Voss also had a block.