Andale boys 60, Maize South 53
The basics: Andale countered a Maize South press by hitting 26 of 30 free throws Tuesday in the home victory. The Indians (13-2) hit 15 of 16 in the final quarter to thwart a comeback.
Maize South senior Payten Ricks scored 22 second-half points and finished with a game-high 33.
Andale senior Pete Carney scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half. Andale’s 11 of 12 free throws in the second quarter pushed the Indians to a 29-18 halftime lead.
Key stretches: Carney hit a three-pointer from the right wing with 1:00 left in the first quarter for a 14-11 lead, and the Indians (13-2) never trailed again.
Ricks scored 15 fourth-quarter points, and his 15-foot jumper helped the Mavericks pull to within 41-39 with about five minutes left in the game. But Jeffery Ast muscled inside, using his 6-foot-6 frame for a layin with 4:04 left, and senior Clint Walstad, despite getting his fourth foul a minute earlier, hit a three-pointer from the left baseline for a 46-39 lead with 3:26 to play, giving Andale some needed breathing room.
Standouts: Ast used his bulk to score 10 points in the second and third quarters, finishing with 15. Walstad scored seven of his 13 in the final period.
Much of the Maize South scoring load fell on Ricks, as the Mavericks were missing senior guard Seth Jennings (concussion), who adds leadership as well as a second weapon, Maize South coach Kip Schultz said.
What they said: “That’s nice to see,” Andale coach Jeff Buchanan said of the free throws. “That’s something we’ve had to work on throughout the year. I’ll take that each and every night if we can maintain that.”
Though pleased with Ricks’ scoring, Schultz said his team needed more output from others.
“(Ricks) may have had one of his better nights,” he said. “We just don’t have the surrounding cast right now stepping up to help him.”
What it means: Andale travels to face Buchanan’s brother, Brian, at Wellington in an AVCTL Division IV game on Friday. Maize South (9-6) returns to AV-CTL Division II play Friday at home against Arkansas City.
Maize South | 11 | 17 | 13 | 22 | — | 53 |
Andale | 14 | 15 | 11 | 20 | — | 60 |
Maize South: Ricks 33, Knoblauch 5, Veenis 4, Wiedemann 2, Davis 2, Barney 2, Bontrager 5.
Andale: Meyer 4, P. Carney 15, Walstad 13, Bruce 7, Ast 15, Dagenais 4, Cothran 2.
Lionel Tipton
This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Andale boys 60, Maize South 53."