By Becky Walz,
Neither team wanted the season to end as the Decorah and Crestwood boys’ basketball teams faced off in the Substate 3 semifinal Thursday night in Cresco as the game wasn’t decided until the closing seconds of the third overtime.
In the end, it was the Vikings surviving the battle, 53-51.
“Wow, what a battle between two teams who didn’t want to lose, so proud of our guys of how they hung in there, stuck together and never lost belief in themselves,” said Decorah coach Jonathan Carlson. “To beat a great and well coached team like Crestwood, twice on their home floor says a lot about our guys’ grit and determination. They are hungry to keep advancing, can’t stop now!”
Decorah advanced to play Western Dubuque (17-4) Monday, March 1, in the Substate Final in Waverly. A complete recap and photos from that game will be published in the Thursday, March 4, Decorah Public Opinion. Crestwood ends the season with a 13-7 record.
About the game
Fans got their money’s worth as the action went back and forth all game between the Vikings and Cadets, who split the season series with each winning on the road.
Out of the gate, the Cadets’ offense was on fire, sinking a pair of treys early on and holding Decorah to four first-quarter points. Crestwood went up by 12 to start the second quarter, before the Vikes began to cut into the lead with Charlie Robinson and Joe Bockman each connecting on a pair of baskets, along with a deuce by Briggs Duwe. Decorah finished the final 4:02 of the half on an 8-0 run to bring the deficit down to 23-19 in favor of the Cadets.
Robinson scored the first points of the third quarter before the Cadets found their offense, pulling ahead to 27-21. In the fast-paced contest, Decorah kept the score within reach 30-33 as the period wrapped up.
With eight minutes left to play, the Vikes continued to erase the Cadet lead with a Duwe basket. A traditional three-point play by Robinson evened the score at 35 with 4:32 left to play. Back-to-back baskets by Bockman pushed Decorah ahead to 39-35 was 1:37 remained. A pair of Crestwood free throws gave the Cadets daylight, as Carson Wemark missed the front end of a one-and-one with 7.5 ticks on the clock. The Cadets were able race down the floor as Reid Wiley put up the tying basket to force overtime with a 41-41 tie.
Each squad connected for a lone basket in the first overtime, setting up a second 4:00 period. There Robinson drained an early jumper before sending Crestwood to the charity stripe. Duwe visited the free throw line twice, hitting 2-of-4 shots, as the Cadets once again hit the tying shot with under a minute to go. Coach Carlson and his coaching staff had called a time out to set up the play for Bockman to sink a shot at the buzzer, which rimmed out.
With the score at 47-47, the two NEIC squads returned to the hardwood for a third overtime with Bockman putting Decorah on the board first. Sending Wiley, a 71.6% free throw shooter, to the free throw line, the Vikings were once again faced with a tie at 49, when both swished through the net. The two teams swapped another set of free throws, before Duwe stepped up to the line with 19.8 seconds left, dropping in a pair. With 8.5 seconds remaining, Crestwood had time for one final shot, which fell just short of the basket.
Leaders
Robinson led the team in scoring with 18 points. Duwe and Bockman added 16 apiece. On the board with three was Carson Wemark.
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