10 Best: Aplington-Parkersburg (75) at Dike-New Hartford (63)
DIKE — A tight game for 24 minutes was blown open by the three-point line in Class 2A No. 9 Aplington-Parkersburg’s win over Dike-New Hartford on Tuesday night.
The Falcons held a 53-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter, then used a flurry of three-pointers to blow the game open. They knocked down 3s on four consecutive possessions (one by Alec Oberhauser, one by Coby Hoff and two from Grant Truax), and put together a 12-2 run to take control of the game.
It was a game of runs throughout the first three quarters. Aplington-Parkersburg jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead before Dike-New Hartford responded with a 13-2 run. A-P then closed the quarter with a 10-2 run of their own. Anytime it looked like the Falcons were about to pull away in the first three quarters, the Wolverines would answer back quickly. Then the 3-point onslaught hit them and they couldn’t recover.
Aplington-Parkersburg moved to 5-0 on the season with the win. They were led by Carter Cuvelier and Grant Truax, who each had 18 points to lead four in double figures. Coby Hoff had 16 and Alec Oberhauser added 13 in the win. Cuvelier also had seven rebounds, seven assists and seven steals for the Falcons.
Dike-New Hartford falls to 4-1 with the loss. All five scorers ended up in double figures, led by Isaac Jorgensen who had 16. Tom Koop added 13, Cade Fuller had 12 and Dane Fuller and Colton Harberts each netted 11 points for the Wolverines. Harberts complimented his 11 points with 13 rebounds.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Aplington-Parkersburg | 16 | 24 | 13 | 22 | 75 |
Dike-New Hartford | 15 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 63 |
Aplington-Parkersburg: Carter Cuvelier 18, Grant Truax 18, Coby Hoff 16, Alec Oberhauser 13, Aaron Price 5, Sam Bachman 3, Dylan Ellis 2
Dike-New Hartford: Isaac Jorgensen 16, Tim Koop 13, Cade Fuller 12, Dane Fuller 11, Colton Harberts 11
MVP: Carter Cuvelier (Aplington-Parkersburg)
Cuvelier was not only the leading scorer in Tuesday night’s game, he also stuffed the stat sheet, pulling down seven rebounds, dishing out seven assists and swiping seven steals. He was a menace on both ends of the floor, and was key to helping the Falcons maintain, and even extend, their lead when Alec Oberhauser went to the locker room with an ankle injury in the third quarter (he would later return). The 6-4 junior wing is a playmaker on both ends of the floor and had a great all-around game in this win.
Best offensive performance: Carter Cuvelier (Aplington-Parkersburg)
Cuvelier probably took a few ill-advised shots, which led to his slightly less than 50% from the floor (6-13), but he scored around the rim effectively, knocked down a mid-range jumper, and used his passing ability to set up his teammates for open looks. He showed the ability to pass out of the post, as well as the ability to break down a defender, get to the rim and either finish or distribute. His great offensive night wasn’t solely due to the scoring, it was because he also got his teammates involved in the act. Honorable mention goes to Isaac Jorgensen of Dike-New Hartford, who was 7-12 from the floor and showed the ability to score from all three levels.
Best defensive performance: Carter Cuvelier and Alec Oberhauser (Aplington-Parkersburg)
The star duo for A-P was dynamic on both ends of the floor, but it was their length and athleticism on the defensive end that turned a number of D-NH turnovers into points. Cuvelier flies around their pressing defense and pulled away seven steals, while Oberhauser’s length at the top of their 1-3-1 zone look, and as a member of their halfcourt trap, makes life difficult for any point guard. Oberhauser added three steals of his own, in addition to his rim protecting abilities at 6-5 with plus athleticism and length. He had three blocks on the evening.
Best shooter: Grant Truax (Aplington-Parkersburg)
In a game full of solid shooting performances, Truax looked like the most pure shooter on the floor, knocking down four of his six attempts from behind the arc. He has a quick release off the catch, has his feet squared to the rim on the catch and has great range. He moves well without the ball, finding spaces in the defense to get his shot off. After the 4-6 performance, he’s now shooting 14-29 (48.3%) from behind the arc this season.
Best rebounder: Colton Harberts (Dike-New Hartford)
The 6-6 junior was by far the most effective player on the glass in this game, pulling down 13 rebounds, which was half of all the rebounds the Wolverines hauled in on Tuesday night. He’s a big body who does a nice job making hard contact on his box outs and he has soft hands that he uses to corral any ball in his area.
Best underclassman: Dane Fuller (Dike-New Hartford)
A 5-10 freshman guard, Fuller provides some scoring punch off the bench for the Wolverines. He had 11 points on 5-7 shooting. He’s quick, handles the ball well and is able to get to the rim where he’s a creative finisher. He also knocked down a 3 in the loss. As he continues to grow, he could become one of the more potent scoring threats in the North Iowa Cedar League.
Play of the game: Oberhauser clean swipe and dunk
Early in the second quarter, Oberhauser was able to use his length to pick the pocket of the D-NH ball handler and throw down a massive dunk to help the Falcons gain some momentum during another one of the “mini-runs” that occurred frequently in the first three quarters.
Best passer: Carter Cuvelier (Aplington-Parkersburg)
Usually Oberhauser is the one dishing out the assists for the Falcons, but in this game it was Cuvelier. He showed impressive vision out of the post, where he found open shooters, often times on the other side of the floor. He also broke down the defense routinely, getting into the paint, making the defense collapse and then finding cutters. He finished with seven assists.
Story to watch moving forward for Aplington-Parkersburg: How serious is Alec Oberhauser’s injury?
Oberhauser missed a majority of the third quarter after leaving with an injury to his right ankle, and although he came back in the fourth quarter, he was noticeably limping. Hopefully it’s nothing serious, because he’s the straw that stirs the drink for A-P on both ends of the floor.
Story to watch moving forward for Dike-New Hartford: What is the ceiling for this young team?
There isn’t a single senior on the Wolverines’ roster. They start five juniors, and the top player off the bench is a freshman. They’re already among the best teams in Class 2A, but ran into a better team in this game. Outside of Harberts, they don’t have much size, so they could struggle against teams with length, but the guards are skilled and can shoot. Is this team capable of making a run to the state tournament? With the right draw, yes. And they’ll be even better next year.