Intriguing Prospects: Sergeant Bluff-Luton 71 vs. Western Christian 56
Sergeant Bluff— Sergeant Bluff-Luton outscored Western Christian 40-25 in the second half, as it went on to a convincing 71-56 victory. The Warriors had dropped their past three contests to the Wolfpack heading into Thursday night by an average of…
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Continue ReadingSergeant Bluff— Sergeant Bluff-Luton outscored Western Christian 40-25 in the second half, as it went on to a convincing 71-56 victory. The Warriors had dropped their past three contests to the Wolfpack heading into Thursday night by an average of 3.7 points.
Photo Credit: GameTime Sports PhotographyAdam Vander Schaaf’s squad got off to a solid start by taking a 17-6 lead late in the first quarter, but Western Christian would go on a 17-0 run to take a 23-17 lead. The two teams would end the first half tied at 31.
Without senior Jacob Vis in the Wolfpack lineup for a fourth consecutive game, the eighth-ranked Warriors in Class 3A would take over the game with help from sophomore Jake Layman and senior Sam DeMoss. Sergeant Bluff-Luton was 13-of-23 from beyond the arc and had four players finish in double figures.
The Warriors also slowed the game down in the fourth quarter and made sure to get quality looks at the basket. That helped Sergeant Bluff-Luton shoot an impressive 51 percent from the field.
Layman led Sergeant Bluff-Luton with 20 points, while Clay Van Tol recorded 23 points for Western Christian. The Warriors move to 5-2 on the season with the Wolfpack dropping to 4-2.
Team Scoring
Western Christian — 17 14 9 16 — 56
Sergeant Bluff-Luton — 17 14 19 21 — 71
Individual Scoring
Western Christian: Clay Van Tol 23, Carter Broek 14, Dawson Feenstra 9, Dyson Kooima 3, Cole Zevenbergen 3, Parker Vis 3, Harry Steele 1.
Sergeant Bluff-Luton: Jake Layman 20, Sam DeMoss 17, Conner Groves 11, Daniel Wright 11, Deric Fitzgerald 6, Jacob Imming 3, Nick Muller 3.
The Prospects
Carter Broek, 6’5 F, 2019 (Western Christian)
Despite a difficult second half for the Wolfpack on Thursday night, Broek had a solid outing by recording a double-double that included 14 points and 10 rebounds. The senior had the daunting task of handling Daniel Wright, who he held to only three points in the first half. Broek showed his ability to battle down low and battle on the boards. On his lone three-point attempt, he followed his shot and came away with a miraculous basket and the foul.
Clay Van Tol, 6’2 G, 2019 (Western Christian)
Van Tol scored a career-high 23 points and was an impressive 5-of-7 from behind the arc. He has really stepped up in his senior season thus far by averaging a team-high 17 points per game. While Van Tol had a good game from the outside, he also made some good plays driving the lane as well. He’ll continue to be one of the main leaders on this Wolfpack squad as the season continues.
Sam DeMoss, 6’2 G, 2019 (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)
DeMoss, who has looked solid this season, stepped up again on Thursday night. What is special about him is he can beat you in all facets of the game. He can hurt you from the outside, beat you inside and find a way to out rebound you as well. DeMoss scored 17 points and had a field goal percentage of 55.6 against Western Christian. He also was perfect from the free-throw line going 4-for-4. Expect to hear more and more about DeMoss as the season progresses.
Conner Groves, 6’1 G, 2019 (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)
Groves, who recently committed to play at the next level with Briar Cliff, had another consistent performance after scoring 22 points in Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s late fourth quarter win over Dakota Valley on Tuesday night. Groves scored 11 points against the Wolfpack, which included three baskets from beyond the arc.
Jake Layman, 6’7 F, 2021 (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)
We knew Jake Layman would make an impact based on his height this season, but he has to be moving up in the ranks when it comes to top sophomores in the state of Iowa. Layman tied a career-high of 20 points and was hot from behind the arc. He hit four of his five three point attempts and also frustrated the Wolfpack down low with a team-high two blocks. It’s only a matter of time before he consistently puts these types of numbers up each and every night.
Daniel Wright, 6’8 F, 2020 (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)
We weren’t able to get the Wright-Jacob Vis matchup everyone was hoping for, but the junior still had to battle on the boards against a tall and physical Western Christian squad. Wright was held to only three points in the first half, but still managed to account for 11 total points and a team-high eight assists. Much like the rest of his teammates, he can beat teams in so many different ways.