Stout pours in school record for Keota win

MONTEZUMA - If there is ever a time to break a school record, a postseason basketball game may be just about the perfect situation for it to happen.

JD Stout broke the Keota school record of points in a game with a total of 45 in the Eagles 85-66 conquest of BGM in a Class 1A District 9 semifinal.

'Bill Kindred scored 42 and I think I've got 40 four times, but I have just never been able to break it,” Stout said. 'And I wasn't even thinking about it tonight and ended up getting it.”

Stout had 26 points at halftime and finished with 45 on 11 2-pointers, six 3-pointers and 5-of-7 free throws. More about the two missed foul shots later.

The game did not resemble in any way an earlier contest between BGM (17-6) and Keota (20-3), when the Eagles won at BGM Jan. 27, 60-57 with a 20-14 fourth quarter.

This game was all about the start.

Brady Duwa tipped it to Stout who drove all the way for a score, then stole the ball and assisted on Duwa's basket. Wyatt Sieren scored inside, prompting a timeout by the Bears. It did not help. Stout hit a 3-pointer, Duwa blocked a shot that led to a Stout score. Carson Sprouse got a steal that led to a Luke Hammen score for a 13-0 lead.

'Our start was awesome,” Keota coach and JD's father said. 'That pretty much took them out of what they wanted to do. We got after it right from the beginning defensively and just kept going offensively. We were in a groove the whole night and I thought it started with our defense. Blocks, steals, layups and threes and boom, we were off and running.”

Noah Beck, who averages 23.7 points a game, almost six assists, six rebounds and six steals for BGM, finally broke the goose egg with half of the first quarter nearly gone. He was the only Bear to score in the quarter until a freshman hit a three at the buzzer. It was 24-12 at the end of the first quarter.

'We did a good job on Beck,” Coach Stout said. 'We knew what he could do from before.”

Beck had 26 points in the first meeting and finished with 21 points, but only had two points in the second quarter and hit two treys after the halfway point of the fourth quarter.

The second quarter was a battle of 3-pointers, with three by each team. The lead bounced back and forth between 11 and 15 until Hammen hit consecutive treys to boost the lead to 18. The Bears got it to 11 when they scored six consecutive with under a minute, the first time in the game they scored without a Keota answer. Duwa made two free throws for a 46-33 halftime score.

'I think the key to this game was the run we had at the beginning,” Coach stout said. 'I thought could see their heads drop. Once we started making some baskets, it was a lot of fun. Carson was hitting, Luke played a great first half so did Wyatt, Brady was a force on defense. It was all there.”

Keota's coach was not happy in the locker room however.

'At halftime, he had some praise for our offense, but he was upset about giving up 33 points,” JD Stout said. 'We were up by 18 points at one time and he made us know that we should've still been up by 18.”

The Eagles opened the second half with a 12-0 run, a three and a two from Stout, then two missed free throws on a technical foul called on BGM for slapping the backboard.

'Looking back, I think that's the first time I have ever missed back-to-back free-throws,” he said. 'I just had to shake it off and keep playing the game.”

he made two free throws on the ensuing possession, then Hammen scored and Sprouse canned a triple.

'I know I had a lot of points in the first half (26), but the second half had calmed down, so I hadn't really thought about it,” JD Stout said. 'I just wanted to win the game.”

BGM tried to slow Stout down, and it obvious did not work.

'JD is a tough guard,” Coach Stout said. 'A lot of teams have tried the box and one. When the other guys start hitting some shots, then it's tough to stay in that kind of a defense.”

Keota advances to play Montezuma, which defeated North Mahaska 67-55, at 7 p.m. in Williamsburg Thursday.

'I thought defensively we were keyed in,” Coach Stout said. 'We gave up, 66 but the way we played early was the difference.”

Stout is now 40 points shy of 2,000 in his career, so a win over Montezuma would give him extra games.

'Yes, that is the plan. That is what we are aiming for.”