Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Gonner’s OT buzzer sends Defenders past Montezuma in substate final, 66-63
Braves close season 21-5, finished with three in double figures
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
IOWA CITY — It was only fitting that a tense back-and-forth game went to overtime and ended on a game-winning buzzer beater.
With a spot in the state tournament on the line, Bellevue Marquette’s Louis Gonner hit a shot he won’t soon forget.
Tied at 63 with 3.5 seconds remaining in OT, Gonner drilled a three-pointer off an inbounds play from half court to send the Defenders past Montezuma 66-63 in a Class 1A boys basketball substate final Saturday at Iowa City High School in Iowa City.
“It was a play we were working on all week to get the ball in to Tate (Kueter) and have me get open,” Gonner said. “Once I got open, I was just worried about getting it off in time. Once I saw that go in, I did not even know what to feel.”
The heartbreaking loss closed Montezuma’s season at 21-5, one win shy of their first state tournament appearance since they won the 1A title in 2021.
“It’s always a hard one to give,” head coach Derrick Dengler said on the postgame message. “The message was just about how proud I am of them. I thought we played well tonight and these last couple of games to get here.”
Hard-fought basketball from both sides kept this one close from start to finish.
The Defenders led 12-10 after a quarter, but just as in its last game, Montezuma’s ability to get steals defensively paid dividends.
Bellevue Marquette held a size advantage in the post, but after seven early points from Justin Severson, the Braves limited the scoring inside and forced 13 total turnovers.
“We had some guys pretty undersized,” Dengler said. “But they fought together as a team and did a lot of little things defensively to get themselves to a chance to win the game.”
An Easton Hudnut three for the Braves cut the halftime deficit to 25-23.
Bellevue Marquette came into the contest as one of the top three-point shooting teams in 1A, and after a half, with just three of the shots falling, it was only a matter of time before Bellevue Marquette started hitting them more consistently.
That happened in the third, as the Defenders jumped to a 38-31 lead with a flurry of threes.
Montezuma responded instantly, closing out the quarter on a 12-2 run for a 43-40 lead with points coming from four different players.
The Braves held control of much of the fourth, with Talen Holland scoring three of the team’s first four baskets in the quarter for a 53-50 lead.
Canden Weber kept the Defenders afloat with 10 points in the quarter, including the basket to tie things at 55, launching the game into overtime.
“We never gave in, and people kept stepping up and making shots,” Gonner said. “It was different players at different times, but we knew we could count on each other when we needed it most.”
Dane Strong began the extra period with a three for the Braves, and Brady Boulton added two baskets before fouling out with 1:04 remaining.
Tied at 63, Montezuma drew a charge with 5.9 seconds remaining to get a chance to win it.
The Braves turned it over, setting up Gonner’s shot.
Weber paced the Defenders with 16 points, as the Defenders had five players range from nine to 16 points and connected on 11 total threes. It is the team’s third consecutive state tournament appearance.
Boulton finished with a game-high 29 points for the Braves. Holland scored 14, and Strong 10.
Boulton also posted a double-double with 11 rebounds and nearly joined rarefied air with a quadruple-double, adding nine assists and seven steals.
Impactful seniors
Three senior starters for Montezuma played their final game in a Braves uniform: Boulton, Broox Stockman and Luke Brennan.
“I’ve really loved coaching them,” Dengler said. “When I started here, I think they were in kindergarten. They were my first group I’ve seen go all the way up from camps to their senior year. It was a joy to coach them and it sucks to have it end.”
Boulton closes his career with 2,171 career points. According to the Iowa High School Athletic Association record book, that places Boulton 26th all-time in career scoring.
