Early start helps No. 4 New London triumph

NEW LONDON - It is always a good thing to get off to a good start.

The fourth-ranked (Class 1A) New London Tigers did that Tuesday in a 73-63 Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division boys basketball win over WACO.

It was 7-0 in the first minute of the game and 12-4 3 minutes in.

'They hit those 3s early that gave them a comfort level,” WACO coach Paul Kissell said. 'They had two or three 3s and we had four missed layups.”

The two teams were basically even from that point on.

'I think WACO played a really tough game, but for the most part, we didn't play our game, or execute,” New London coach Bryant Porter said.

It was 21-15 at the end of the first quarter and Braden Hammond scored the first points of the second quarter to get WACO within 21-17 but when Kissell called timeout with 5 minutes, 4 seconds to go in the first half, it was 30-18 for the home team.

'If they had an open look, they were going to knock it down,” Kissell said.

WACO closed to within 35-28, but it was 42-33 at the half.

'We wanted to control the transition game and make them earn stuff in the half court,” Kissell said. 'They were able to play relaxed and we were unable to make them uncomfortable. I felt we did really well on the boards and limited some of their opportunities. Our kids' effort is never a question.”

The teams traded baskets for much of the third quarter, but the Tigers converted free throws while the Warriors did not.

'The story of the year is free throws,” Kissell said. 'It has probably cost us a couple games now.”

It was 56-42 starting the final period, but the Warriors scored the first seven points of the final frame, four from Nik Coble, who finished with 12. Drew Kissell led WACO with 22 points. Hammond and Matthew Leichty each had 10 off the bench.

'I thought Nik did a good job. Drew did a nice job taking it to the basket. There was a lot of contact inside and he did a nice job finishing,” Coach Kissell said. 'Matthew did a nice job coming off the bench and being active for us. He did a great job sealing the backside.”

The Warriors could get no closer than seven points and started fouling to catch up, but it didn't work.

'We let them get a lead on us early and then were fighting extra hard to try to get it back,” WACO's coach said. 'We just did not make our shots early and unfortunately that was the difference in the game. They put a lot of ball pressure on us.”

'I think we just willed it out,” Porter said. 'When it's a tight game like that, you've got to hit your free throws and you've got to be strong with the ball. I thought we hit our free throws, but I didn't think we were strong with the basketball. They kind of had the momentum late there. It was kind of a weird feeling.”

New London is 8-0 overall, 6-0 South.

'It was the kind of game that we expect here in the South,” Kissell said.

South play continues for the Warriors (6-3, 3-3) when they host Notre Dame Thursday. The Nikes only loss was to New London 75-67.

'It will be exciting,” Kissell said.