IMS, Highland fall in districts

IMS falls in defensive struggle

It was a defensive battle on Thursday night in Lone Tree, but in the key moments of the game, the Iowa Mennonite boys? basketball team was unable to generate a needed stop.

Lone Tree took advantage of those possessions, and came out on top, 50-43, over IMS.

?They moved the ball and got some shots,? IMS head coach Dwight Gingerich said. ?It seemed like that whatever we were trying to do defensively, it would worked well for a stretch, but then it broke down with rebounding or they?d hit a wide-open 3-pointer. It was tough to ever feel like we were in control defensively. It?s been difficult to defensively own people this season, and we couldn?t get stops at needed times.?

Lone Tree and IMS traded runs throughout the game, as Lone Tree lost a six-point lead twice in the first half, but utilized a 10-0 run that spanned into the third quarter to take the lead for good.

Up 39-29 at the end of the third quarter, Lone Tree extended its lead to 14 points, but IMS found a way to claw back into it, using a 9-2 run to make it a 47-41 game.

However, Lone Tree put the clamps on defense, closing out the game for the district win.

IMS ends the season with a 12-11 record, and will lose three seniors from this year?s team. Despite the losses, Gingerich noted that he?s excited about the prospects of next season.

?We thanked the seniors for their growth and contributions this season,? Gingerich said. ?It?s be a grueling season with a lot of sickness and injuries, on top of the fact that it was kind of a young team. We turned over our starting lineup. There are some guys now who have experience under their belts coming back. That?s something to build on for next year.?

Highland stumbles in postseason opener

It was a night that just wasn?t meant to be for the Highland boys? basketball team.

After a slow start to their district quarterfinal game against New London, the Huskies couldn?t find their way back into the ball game, and got upset by the Tigers, 64-45 in a contest held at Lone Tree high school.

The loss ends the season for the Huskies with a record of 16-7.

?Sometimes we did run and just didn?t convert,? Highland head coach Marcus Hall said. ?Other times there was a lack of energy. I don?t know what the true reason for that is. I thought we were ready to play and a lot of that comes back on me.?

The game started out slowly for the Huskies, as they were held to two first-quarter points, both coming from free throws. Highland?s first field goal of the game came in the second quarter, when Chris Mellinger put in a bucket, but the damage had already been done with New London leading 16-4 at the time.

The Tigers continued extending the lead in the second quarter to as many as 17 points, before a late Highland surge made it 26-13 at halftime.

New London came out in the second half and didn?t miss a beat, opening the third quarter with a 10-3 run to make it 36-16, and Highland couldn?t recover.

The Huskies went on a stretch that brought them within 13 points in the third quarter, but they couldn?t finish the job, as New London closed out the game for a district victory.

The Huskies will lose four seniors from this season?s team, all of whom contributed in big ways to Highland?s first share of a SEISC North Division title since 1986. When taking an early glance at the next season, Hall said he hopes lessons from this year carry over.

?Cutting corners won?t ever work,? Hall said. ?I?ve been with the seniors for four years, they are a great group of guys, so I thanked them for their efforts. Collectively, we just couldn?t get it done. We lose four quality seniors, but hard work and more dedication to the game is the only fix for that.?