State of the Union
Goessel Guys Varsity Basketball Elyria Christian @ Goessel February 4, 2020
Goessel faced the Eagles of Elyria Christian for the 2nd time this season tonight and it looked like it was going to be a tussle. On December 14th, the Bluebirds got the best of this squad 47-27, but water has flowed down Emma Creek since that time. The home-standing Blue lost three quarters tonight but ran up a huge 14-6 1st quarter lead to hold on for the 43-39 win and stay within striking distance of the league leading 11-3 Little River Redskins. Goessel used strong pushes to the bucket with no threes on the night. Elyria saw 5 treys go through the hoop after being down as much as 10.
The Bluebirds closed well tonight and Caiden Duerksen led off the 1st with a stupendous back door. Elyria called time at 7:44. After Dylan Lindeman pushed hard inside, hit 2 FT’s and Nate Zogleman drove one home off the break, it was 6-0 and Coach Fields called yet another timeout at 5:53. The tough wingspan D showed well and Lindeman got a poke that pretty much put a hole in the bottom of Dad’s boat, then found a streaking Jake Hagewood for the 10-4 good buddy lead. The fans’ tumultuousness tachometer red-lined a moment later when Duerksen showed at least three feet off the ground to tap in at the rim for the 12-6 lead. Lindeman closed the quarter with a pull up zinger 14-6.
When Lindeman is putting up well-balanced jumpers, they have a way of splashing into the nylon with a perfect “sshlupp” sound and his 15 footer at 6:00 made the nylon squiggly. Goessel committed its first foul of the night at 5:18 in a defensive gem of a 1st half. Key Senior Jackson Stone had to sit with his 3rd foul at 3:11, but Goessel could not capitalize. The Eagles stepped up their defensive stances as well and the quarter was a back and forth pitcher’s duel. Elyria won the no-offense quarter 2-4 and it was 16-10 at the half.
With the ESPN announcers’ jaws dropping, Hagewood put on a surreal drive at 7:13, but Stone answered with the Eagles’ first three of the night 18-13. Zogleman hit on a nice baseline 13 footer, the Bluebirds could not salt away several free throw attempts, then Lindeman jumped another Eagle pass and fed Zogleman for the lay-in. Sophomore Ben Unruh got loose to go to 23-18, and in the next sequence the ball was touched by everyone except the third cheerleader from the left as it was pushed/pitched/shoved/ and cajoled down the floor. Skyler Wuest found himself in possession, turned, and put it up to lead 25-18. Unruh answered with another 3, but Hagewood came back down the floor and with a deft wrist flick put up the (called) banked 15 footer to go to 27-21. The quarter ended 28-23.
It was the fans’ turn to gape in awe as Zogleman cavorted to the hoop for a super slide 30-23, then Duerksen caught a nice post / over the top pass to lead 32-25. Time-out Elyria 6:32. This time Aroum hit the three and Coach Guhr called time at 4:59 leading by only three 32-29. Lindeman came out and hit a key jumper to go up 5, then Hagewood hit a cool as ice 13 footer to stay at 36-31. The Eagles went to the line and hit 5 of 6 and sent Zogleman to the line for two at 3:13. Schneider ignited the visitor crowd with a turn in the paint to close to 1, 37-36. In a frenzied defensive stance, the ball oozed out of the scrum, Lindeman found Hagewood loose downfield, and hit him with the Mahomes bomb for the huge 39-36 moment. Timeout Goessel 2:26. At the 2 minute warning, Lindeman was at the line in the 1-1 and hit nothing but net to go to 41-36. Unruh somehow got loose again to close to 41-39 and at Goessel’s timeout at 0:59 there was a confirmed clipboard slam. Jerah Schmidt was fouled with 43 ticks left but could not convert and the Bluebirds were able to put a huge clamp on the Eagles, turned back downfield and Stone fouled out with 10 seconds left, sending Lindeman to the line for 2.
The Senior again hit two for two, this time they wiggled and jiggled for the 43-39 lead. Timeout Goessel with 10 seconds left. Elyria gave the ball to Stucky who attempted a three but the Blue got a hand up and that was all she wrote. Goessel hung on for the 43-39 win and moves to 9-4. Lindeman led Goessel with 13, Hagewood put up 12, Zogleman scored 9 and Duerksen added 7. Wuest notched 2 on the night. Also seeing floor time tonight were Schmidt, back from illness, and Funk. -Karl Brubaker
