Bluebirds @ White City 12-15-23
Goessel Guys Basketball – Rural Vista Heat – December 15, 2023
Goessel’s C Team ½ game had plenty of Friday night highlights in the friendly confines of the White City Coliseum. A streaking German, Laurien Berger, playing his last night as a Bluebird, went coast to coast but could not convert the lay-in. At 3:44, Brayton Base took a charge and Wyatt Sommerfeld knotted it up at 2-2 with a great roll inside. Moments later, the assembled Bluebird fans passed the decibel level of the assembled RV fans (not an easy thing to do) as Kyle Repshire let loose from somewhere close to Delaplane with a nothing but net effort. 5-2. C Team games can sometimes be confused with a game of skittles mixed with volleyball , but the Bluebirds continued strong and Anthony Boden caught a nice in-pass for two to lead 7-4. RV player Yuri Rossi had a Euro step of his own to leave it at 7-6 after one. Once again, Berger showed German Beharrlichkeit ( tenacity - quote from Eli Boden) on D and this time was able to convert the full court effort for two, followed almost immediately by another great Base effort on a follow for the biggest lead of the game 11-6. With time running out RV brought the house down with their own long trey and then banked in a prayer from somewhere across the tracks to knot at 11-11. With multiple timeouts in the final seconds, the Bluebirds’ Base rolled in the lane and went up 13-11, then was fouled and converted one more to close out the win 14-11. Base finished with 5, Repshire put up 3, and Sommerfeld, Berger and Boden each scored 2. Also in for Goessel was Simon Rodeman.
The JV game started 4-0 for Goessel on a nice 15 footer from Base and a coast to coast push from Trey Gaddis. An 11-2 run from the Heat left it at 6-11 after one. Efforts from #3 Gaddis in the 2nd including two nice drives midst the tall trees, an excellent put-back by Chevy Gagnon and inside roll from Sommerfeld kept it in check 12-19 in the 2nd quarter but left the Blue down 18-30 at the break. There was not much hope in White City (had to throw that in) in the 7-20 third quarter, punctuated only by a spectacular trey from Trey Gaddis at 6:19, a finish from Luke Stucky on an inbounds set and two charities from Stucky. It was 25-50 after three. Goessel came alive in the final stanza with a Gaddis steal, hard foul and two FT’s, another runner at 4:35 from #3, a Stucky put-back, Base break, and final Stucky inside conversion to win the final quarter 10-6 and leave the final score 35-56.
At 8:03, Goessel faced Wheat State League rival Rural Vista inside the White City Coliseum. With one gym, all the games tonight were played back to back making it a basketball odyssey for fans, officials, cheer team, coaches and players. Rural Vista coordinates its basketball practices and games between Hope and White City and it has been some time since many fans have been to White City. It is always a special treat for this fan to visit not only the main gym but the “old” gym located east of the current main facility. This room is not quite unique enough in Kansas lore to have made the cut in “Hallowed Hardwood” but it certainly is representative of many many old Kansas school gyms.
Goessel jumped out to a 9-3 lead (the largest of the night) on fantastic execution from Jake Flaming and Javin Schmidt off assists from Jack Nickel and Noah Schrag. The first quarter saw 4 lead changes in a see-saw battle in the mists of Morris County. Schrag had a trey that actually disappeared in the fog before re-emerging like a comet into the waiting nylon. Nickel turned in the paint and with time running out Koy Smith put the Birds up 14-12 at the break with a spectacular inbounds corner trey that appeared was shot from a different room.
The desultory 2nd quarter went 11-22. Schmidt scored to lead off 16-12 with a great penetration. RV Junior Kaiden Carpenter, despite squinting constantly, came out of nowhere to score four times in a row in quick succession. The 0-10 run was devastating and Goessel could never recover. Smith gave the assembled Blue faithful hope with yet another long 3 pointer, this one so impressive the entire cheer team did cartwheels, followed by one more additional push to bucket. These were the only three field goals the Bluebirds were able to muster in the quarter, however, and the half ended 25-34. Several Bluebirds were in foul trouble, Rural Vista put up 5 threes in the first half and there were 7 total lead changes in the game.
Goessel upped the ante in the 3rd quarter, shooting an impressive clip with threes from Schrag (2), Smith (1) and Schmidt (1). At 5:15 the trey from Noah jiggled in to close to 31-40, then Schmidt brought it within reach at 33-40, but the Heat turned up the volume to take it back to 34-45. With a drive from Schrag to close to 36-47, coach Guhr called time at 3:00. After the 3rd quarter, Goessel had 7 successful three pointers to the Heat’s 6, but were down 39-50. The White City Coliseum PA volume was on “jet blast” setting, with the “white noise” near deafening accompanied by the Junior High cheering section and a horn that must have not only alerted those in attendance but also those sleeping in Hope.
The cheer team took to the floor with “Let’s Get Fired Up” as RV took a time out at 5:46 up 41-51. Goessel had executed yet another perfect back door on a bounce feed to Schmidt. Observers gave the Heat credit for tremendous effort on defense, especially to Sophomore Kole Reidy who covered Schrag all night. The battle of the long bombs continued and at 3:18 Noah launched one so spectacular and earthshattering, the UP train dispatcher in Herington had to suspend traffic on the NW line for several hours due to seismic event issues. Goessel put in place a full court press and got two off a Schrag steal and charities. Timeout RV 3:03 49-58. Another spectacular pick from Schmidt gave further life to the Blue faithful 51-58, but the homestanding Heat were able to slowly burn the clock and Goessel was forced into foul mode. In the under one minute mode, RV went to the line three times and went 3 for 6, enough to hold on. Schrag tilted at the top of the key and was fouled for three charities, converting one to stay at 52-59. With 20 seconds left, Smith hit one from somewhere close to Junction City to close to 55-61 and the cheer team came out with “Up with Bluebird Pride.” This one finished 55-62 as Goessel won the final quarter 16-12, winning two quarters tonight but the devastating 2nd stanza was the difference in this one.
Noah Schrag put up 17 tonight including four threes and going 3 for 5 from the stripe. Koy Smith had a spectacular night with his own four treys and 15 points. Javin Schmidt was steady throughout the contest and finished with 13 points. Other scoring for the Bluebirds were Jake Flaming with 5 points, Jack Nickel with 4 points, and Wade Spurlin with 1 point. Also playing some good minutes were Eli Boden and Chevy Gagnon.
-Karl Brubaker
