Sterling Jets VS Pawnee City & Bruning/Davenport
December 14 & 15, 2007
By Jimmy Motz
December 20, 2007
Jets split over the weekend, move to 2-2
Sterling moved its records to 2-2 after a weekend split. The Jets defeated 2-0 Pawnee City 51-50 in a thriller, and lost on the road last Saturday to Bruning-Davenport 38-35. Coach Jimmy Motz was pleased with the effort both nights.
“I was very proud of how hard we played and how well we competed in both ball games. We found a way to get it done Friday night, and came up a play or two short Saturday. We had multiple chances against Bruning-Davenport to take a lead but we couldn’t capitalize.”
PAWNEE CITY
Devin Heusman’s lay up with 26 seconds left put the Jets up 51-50. On the ensuing possession, the Jets forced a turnover and got the ball back. Jese Salberg went to the line to shoot a one and one.
Salberg missed the front end, giving the Indians a chance to win the game in regulation, but Kyle Clow’s shot was short and the put back missed after the buzzer sounded.
The Jets move to 2-0 on the year at home. Zach Lempka led the way for the Jets with 13 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Brandon Nieveen added 10 points, all in the fourth quarter. Nieveen tied the game with a 3 pointer late in the fourth quarter.
“Zach and Brandon stepped up big for us tonight offensively, and Devin did a tremendous job defensively down the stretch” Motz said. “This was a total team effort. We made some key plays down the stretch and got stops when we need too. Plus, we hit some free throws, something we struggled with early on in the year.”
D.J. Thiel added 9 points, and Salberg had 7. The Jets shot 19 of 55 from the field, but managed to go 10 for 16 from the foul line.
The Indians were led by Taylor Baumert and Alex Wood, each with 12 points.
“It’s a big win for us” said Motz. “The crowd was energetic and loud, our kids play with a ton of emotion, and I felt that we showed some grit and toughness to find a way to win. I am very proud of our kids.”
BRUNING-DAVENPORT
D.J. Thiel’s three pointer came up short as the Jets were handed their second loss of the season on the road at Bruning-Davenport this past Saturday night 38-35. The Jets led going into halftime 19-16, but 12 turnovers in the second half and missed opportunities haunted the young Jets squad.
“Got to give credit to Bruning-Davenport. They came out the second half and pressured us and we didn’t handle it very well” said Jimmy Motz. “I felt I let my kids down for not making some adjustments against their run and jump. But we kept fighting and we gave ourselves a chance at the end, we just didn’t hit the shots.”
Sterling was led again by Zach Lempka, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lempka recorded a double-double in back to back ball games.
“Zach played hard” said Motz. “He battled and battled. I think he got a little tired late in the ball game, but he showed some character and fought through it. He’s only going to continue to get better.”
Jake Saathoff added 8 points in the losing effort, and D.J. Thiel had six. Overall, Motz was pleased with the overall performance of his team from the weekend.
“We didn’t shoot the ball that great, but man, did we defend our tails off. I think I was more pleased with the fact that it was the hustle, diving on loose balls, getting rebounds, flying around defensively and getting stops that helped us win a ball game, and stay in a ball game. Those kinds of things will help you down the road. We just can’t be content with what we’ve done, we need to get better as a group and continue to work hard and improve each day.”
BOX SCORES:
Friday, December 14,
2007
Pawnee City
11
15
12
12 50
Sterling 7 15 10 19 51
Sterling- Salberg 2-6 2-3, 7 Nieveen 4-8 0-0, 10 Saathoff 1-6 1-2, 3 Lempka 5-16 3-4. 13, Thiel 4-11 1-1, 9 D. Heusman 3-4 0-0, 6 J. Wirthele 0-1 0-0, 0 W. Wirthele 0-1 3-6, 3 Lowmack 0-2 0-0, 0 Hunt 0-0 0-0, 0 TOTALS 19-55 10-16, 51
Pawnee City- Baumert 4-7 4-10, 12 A. Wood 2-8 6-8, 12 Sejkora 1-2 2-2, 5 Bausch 0-0 0-0, 0 Niss 1-1 0-0, 2 Clow 1-5 0-1, 3 Musil 5-7 0-0, 10 Austin 3-4 0-0, 6 TOTALS 17-34 12-21, 50
THREE POINT FG’S Sterling 3-12 (Salberg 1-5, Nieveen 2-3, Lempka 0-2, D. Heusman 0-1, Lowmack 0-1) Pawnee City 4-8 (Baumert 0-1, Wood 2-5, Sejkora 1-1, Clow 1-1) REBOUNDS Sterling 31 (Lempka 13, Saathoff 8) Pawnee City 21 (Sejkora, Baumert 4) TURNOVERS Sterling 16, Pawnee City 25 FOULS Sterling 21, Pawnee City 17
Saturday December 15, 2007
Sterling 12 7 10 6 35
Bruning-Davenport 7 9 16 6 38
Sterling- Salberg 3, Saathoff 8, D. Heusman 2, Lempka 16, Thiel 6
B-D- Dowdy 6, Jagels 4, Hoins 11, Williams 7, Meyers 2, Houchin 8
