STERLING JETS MUDECAS CLASS B CHAMPS!!!
January 12, 2008
By Jimmy Motz
January 15, 2008
MUDECAS CHAMPIONS!
“Jets capture first MUDECAS title since 1994”
It took 14 years, but the Sterling basketball team found its way back to the top of the MUDECAS tournament. The Jets won the B division title this past Saturday with a 47-35 win over top seeded Johnson-Brock at the Beatrice Auditorium. The win marked the first MUDECAS championship for Sterling since 1994. The win was especially sweet for the coaches and players, who avenged an earlier defeat to Johnson-Brock, where the Jets lost on the road 55-50.
“The whole week, I preached to the kids about taking steps. We took three steps and found a way to win the championship” said head coach Jimmy Motz. “I challenged our kids to go out, swing away, and find a way to win. They answered it. It shows the type of kids we have here at Sterling.”
Placing honors on the all-tournament team were Zach Lempka and Jake Saathoff. Lempka, a sophomore, scored 53 points in the three contests, while Saathoff scored 29 points, but more notably, was the defensive presence all tournament.
Sophomore guard Jese Salberg and senior forward D.J. Thiel gained honorable mention honors with their performances.
After the tournament win, the Jets improved to 9-4 on the season.
MERIDIAN(quarterfinals)
Sterling jumped out to a 19-8 lead in the first half and never looked back in its 75-54 quarterfinal win over Meridian. William Wirthele sparked the Jets offense early in the game, scoring six first quarter points.
The Jets lead grew to as much as 31 points in the half and took a 45-20 lead.
“The key was to jump on them early and limit their opportunities shooting the basketball from beyond the arc” Motz said. “They had four or five guys who could shoot the ball. We did a fabulous job of locating them and taking that away.”
Lempka led the Jets with 18 points, while Wirthele and Saathoff scored 15 and 14 points apiece. D.J. Thiel and Klay Heusman each had 8 points as well, where the Jets scored the most points as a team all season.
“We moved the ball really well against their zone and we played together as a unit” Motz said. “We played the game at our pace and when you dictate tempo, the game will swing in your favor.”
PAWNEECITY(semifinals)
Sterling fell behind early 6-0, but the Jets in the next 8:30 went on a 23-3 run and never looked back in its 54-43 semifinal win.
Holding a 23-15 lead at halftime, Pawnee City cut the lead to five at 33-28 before Jese Salberg buried a three as time ran out to end the third quarter. “Jese’s three was a big” Motz said. “I felt more comfortable with an 8 point lead, than a 5 point lead.”
Zach Lempka led the Jets with 20 points and 9 rebounds in the winning effort. Salberg and Jake Saathoff chipped in 9 apiece lifting the Jets to the finals of the B division.
It was the second time this season that Sterling defeated Pawnee City. The Jets won a 51-50 decision back on December 14th.
“They’re a good ball team with some great athletes. They give you some different wrinkles offensively and you have to be able to identify personnel with them. We made some good adjustments and made it difficult for them to score.”
JOHNSON-BROCK (championship)
It was defense in which won Sterling the championship game of the 2008 MUDECAS B division. The Jets held Johnson-Brock to 35 points for the contest and held the Eagles to 31 percent shooting.
Sterling never trailed in the contest, going ahead on the first possession of the game when Brandon Nieveen scored on a layup. Holding a 13-9 lead after the first quarter, the Eagles cut it to 21-19 at halftime when Tyler Durant-Allen scored as time expired.
“You can’t give a team like that those chances” said Motz. “That could have been a huge momentum swing, but our kids responded the third quarter and didn’t let that affect them.”
Sterling outscored Johnson-Brock 13-6 the 3rd frame, and 13-10 the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
Zach Lempka led the Jets in scoring with 15 points, while D.J. Thiel had 14 points and 5 steals. Thiel was 6 of 7 from the field in the game. Brandon Nieveen added 7 points in the win as well.
“It was a total team effort for 3 games in this tournament” said Motz. “These kids came out and you could see in their eye they wanted to win. They got a taste of what its like and when you win, you want it more. I hope that they come back hungrier because we got a lot of ball left to play.”
Motz was also happy with the turn out of the fans. “Our crowd was superb all week. It was fun to see them rally around our kids and give them the ovation they deserved when they walked off that floor Saturday night. The kids earned it with hard work and determination. I’m more proud of that than anything.”
Meridian 8 12 12 22 54
Sterling 19 26 18 12 75
S- Salberg 3, K. Heusman 8, Saathoff 14, W. Wirthele 15, D. Heusman 2, Lowmack 5, Lempka 18, Thiel 8, Hunt 2
M- Andrew Rohr 13, Jordening 9, Roesler 1, Heiserman 9, Kyle Rohr 2, Bartels 2, VanWeston 10, Knudson 2, Dustin Rohr 4, Aude 2
Pawnee City 8 7 13 15 43
Sterling 12 11 13 18 54
S- Salberg 9, Nieveen 4, Saathoff 9, W. Wirthele 6, D. Heusman 2, Lempka 20, Thiel 4
PC- Baumert 11, Wood 5, Sejkora 2, Bausch 2, Clow 6, Musil 11, Austin 6
Sterling 13 8 13 13 47
Johnson-Brock 9 10 6 10 35
S- J. Wirthele 1, Nieveen 7, Saathoff 6, W. Wirthele 2, Lempka 15, Thiel 14, Hunt 2
JB- Durant-Allen 2, Christensen 3, Haith 1, Bunting 2, Bohling 14, Teten 2, Butler 1, Hahn 4, Adams 6
