March 28, 2024

Hawks ready for lucky 13 at state

Lynnville-Sully boys play Gladbrook- Reinbeck in 1A state opener

SULLY — When Lynnville-Sully’s Hawks step on the Wells Fargo Arena basketball court Monday, it will be the 13th appearance in Class 1A boys’ state basketball tournament action for the program.

The number 13 doesn’t bode unluckily for the 2016-17 Hawks, according to them. They will go into the opening round of the 2017 Iowa Class 1A Boys’ State Basketball Tournament with a bit of a chip on their shoulders.

“We weren’t surprised with the pairing. We had looked at all the teams and we thought we’d get them,” senior Tyler Van Zante said following Wednesday’s announcement of the 1A state tournament pairings. ‘Sure, we have a little chip on our shoulder going after revenge, but we’re up to the challenge to play them. We’re approaching it as just another game.”

Lynnville-Sully’s opening-round opponent at 10:30 a.m. Monday is Gladbrook-Reinbeck, the team which defeated the Hawks a year ago in a 1A substate final.

The Rebels (24-2) finished ranked No. 4 in the final 1A poll and the Hawks (24-1) were ranked No. 5. In the 1A state tournament, the Rebels are seeded No. 4 and the Hawks are seeded No. 5. Their game is the first game of the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Top-seeded North Linn (25-0) plays No. 8 Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto (18-7) at 12:15 p.m. The winner plays the winner of the Lynnville-Sully vs. Gladbrook-Reinbeck game in Thursday’s semifinals.

On Monday, third-seeded St. Mary’s, Remsen (24-0) plays sixth-seeded New London (21-3) at 2 p.m. followed by No. 2 seeded Grand View Christian (24-1) taking on No. 7 seeded West Hancock (19-6). Monday’s winning teams play in Thursday’s semifinals.

The 1A consolation final is at 10 a.m. Friday. The Class 1A championship game is slated for 6:05 p.m. Friday.

“We’ll prepare for Gladbrook-Reinbeck, but its a lot about ourselves. If we go do what we’ve been doing over the course of this tournament run, we’ll give ourselves opportunities to have a strong run at state,” Lynnville-Sully head coach Nick Harthoorn said.

Harthoorn is in his 10th season as head coach for the Hawks. The veteran coach has two state appearances under his belt, coaching Lynnville-Sully at the 1A state tournament in 2010 and 2011. The Hawks finished fourth in 2010.

“Every team is different and each has its strengths. This team of players find ways to win ballgames. This season we’ve won by big margins and we’ve won some close games,” Harthoorn said. “We’ve been playing good basketball and have been real unselfish over the tournament trail.”

Harthoorn said the Hawks feature balanced scoring and playing tough defense. He said Gladbrook-Reinbeck has three of its five starters back from last year, but he knows if his players keep doing the fundamental things which got them to the state tournament, the Hawks can compete at the state level.

One of those starters back for the Rebels is 6-foot-1 inch senior Joe Smoldt, who leads the entire state in scoring as he averages 30.5 points per game. He leads the Rebels in assists (130) and steals (74) along with hitting 98-of-196 3-pointers.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck has senior Matt Roeding who leads the team in rebounding with 153. Junior Caden Kickbush averages 11.9 points a game and shoots from 3-point range. Senior Tyler Pierce averages 10.2 points per game and has 139 rebounds. Junior Walker Thede is the other starter for the Rebels.

Van Zante and seniors Ryan Hofer and John Trettin lead the Hawks into the state tournament. Van Zante is a starter with Hofer and Trettin coming off the bench.

“Going into the season, I really wasn’t expecting to go to state so this is pretty special,” Hofer said. “We’re not going to put extra pressure on ourselves. As far as the number 13? I hope it’s lucky for us as a team.”

Hofer said the Hawks have had success this season because the players challenge each other every day in practice to get better. He said each player has different talents and abilities.

“We don’t give up. We don’t reach a level we’re content with,” Hofer said. “We always want to get better.”

Trettin, who scored eight points for Lynnville-Sully in last year’s 49-41 loss to Gladbrook-Reinbeck in a substate final, said the main kid — Smoldt — was back for his team.

“We get another shot at him. This is a good group of guys to go to state with. We have a lot of guys who can score the ball and we all step up defensively. We work together,” Trettin said.

Lynnville-Sully has four players who average double-digit scoring paced by junior Jesse Van Wyk at 12.5 points a game. Juniors Tanner Foster and Brevin Hansen, who both transferred from Grinnell, have averaged 11.5 and 11.2 points per game this season. Sophomore Rylan James, who plays inside for the Hawks, averages 10.7 points per game.

Van Zante is the other starter, averaging 8.8 points a game and is second in assists with 87. Van Wyk is the team’s leading rebounder with 162 and leads with 97 assists. James has pulled down 130 rebounds and Hansen has 79 assists.

“We share the ball. We’re not worried who gets the stats. We focus on whatever we have to do as a team to get the ‘W’,” Van Wyk said. “Winning last Saturday to get to go to state is something I’ve looked forward to as I grew up. I want to play at Wells Fargo Arena with my teammates, This is an awesome experience for us.”

Hansen and Foster said they’ve made the adjustments to their new team this season. They found their roles and both have brought outside shooting threats to the team. Hansen said he had played a lot of summer basketball with Van Wyk.

“We’re at our best when we’re playing well defensively, and working for the best shot each time on offense,” Hansen said.

“I like the environment here at Lynnville-Sully. Being a taller guy, I’ve been able to help with rebounding and play strong interior defense,” Foster said.

James said winning the substate title last Saturday and earning a trip to state is a dream come true. He said he is following in the steps of two older sisters, who played for Lynnville-Sully girls’ basketball teams at state tournaments.

“Our versatility as a team is a driving force for us. We have a good inside-outside game,” James said. “We’re excited about this opportunity. We’re going into it to win, but also to have fun together as a team.”

Lynnville-Sully’s first trip to the 1A state tournament was in 1986 when it took fourth.

It went in 1991 then went four straight years — 1994-1997. The Hawks were third in 1996 and lost 66-65 to Guthrie Center in overtime in the 1997 championship game, taking second.

The Hawks went to state in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They were third in 2000 and fourth in 2001. Lynnville-Sully made it back to the state in 2005 before going back-to-back in 2010 and 2011.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com