Trojans finish in fourth place at State
LINCOLN — Freeman dominated the action in the first three and a half quarters in their state tournament opener Wednesday against Cedar Catholic.
The final three minutes were the only thing that mattered, though.
The Trojans outscored the Falcons 14-5 in the final frame to earn a 40-37 come-from-behind victory over Freeman and advance to Thursday’s Class C2 State Semifinal game against top-seeded Grand Island Central Catholic.
The victory gave Cedar Catholic an impressive return to state competition after a five-year hiatus from Lincoln.
Head coach Matt Steffen led his boys back with a strong run this campaign and he knew it would be a different journey with a whole new set of faces.
“It was a new experience for every player on the team,” Steffen said. “Hopefully we can get back the next couple of years. The kids really enjoyed watching games and playing the semifinals at Pinnacle Bank Arena.”
Myles Thoene got hot at the right time to help the team rally from 37-29 down to run out the game winners.
The Trojans then faced-off with the top seed and eventual Class C2 champions Grand Island Central Catholic, who pulled out to a 64-40 win, similar to what the titlists did for most of the season and all of the tournament.
“I think early on they really bothered us, so when we drove we missed a lot of shots we would normally make,” Steffen said of the champs’ combination of size and athleticism. “We were down 37-15 at half. Tate Thoene had a really good second half and we cut their lead to 16 early in the fourth, but couldn’t get any closer. I think GICC could have competed in Class B this year.”
Ultimately, the Trojans settled for fourth place as they fell 59-48 to BRLD in the third-place game as their opposition came in with some strong AllState representation in the lineup and it showed.
“We played hard, but it wasn’t enough,” Steffen said. “BRLD is a great team.”
So the Trojans finished the campaign with a 20-8 record and a nice way to bounce back from a disappointing district final loss the previous year.
“These kids really play unselfish basketball,” Steffen said. “Every kid from one to 14 knew their role and played for the team, not themselves. Also, getting the younger boys to the state tournament will help them become better players in the future.
“Hopefully, these boys will take advantage of the opportunities we put before them in the summer. A lot of shooting to improve their individual games as well as many tournaments in June and July we can play in together.”
Steffen will have to reload without Myles Thoene, Mack Kuehn, Dagen Joachimsen, Connor Vlach and Riley Kuehn in the mix as they all move on with graduation.
“They were special to me because of their always positive attitudes toward their teammates,” Steffen said. “They knew their role and played them very well. They will be remembered fondly.”
Thoene leaves with 1,197 career points which includes 244 made three pointers.
Mack Kuehn said that the team had high expectations for this season.
“We wanted to prove to ourselves that we could go down to state and compete,” he said. “I think we met our expectations this year. We started a new trend in a way for next year and the years after us to make it down to state and maybe get a title.
“We paved the way for them.”
Mack Kuehn says this group was different in the fact that they matured from a near miss 12 months earlier after losing one senior from the squad.
“It was a big hole in the season from last year and we wanted to fill that hole,” he said. “We were all determined. I’d say the teamwork - We’ve played with each for so long since we were kids - had a really good chemistry. We also had a good bench that made us better as a team, practicing with them.
“Our talent and work ethic were great and that’s why we succeeded this season.” —
Cedar 8 11 7 14 — 40
Freeman 16 3 13 5 — 37
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