Center Point-Urbana advances to State in 3OT Thriller
Kole Tupa had 22 points, 16 rebounds to send CPU to State CEDAR RAPIDS — In an instant classic on Monday night, Center Point-Urbana outlasted Marion, beating the Indians 78-70 in three overtimes to advance to next week’s 3A State…
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Continue ReadingCEDAR RAPIDS — In an instant classic on Monday night, Center Point-Urbana outlasted Marion, beating the Indians 78-70 in three overtimes to advance to next week’s 3A State Tournament.
Carrying a 41-28 lead into the fourth quarter, it looked as though the Stormin’ Pointers might cruise to their first State appearance since 1996. Leading 48-45 with 20.9 to play, Caleb Andrews went 1-2 at the line. Connor Whalen answered with a layup, 49-47 CPU, 13 seconds left. With 6.6 to play, Kole Tupa was fouled and missed both free throws, setting up the drama.
Gage Franck took the inbound pass and got all the way to the CPU free throw line before finding a cutting Lucas Unsen, who finished the layup, plus the foul, with no time left. Referees put 0.4 back on the clock, but Unsen had a chance to win it with a free throw. Following a timeout from CPU to ice him, Unsen’s free throw hit every part of the rim before falling off and sending the game into the first overtime.
— Tony Roe (@tonysroe) March 3, 2020
Teams exchanged buckets throughout the first and second overtimes. With 54.2 seconds left in the second OT, Henricksen went to the line for a pair, holding a 2-point lead. He split his attempts and Alex Wade was fouled with 45.8 to go. He made the first, missed the second, but Kole Tupa grabbed the offensive rebound and CPU took a timeout. Trey Johannes missed a 3, but Tupa was there for the board again, put it back plus the foul. He made his free throw, giving CPU a 63-62 lead, 33.0 to play. Connor Whalen was fouled on the drive with 14.8 to play, split his free throws, and we were sent to a third overtime.
In minutes 41-44, Marion simply ran out of bodies. All five Indian starters eventually ended up fouling out, and CPU took advantage of playing against the backups, taking control in the final two minutes of the third overtime to clinch their State berth.
Center Point-Urbana (18-6) advances to their first state tournament since 1996, and just the school’s second trip overall. The Stormin’ Pointers were led by Kole Tupa, who had 22 points and 16 rebounds. Caleb Andrews had 16 points. Alex Wade had 12 points, 9 assists, and Trey Johannes chipped in 11 off the bench.
Marion’s season ends with a 19-5 record, falling just short of a third straight state tournament appearance. The Indians were led by Will Henricksen, who had 21 points in his final high school game. Connor Whalen had 19, and freshman Brayson Laube chipped in 16 before fouling out.
Below we take a look at some of the top performers from CPU’s win.
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | OT | OT2 | OT3 | F |
CPU | 19 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 78 |
Marion | 8 | 15 | 5 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 70 |
CPU: Kole Tupa 22, Caleb Andrews 16, Alex Wade 12, Trey Johannes 11, Keegan Koppedryer 6, Grant Bryant 6, Ethan Sells 5
Marion: Will Henricksen 21, Connor Whalen 19, Brayson Laube 16, Ryan Paulsen 5, Jaffer Murphy 3, Gage Franck 2, Lucas Unsen 2, Cael Hodges 2
2023 Brayson Laube (Marion)
The 5-11 freshman guard is an excellent ball handler and a knockdown shooter who was 4-8 from behind the arc, showing a quick release off the catch and extended range. He’s a smart lead guard with an incredibly bright future, and he doesn’t shy away from big shots in big situations. He finished with 16 points on 4-8 shooting (all from 3), and went 4-4 from the free throw line.
2020 Kole Tupa (CPU)
A 6-5 senior guard, Tupa impacts the game in a number of ways. He’s a great passer who sees the floor extremely well, is capable of knocking down 3s, and has excellent touch around the rim. He routinely makes the right play with the ball, recognizing the double coming when he’s on the block and kicking across the court to an open shooter. He was absolutely dominant on the glass as well, pulling down a number of key rebounds in the fourth quarter and overtimes. He finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds on 8-14 shooting.
2020 Will Henricksen (Marion)
Henricksen had a bit of a rough shooting night in his high school finale, but made some big shots late in the game after his fellow starters were beginning to foul out. He scored 11 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtimes. He can create his own shot, has good footwork and quickness, and he has the ability to get his shot off in a hurry. He also made some really solid passes and contributed on the glass, pulling down 5 rebounds.
2020 Connor Whalen (Marion)
An undersized 6-2 forward, Whalen pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds to go with his 19 points. He finishes at a high level around the rim, showing good touch and the ability to finish through contact.
2020 Alex Wade (CPU)
Physical, 5-9 lead guard has taken his game to another level during the postseason and was great again in this one. In the first quarter he had three different and-ones, showing his ability to finish through contact. But where he was at his best in this game was with his distributing, dishing out 9 assists to go with his 12 points. He used his ability to get to the rim to collapse the defense and find teammates for open jumpers or layups.
2020 Caleb Andrews (CPU)
A 6-2 guard, Andrews knocked down a pair of key 3s in the second half en route to 16 points. He scored 8 points in the overtimes, including three critical free throws in the third overtime to help ice the game away.