Easton Valley Advances to Substate Final in 2OT Thriller

CLINTON -- It wasn’t always pretty, but it sure was entertaining on Tuesday night, as Easton Valley outlasted Wapello in a district final, winning 50-48 in double overtime. The win sends the River Hawks into Saturday night’s substate final against New London, with the winner earning a spot in the 1A State Tournament. Easton Valley was in control for a majority of the first half, opening up a lead as big as nine, 18-9, in the second quarter before Wapello closed the half on a 9-2 run to make it a 20-18 River Hawks lead heading into the break. A Trenton Murray 3 to open the second half gave Wapello their first lead of the game, and the lead changed hands multiple times the rest of the way. Trailing 35-34 with 1:02 to play, Wapello resorted to the foul game, sending Easton Valley to the line with 55.6 seconds to play for a 1-and-1. Porter Fuegen split his free throws to give Easton Valley a 36-34 lead. Wapello missed a pair of good looks from 3 on the ensuing possession and Cayden Deardorff went to the line for a 1-and-1, missing the front end. Easton Valley grabbed the offensive board and Conor Gruver went to the line for a 1-and-1 with 18.0 to play. He also missed the front end. Wapello senior Hector Zepeda was fouled on a potential game-tying jumper with 10.8 seconds to play. Zepeda had checked in for the first time just 8 seconds prior. He missed both free throws, but [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"] grabbed the offensive board and put it back in to send the game into overtime. Wapello scored the first four points of the overtime, then leading 41-40, Griffin got a steal and a layup to put them up 3. Porter Fuegen was fouled with 9.8 to play and made both free throws, 43-42 Wapello. Griffin was fouled with 6.1 seconds left and missed the first, then made the second. Carson Fuegen took the inbounds and got to the rim at the other end, spinning in an acrobatic finish to send it to double overtime. (Video of that shot below). In the second overtime, Easton Valley led 48-45 with 1:13 left. Griffin missed a 3, Wapello got the offensive rebound and Griffin made the next 3, tying the game at 48 with 35.0 to play. Porter Fuegen came down and got into the lane, hitting a floater with 1.5 seconds left. Game-winner. Easton Valley (21-0) was led by [player_tooltip player_id="796176" first="Kaleb" last="Cornilsen"], who had 22 points and 13 rebounds. Porter Fuegen had 12 points, including the game-winner. Wapello’s season ends with a 16-4 record. The Indians were led by [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="964901" first="Caden" last="Thomas"], who each had 16 points in the loss. Standouts from both teams are analyzed below. https://twitter.com/tonysroe/status/1364401307834933253   <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">Team</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">1Q</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">2Q</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">3Q</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">4Q</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">OT</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">2OT</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">F</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">Wapello</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">4</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">14</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">10</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">8</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">8</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">4</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">48</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">Easton Valley</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">10</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">10</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">7</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">9</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">8</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">6</td> <td style="width: 12.5%; text-align: center;">50</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   Wapello: [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"] 16, [player_tooltip player_id="964901" first="Caden" last="Thomas"] 16, Trenton Murray 13, Rhett Smith 3 Easton Valley: [player_tooltip player_id="796176" first="Kaleb" last="Cornilsen"] 22, Porter Fuegen 12, Carson Fuegen 7, Cayden Deardorff 6, Conor Gruver 3   [player_tooltip player_id="962646" first="Maddox" last="Griffin"], Wapello (2022) I've been looking forward to seeing Griffin play for quite a while, and he didn't disappoint. The 6-3 junior guard was, in my opinion, the best player on the floor on Tuesday night. He plays with excellent pace, changing speeds to get by his defender, and he's got a quick first step that he uses to attack hard closeouts. He doesn't force anything, letting the game come to him and being equally content getting others involved as he is scoring. But he knows when it's time for him to take over in the scoring department, and he did so. He's a highly-gifted passer who sees the floor exceptionally well and is extremely creative with the ball in his hands. A talented guard who contributes across the board, he's someone who needs to be on the radar of area Division II schools. His feel for the game and ability to get others involved is outstanding. He finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, plus a couple steals. Trenton Murray, Wapello (2021) A 6-1 lefty, Murray is a confident shooter who made some huge shots for the Indians in this one. He was just 2-11 from 3 in the game, but his shot looks better than that and he had quite a few shots rim in-and-out. He finishes well through contact around the rim and does a good job running the floor and filling lanes. [player_tooltip player_id="964901" first="Caden" last="Thomas"], Wapello (2021) Thomas is a 6-5 big man who runs the floor, can defend multiple positions, and is a highly-efficient scorer. He started the game with seven straight makes before his first miss in the fourth quarter, carving out good position in the paint and showing a solid 12-15 foot jumper. He's got a good frame with broad shoulders, rebounds well, and is mobile. He finished with 16 points on 8-9 shooting with 8 rebounds. Rhett Smith, Wapello (2021) The 6-4 senior doesn't do a ton in the box score, but I thought he was a crucial piece for the Indians, providing a big, physical presence in the paint. He's got really good hands and doesn't lose out on a rebound if he gets his hands on it. But what really stood out to me was his passing ability. He made a few really nice passes to teammates for easy buckets from the high post. He had just 3 points, but also chipped in 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Porter Fuegen, Easton Valley (2021) Fuegen, a 6-1 senior guard, got off to a strong start, scoring a team-high 7 points in the first half before taking a bit of a step back before his game-winner in the second overtime. He's a strong, compact guard who does a great job finishing through contact in the paint. He doesn't look to shoot it from 3 much, but showed a capable stroke from the arc, and he did a great job competing on the glass, finishing with 7 rebounds to go with his 12 points. Carson Fuegen, Easton Valley (2023) A confident ball-handler, the younger Fuegen is a good passer who sees the floor well and looks to get others involved. Like Porter, he doesn't look to shoot it from 3 often, and that will need to change as he progresses as teams can sag off of him, but he's a good lead guard who keeps the ball moving and limits mistakes. [player_tooltip player_id="796176" first="Kaleb" last="Cornilsen"], Easton Valley (2021) Cornilsen had a quiet first half, going into the break with 6 points and 3 rebounds. The 6-5 big man was clearly a focal point of the halftime adjustments, as he became much more involved in the offense in the second half. He does a great job making himself big and sealing his defender on the block, and his guards really made a concerted effort to get him the ball in the second half. He's got great touch around the bucket, and very good footwork. He'll need to move out a bit at the next level, as he's a bit undersized to play in the paint in college, but he showed a smooth jumper out to about 16 feet and he can add some more range onto that. He's an exceptional rebounder with great hands who does an excellent job boxing out and competing for rebounds. He finished with 22 points on 9-18 shooting (4-4 FT) with 13 rebounds. Cayden Deardorff, Easton Valley (2022) A 6-7 junior center, Deardorff is going to have a huge opportunity next year for the River Hawks when Cornilsen graduates and takes a lot of post touches with him. Deardorff needs to add strength and weight to his frame, but he's a mobile big who runs the floor, provides some rim protection, and has good hands. He tends to drift away from the paint and settle for jumpers, so we'd like to see him get a little more physical with his play and compete in the paint, but he has a decent-looking jumper that could turn into a valuable asset in his game. He had 6 points, 4 rebounds and a block.