Game Report: Northeast vs. Grundy Center (2A Substate Final)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WAVERLY -- The first game of the 2A substate final doubleheader at Wartburg College didn't have quite the level of excitement near the end, which Grundy Center certainly had to be ecstatic about, as the Spartans punched their ticket to the Class 2A state tournament for the second consecutive season with a 71-62 win over Northeast.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tight game throughout the first 12 minutes, Grundy Center grabbed control in the final four minutes of the first half, using a 12-4 run to take a 33-26 lead into the break. Midway through the third quarter, junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2413534' first='Judd' last='Jirovsky'] went on a personal 6-0 run to give the Spartans a 12-point lead, 45-33, and they held at least a three-possession lead the rest of the way, keeping the Rebels at arms length and ultimately coming away with the 9-point win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grundy Center was led by [player_tooltip player_id='1759911' first='Tiernan' last='Vokes'], who had 20 points in the win. [player_tooltip player_id='2413534' first='Judd' last='Jirovsky'] had 14 points, [player_tooltip player_id='1759941' first='Brayden' last='Wallis'] 12, and [player_tooltip player_id='1478357' first='Jalen' last='Kirkpatrick'] 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. [player_tooltip player_id='1759938' first='Gavin' last='Kramer'] led Northeast with a game-high 23 points in the loss, while [player_tooltip player_id='2523908' first='Jaxen' last='Christiansen'] chipped in 13 and [player_tooltip player_id='2731868' first='Colby' last='Gray'] 12.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>Team</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>1Q</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>2Q</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>3Q</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>4Q</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>Final</strong></td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>Northeast</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">16</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">10</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">11 </td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">25</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">62</td></tr><tr><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center"><strong>Grundy Center</strong></td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">14</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">19</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">16</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">22</td><td class="has-text-align-center" data-align="center">71</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Northeast: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1759938' first='Gavin' last='Kramer'] 23, [player_tooltip player_id='2523908' first='Jaxen' last='Christiansen'] 13, [player_tooltip player_id='2731868' first='Colby' last='Gray'] 12, Chase Christiansen 8, [player_tooltip player_id='2420792' first='Emerson' last='Kreinbrink'] 6<br><strong>Grundy Center:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1759911' first='Tiernan' last='Vokes'] 20, [player_tooltip player_id='2413534' first='Judd' last='Jirovsky'] 14, [player_tooltip player_id='1759941' first='Brayden' last='Wallis'] 12, [player_tooltip player_id='1478357' first='Jalen' last='Kirkpatrick'] 10, Brody Zinkula 8, Brayden Davie 5, [player_tooltip player_id='2820148' first='Ryker' last='Thoren'] 2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1759911"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c3d5156ee75"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Vokes is a strong wing who does a great job getting to the rim both off of off-ball movement and off the dribble. He finishes through contact around the bucket and gets to the free-throw line frequently. He had a team-high 20 points on 5-9 shooting and went 10-13 from the free-throw line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1759941"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c3d5156ef06"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Wallis' length can be a real game-changer on the defensive end, as he's able to contact shots around the rim or on the perimeter and get up into passing lanes and make things difficult. He rotates well and came away with a pair of blocks from the weakside and finished with 12 points on the offensive end on 6-11 shooting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2413534"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c3d5156ef60"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The junior guard is a really skilled offensive player who can score from all three levels, create looks for his teammates off the dribble, and he contributes well on the glass on both ends of the floor. He's strong, shoots it well from the arc off the catch, and finishes through contact. He finished with 14 points on 5-7 shooting (2-3 3P) with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1478357"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c3d5156efaf"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A long wing who uses his length effectively on both ends of the floor, Kirkpatrick had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in the win, showcasing his playmaking and vision off the dribble, a quick release off the catch from the 3-point line, and the ability to finish through contact around the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1759938"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c3d5156effc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A strong, talented guard who can get to the rim and finish through contact, Kramer was the most consistent offense the Rebels had. He was able to consistently get to the rim for finishes against a stout Spartans defense. He didn't shoot it well from the 3-point line (2-10), but several of the misses came really late in the game when they were trying to make a quick comeback. He finished with 23 points on 7-19 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and a pair of assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2523908"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c3d5156f048"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A confident freshman guard who can score from all three levels, Christiansen showed tremendous feel for the game and vision, creating plays off the dribble for his teammates at a high level. He only finished with 3 assists, but he put his teammates in positions to have another 4-5 helpers with his passing. He showed a ton of confidence in his ability to get to his spots off the dribble as well, excelling in the mid-range and finishing through contact around the rim. He had 13 points on 6-9 shooting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2731868"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c3d5156f099"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A long 6-4 wing who can do a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor, Gray scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting with 3 rebounds in the loss. He keeps the ball moving on the offensive end, sees over the defense, and can knock down shots off the catch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->