Louis Gonner Buzzer Beater Sends Marquette Catholic Back to State

IOWA CITY -- With a trip to the Class 1A state tournament on the line, Marquette Catholic and Montezuma decided that 32 minutes wasn't quite enough time. They nearly decided that 36 minutes wasn't enough time either, but [player_tooltip player_id='2906540' first='Louis' last='Gonner'] changed that. Inbounding with 3.5 seconds left in the first overtime, Marquette Catholic drew up a play that got Gonner a really good look at a game-winning 3, and he banked it in, sending the Defenders back to the state tournament. The back-to-back runner-ups beat Montezuma, 66-63, to punch their ticket to Des Moines.   Marquette Catholic will be the #6 seed in the 1A tournament, opening play against #3 Bishop Garrigan on Tuesday, March 10 at 7:15 pm.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/twitter/status/2027919349541900425 </div></figure>    Weber led the Defenders in scoring, putting up 16 points on 6-11 shooting, including going 4-8 from the 3-point line. A confident shooter with a quick release, he moves really well without the ball in his hands and is ready to shoot on the catch with his feet squared. He showed some ability to create plays off the dribble, attacking hard closeouts and getting to the rim.     A sophomore wing, Kueter came off the bench to provide a real scoring spark for Marquette, finishing with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists. He did a majority of his scoring from deep, going 4-8 from the 3-point line, showing a quick release off both the dribble and the catch. He was relentless on the glass, especially on the defensive end, flying in from out of nowhere to pull down boards routinely.     Gonner didn't have the most efficient shooting game, going 4-14 from the floor, but the lefty lead guard did deliver their biggest bucket of the season to send them to the state tournament, and that deserves some recognition. He's a strong, quick guard who sees the floor really well, and he's able to absorb contact around the rim. He had 11 points and a team-high 5 assists in the win.     Severson is a big body in the paint with soft hands, good touch and footwork around the rim, and a real nose for the ball. He's an excellent rebounder who carves out space and he does a great job keeping the ball high when pulling down boards and touching the ball on the block. He had 9 points on 4-7 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal.     Boulton was the best player on the floor, and if he hadn't fouled out in overtime, the Braves may have won this game. He put on a show, finishing with 29 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 7 steals, and a block, and he was in complete control of the game on both ends of the floor. He has fantastic hands on the defensive end, routinely picking opposing ball-handlers clean. He sees the floor really well and is a gifted passer, and he was exceptional at splitting double teams, leaving Marquette defenders in the dust on the way to the rim. He was a magician with the ball in his hands and nearly took the Braves to state in his final high school game.     While Boulton battled foul trouble, Holland stood out and was a big presence in the paint on the offensive end. He showed fantastic footwork, with several nice step through moves to score around the bucket. He had 14 points and 8 rebounds in the loss, and looks like the type of long, athletic forward who could become a focal point for Montezuma moving forward.

IOWA CITY -- With a trip to the Class 1A state tournament on the line, Marquette Catholic and Montezuma decided that 32 minutes wasn't quite enough time. They nearly decided that 36 minutes wasn't enough time either, but Louis Gonner Louis Gonner 5'8" | PG Marquette Catholic | 2027 State IA changed that. Inbounding with 3.5 seconds left in the first overtime, Marquette Catholic drew up a play that got Gonner a really good look at a game-winning 3, and he banked it in, sending the Defenders back to the state tournament. The back-to-back runner-ups beat Montezuma, 66-63, to punch their ticket to Des Moines.