A first half that was summarized by one of North's coaches when he yelled at his players to stop trading baskets about halfway through became a game that will go down in history. The statement was not fulfilled by either side, which served to create the drama that every classic needs.
Clinging to a three point halftime lead, 33-30, Valley Cities Peyton Zaun began to exert his will on the game early in the resumption. His 12th, 13th & 14th points game on a classic three, which he followed immediately after with a steal and then a "new" three in transition.
The Spartans managed to answer for those quick six points and soon after regained the lead. The see-saw of scoring continued into the final minutes, when the focus shifted the breakout star of the evening.
Inserted into the starting lineup for Luke Loberg, freshman Carter Zeller had the game of his life. Coming into tonight averaging three points and 2 rebounds, he broke the scoreboard with the numbers he put up. He finished the first half with a very respectable 15, all around the basket plus one from the line. The closing half included 13 made two's and a pair of free throws to bring his evening to just two points shy of Siman Sem's school record 45. 43 points. It's as ferocious an introduction to the state as any player could dream of and just goes to show the value of staying ready!
As cool as it was to witness what he did between the lines was the reaction of his teammates on the seats to every dribble, pass & shot. They wanted the record to be matched and rewritten as much as anyone. If (when) Zeller develops his "stretch" abilities the placard on the wall may change, but those sorts of performances do not come around very often and the team was all about it.
But there was still the little matter of the games final minutes in the balance. Ahead 70-63 with two & a half to go, North's Ryan Manly got a steal and got the ball down court, into the hands of Jalen May who finished with a layup.
The hi-liners were able to get the deficit back down to seven, but couldn't prevent more bucket-trading before time ran out.
North 78, Valley City 71
Along with Zeller's 43, Manly & May each had 10 as the main components of a seven-scorer outfit.
Peyton Zaun finished with a team-high 24. Calahan Burchill added 15. Adam Bitz (9), Jared Eggermont & Aiden Jacobson (7 each) accounted for most of the offense.
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