WHS BOYS' BASKETBALL: Last high school battle between WHS’s Weg and RV’s Busack

WORTHINGTON — As the clock ticks down in a basketball game, the eyes of the great ones peek at the scoreboard and they act. They do not pray the clock speeds up to secure a win or another player will step up to get the team back in the game.

The great ones act.

Even when exhaustion has set in and legs are wobbling, in those closing minutes, the great ones on opposing teams find one another and they square up.

They do this because, in order for them to sleep at night, win or lose, they want the blame on them.

No one will commit to whether or not Worthington’s Mitch Weg and Redwood Valley’s Mike Busack will guard one another in the Section 3AA championship Thursday at Southwest Minnesota State University.

“We will have to see how things match up,” WHS coach Ron Vorwald said. “I don’t know the match ups yet.”

“I doubt it because he’ll probably be playing the four,” Busack said. “Both of us are performing well and we actually talk and are good friends, so it should be fun.”

“We’ll have to talk to my coach about that,” Weg said adding a smile.

Like any good player, Weg couldn’t leave a dare with an open-ended answer.

“I’d be ready for it if coach gave me the challenge,” Weg said.

It will be the last time Weg and Busack meet in high school, but not the last time the two area talents play one another as conference rivals. Busack will be playing at Minnesota State in Mankato and Weg will be playing for SMSU next fall.

“It’s going to be fun playing one another next year,” Busack said. “He’s a real good player, he’s got some good moves and he’ll get even stronger and be even better.”

Weg echoed Busack’s sentiments.

“Mike is a great player,” Weg said. “He’s a great shooter, he’s tall and he’s strong.

“He’s just an athlete.”

Both players saved their best performances of the second season for SMSU — a place they will be competing versus one another for the next four years.

In Redwood Valley’s 48-46 win over Montevideo in the section semifinals, Busack scored 29 points and five of RV’s last six points.

Weg scored 36 points and hauled in 14 rebounds in WHS’s 72-51 drubbing of Fairmont, setting up the clash of Southwest Conference foes.

“I just keep working under the basket,” Weg said. “If you’re posting up and you’re that close, it’s not too hard to get the ball in the basket. It’s just work and offensive rebounds.

“We’re playing our best basketball right now.”

Daily Globe Sports Editor Chris Murphy can be reached at 376-7328.

Tags: sports, prep, basketball, trojans