ADRIAN -- Adrian’s Ian Stamer and Ellsworth’s Peyton Lewis were rivals a year ago, playing for different programs with excellent basketball traditions.
Now they’re teammates, and the next few months of southwest Minnesota’s most recent prep pairing is looking just fine for hoop fans here.
Lewis, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, scored five of his 25 points in the second overtime as Adrian-Ellsworth overcame a remarkable 45-point effort from W-WG’s Ethan Mischke and posted a 92-89 victory Friday night in a Red Rock Conference game.
Stamer, a senior guard, added 22 points as the Dragons earned a dramatic victory before a packed house at the Adrian gymnasium.
“I love the Ellsworth guys,” said Stamer. “Them coming over was a blessing. It makes our team better and it’s going to help us win a lot more games this year.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Mischke poured in seven 3-pointers and scored 15 points in the first and second overtimes combined. The 6-2 junior is a slick-shooting southpaw who drained seven 3-pointers and slashed repeatedly to the rim.
“Ethan Mischke had a great game and my teammates had a great game. We just all clicked together,” said Stamer. “It was a great win.”
Adrian-Ellsworth improved to 1-1, while Westbrook-Walnut Grove dropped to 3-2.
The Chargers are coming off three straight 24-victory seasons and last year’s state tournament appearance. Though the W-WG program was hard-hit by graduation, Mischke is back.
And that’s saying a lot.
“He’s a cold-blooded shooter and a great kid,” said Dragons’ coach Blake Miller. “He didn’t back down. That was the fun part. It was a great game.”
The Chargers, with but one senior on the roster, led by seven points at times in both halves. But the Dragons, a veteran club with 12 seniors on the roster, never were out of it and finally prevailed in the second four-minute overtime session.
“Westbrook is very well-coached and we know that. We thought it was going to be a dogfight for 36 minutes,” said Miller. “But it went 44. It was worth it in the end.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The Dragons had the last shot in regulation, but Grant Jansma’s trey rimmed out at the horn. Mischke, who finished 16-for-33 from the floor and 6-for-7 at the foul stripe, had a chance to win it as the first OT ended but his 15-foot fadeaway bounced off the rim.
In the second extra session, Lewis scored in the lane off the opening tip, then took a nice feed from Stamer moments later as the Dragons took the lead for keeps.
Mischke had two 3-pointers in the second overtime, the last with but one second to play that narrowed the Chargers’ deficit to 90-89. Two free throws by the Dragons’ Noah Reyne with less than a second left finished it.
Jansma, who is from Ellsworth, scored 15 and Lance Luettell had 14 for the winners. Junior guard Hunter Lien had 22 for the Chargers, whose veteran coach, Derrick Jenniges, saw a lot to like.
“On the road, against a group of seniors and (the Chargers having) no seniors on the floor, I think we learned a lot,” said Jenniges. “I think this is a game that makes us better.”
Westbrook-Walnut Grove 40 69 79 89
Adrian-Ellsworth 37 69 79 92
WESTBROOK-WALNUT GROVE (3PT-2PT-FT-TP) -- Mischke 7-9-6-45, Kuehl 1-4-0-11, Lien 1-6-7-22, Parker 1-0-1-4, Pilaczynski 0-2-0-4, S. Kleven 0-0-3-3. Totals: 10-21-17-89.
ADRIAN-ELLSWORTH (3PT-2PT-FT-TP) -- Reyne 0-1-5-7, Stamer 2-6-4-22, Lewis 0-10-5-25, Jansma 5-0-0-15, Lenz 1-0-0-3, Schnoor 0-3-0-6, Luettel 0-6-2-14. Totals: 8-26-16-92.
