Central boys add two victories
Sophomore Tyce Zittergruen scored 12 points off the bench in Central’s win over Turkey Valley. (Photos by Bev Hamann)
Warrior Jake Hertrampf eyes the basket in last week's conference win over the Trojans.
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
Wins over Turkey Valley and Cedar Valley Christian last week improved the Central boys basketball team to 11-6 overall and 9-4 in the Upper Iowa Conference.
The Warriors held a slim 9-6 lead over Turkey Valley through the first quarter of the Jan. 27 game in Elkader, but ended the half on a 20-8 run. They grew that 29-14 advantage to 47-24 by the end of the third quarter, and eventually won 60-36.
Central’s offense shot a strong 48.1 percent from the field and connected on five three-pointers, two of which came from points leader Owen Hammersland. The junior had 18 overall to go with two rebounds and an assist.
Perhaps the most impressive stat of the night, however, was the 20 rebounds from senior Jake Hertrampf—19 coming on the defensive end of the floor. He secured a double-double with 14 points and supported the defense with three steals and a block.
Sophomore Tyce Zittergruen netted 12 points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench.
The Jan. 30 game against Cedar Valley Christian was more tightly contested. Central trailed 20-18 after the first but led 33-28 by halftime. The Huskies remained close after the break, trailing the Warriors 45-43 at the end of the third period and even taking the lead midway through the final quarter. With seven seconds remaining, sophomore Mason Loan hit a bucket to give Central a 61-59 win.
Loan had the hot hand throughout the game, shooting 60 percent from the field with 17 points, including six from behind the arc. He also came away with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
Senior Isaac Loan put up 15 points and neared a double-double with eight rebounds. His stat line included three assists, a steal and a block as well.
Hammersland concluded the game with 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal, while Hertrampf had eight points and two each in the rebounds, assists and steals columns. He earned one of the team’s three blocks.
Now, the Warriors have a busy three-game week, starting at home against Kee on Feb. 3. The team will head to Springville on Feb. 5 and West Central Feb. 6.
