Warriors finish season with best record in past two decades
Mason Loan dashes up the court in Central’s district semifinal game at Bellevue on Feb. 19. (Photo by Bev Hamann)
Jake Hertrampf (left) and Tyce Zittergruen team up to block a Bellevue shot. (Photo by Bev Hamann)
Junior Owen Hammersland prepares to shoot a free throw in the Warriors' win over Starmont on Feb. 16. (Photo by Bev Hamann)
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
The Central boys basketball team wrapped up a stellar season last week, falling to Bellevue in a Class 1A district semifinal game after opening the postseason with an impressive win over Starmont.
The Warriors led the Stars 16-15 after the first quarter and 34-30 at halftime of the Feb. 16 game in Elkader. Starmont continued to stay close through the third quarter, but Central closed the game on a 21-11 run to pull away 66-48.
Central’s offense shot 42.9 percent from the field, with seven three-pointers. Mason Loan had two of those, contributing to his team-high 18 points. The sophomore also led the team with four steals and had two rebounds and two assists.
Junior Owen Hammersland followed Loan with 17 points, and neared a double-double with nine rebounds. His five assists led all Warrior players.
Senior Jake Hertrampf notched another double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. He had both Central blocks and dished out three assists.
Sophomore Griffen Hammersland was the fourth starter to hit double digits with 10 points. His stat line also included two rebounds and two steals.
Senior Isaac Loan finished the game with six points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals.
The victory advanced the Warriors to the Feb. 19 district semifinal against Bellevue, the sixth ranked team in Class 1A, who had lost just three games all season.
The Comets showed their might, with 11 different players scoring in a 73-31 victory. They shot 53.3 percent overall, outpacing the 26.3 percent from Central. The Warriors were out-rebounded 37-19 and fell victim to 27 turnovers.
Owen Hammersland led the Warriors with 13 points and grabbed two rebounds and a steal. Griffen Hammersland added nine points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists. Mason Loan totaled four points and three steals and two each in the rebound and assist columns, while Hertrampf netted two points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Warriors finished the season 15-8, their highest win total since reaching 13 in 2017-2018. It’s also the team’s best record since statistics were first recorded on Bound for the 2008-2009 season.
