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TRAPPED DOOR

Ballard full-court presses Lynx right into the offseason

Webster City junior guard Jordan Tanner (14) races out to cover Ballard’s Trey Drummond during the first half of Monday’s Class 3A District 4 semifinal in Grimes. The Lynx season ended with a 55-44 loss to the Bombers. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

GRIMES — The opening five minutes were a mirage, while the final 27 minutes were a series of Marty McKinney’s worst nightmares playing over and over again Monday evening.

The length. The speed. The athleticism. The aggression. Ballard left nothing to the imagination before it waltzed into the next round of the postseason.

Webster City stormed out to an 8-0 lead over those initial five minutes, but it was all Bombers the remainder of the way in their 55-44 victory in a Class 3A District 4 semifinal inside Meadows Gymnasium on the campus of Dallas Center-Grimes High School.

Ballard (9-13) advanced to face Dallas Center-Grimes in Thursday’s district final, while a distraught bunch of WCHS players were left to wonder what went wrong.

“It sucks,” Jordan Tanner, the Lynx junior point guard, said. “We had our chances to win the game, but we didn’t play defense well enough. They’re a good team and they came out and got whatever they wanted. We just couldn’t stop them defensively and that’s disappointing.”

WCHS head coach Marty McKinney hugs senior Connor Shannon as the final seconds tick off on Monday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WCHS (15-6) had trouble defensively, particularly stopping the penetration of Bomber guard Tyler Ihle. He attacked the basket with a vengeance, particularly in the second half when he scored 13 of his game-high 20 points to help Ballard slowly pull away.

But the Lynx had plenty of other issues as well.

Ballard’s full-court trapping press gave WCHS fits each time it was slapped on. The result was 17 Lynx turnovers, 12 of them on Bomber steals.

The miscues not only got WCHS out of rhythm, but they also limited looks at the basket. Ballard took 12 more shots (50-38) and the Lynx were held to just 14 field goals. They hung around only because of a nearly flawless performance at the free throw line with 14 makes in 15 opportunities.

“They knew where our weaknesses were and they went after us,” McKinney, Webster City’s head coach, said. “Turnovers have been as issue for us all year … they came after us hard and we just didn’t handle it well. They’re quick, they’re athletic and it’s everything I saw on tape and everything I was afraid of. We just didn’t have an answer for it.”

WCHS forward Tyler Bultena turns an offensive rebound into two points during the first half on Monday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Ballard was effective at forcing the ball out of Tanner’s hands as WCHS attempted to work the ball up the floor. Others weren’t as confident with the ball and the results were typical — errant passes, traveling calls and hurried shots.

“It’s a tough press to beat,” Tanner, who scored a team-high 15 points, said. “They’re a quick basketball team with quick hands. They knew what they wanted to do and we did exactly what they wanted.”

Connor Shannon scored all 13 of his points in the second half. The Lynx senior forward also pulled down seven rebounds and distributed three assists.

Noah McKinney hit the first shot of the game — a 3-pointer from the left wing — but the WCHS junior remained silent the remainder of the way He played just 4 minutes, 35 seconds of the first half because of three fouls and then picked up his fourth less than four minutes into the third period. His absence was felt at the offensive end.

“It hurt us offensively because we needed another shooter in the ballgame,” Marty McKinney said.

Members of the Webster City boys’ basketball team huddle around head coach Marty McKinney for instructions prior to the start of the second half of Monday’s Class 3A District 4 semifinal against Ballard in Grimes. The Bombers overcame an early 8-0 deficit to knock off the Lynx, 55-44. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

After spotting WCHS the 8-0 lead, Ballard answered with a 7-0 spurt over the final 21⁄2 minutes of the first period to pull to within one, 10-9.

Four consecutive points by Lynx reserve center Henry Hoversten gave WCHS the momentum and lead, 16-11, midway through the second. But Ballard’s secret weapon, sophomore shooting guard Chase Winterboer, entered and quickly rained in back-to-back 3-pointers from the right wing and left corner.

The battle remained a one- or two-possession game through the middle of the fourth quarter. WCHS guard Cameron Moen got an open look at a triple from the right wing that would have trimmed the Lynx deficit to one point, but it rattled in and out. Ballard quickly raced the ball up the floor and found — who else? — Winterboer alone in the right corner for his third 3 of the game.

What could have been a one-point game was pushed to seven, 45-38, with 4:04 remaining and WCHS never got any closer.

“That was a big moment,” Marty McKinney said. “If Cameron’s 3 goes down, it’s a one point game.”

WCHS reserve Henry Hoversten (40) challenges the shot of Ballard’s Isaac Schafbuch during the first half on Monday in Grimes. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Neither team had a sparkling performance at the offensive end. WCHS shot just 37 percent (14 of 38) and a disastrous 15 percent from behind the arc (2 of 13). Ballard connected on 36 percent of its attempts (18 of 50) and only 19 percent of its 3-point shots (4 of 21).

But the turnovers, the defensive issues, the fact that Ballard out-rebounded the Lynx 32-23 with 11 of those caroms coming on the offensive glass; it all added up to a disappointing performance that WCHS couldn’t overcome.

“It’s hard going home knowing we beat ourselves,” Tanner said.

Moen added five points and seven boards in the loss. James Van Diest and Tyler Bultena both chipped in a bucket.

Despite the way it ended, the season was quite successful for the Lynx. Only Shannon returned with significant varsity experience and yet WCHS won its second straight North Central Conference title.

Connor Shannon (right), a WCHS senior forward, puts up a fadeaway jumper over Ballard’s Austin Edwards on Monday in Grimes. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Ballard 55, Webster City 44

Class 3A District 2 Semifinal

Monday at Grimes

Ballard (9-13) — Taylor Roberts 1 0-0 2, Ethan Torkelson 0 0-0 0, Ian Fletcher 0 0-0 0, Chase Winterboer 3 0-0 9, Austin Edwards 0 0-0 0, Max Stoltz 1 2-2 4, Jack Baumhover 0 0-0 0, Cade Wilson 0 0-0 0, Tyler Ihle 6 7-7 20, Isaac Schafbuch 3 0-0 6, Trey Drummond 4 6-8 14. Totals: 18 15-19 55.

Webster City (15-6) — Noah McKinney 1 0-0 3, James Van Diest 1 0-0 2, Nick Wallen 0 0-0 0, Jordan Tanner 4 7-8 15, Tyler Bultena 1 0-0 2, Cameron Moen 1 2-2 5, Connor Shannon 5 3-3 13, Henry Hoversten 1 2-2 4, Tyler Anderson 0 0-0 0, Ty Eklund 0 0-0 0, Devon Cornish 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 14-15 44.

Ballard 9 14 13 19 — 55

Webster City 10 12 11 11 — 44

3-point field goals — BAL 4 (Winterboer 3, Ihle); WC 2 (McKinney, Moen). Rebounds — WC 23 (Shannon 7, Moen 7). Steals — WC 2. Assists — WC 8 (Shannon 3). Team fouls — BAL 17, WC 18. Fouled out — WC: Tanner.

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