GOTHENBURG — Hustle plays. Basketball IQ. Quickness. Intuition.
Ogallala has it all and more. The Class C-1 No. 2 Indians (26-0) showcased as much Monday night.
“They’re pretty good. There’s a reason they’re 26-0,” Adams Central head coach Zac Foster said.
The class’s only unbeaten team clinched its fifth trip to the state tournament in six seasons with a 66-30 win over Adams Central in the C1-2 district final held at neutral site Gothenburg.
The Indians posted four scorers — three starters — in double figures and added more weight behind their brand of ball played out west, where residing teams often catch flak for soft scheduling with many repeat opponents.
Freshman Sawyer Smith led all scorers with 17 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Junior Harrison Caskey had 14 points and eight boards, and both senior Jeron Gager and junior Caden Rezac added 11 points.
“They don’t have many weaknesses,” Foster said.
Smith missed only two shots on the night, finishing 7-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. He scored 13 in the second half, where the Indians outscored AC 35-15.
Ironically, the second half seemed to be where the underdog Patriots could make a run after surviving Ogallala’s initial onslaught.
Dylan Janzen’s 3-pointer to kick off the third quarter was a promising beginning, cutting the halftime lead to 13.
Then AC went close to seven full minutes without a basket, missing eight straight from the floor while the Indians poured in a 14-0 run.
“We’ve just got to shoot the ball better,” said Foster, whose team finished 4-of-27 from downtown.
“For us to win a game like this, we’re probably going to have to make eight, nine, 10 3-pointers and we just didn’t shoot at a decent clip.”
Ogallala had nine 3s on the night. Smith, Gager, Rezac and Ian Shaw hit two apiece. The rest of the Indians’ offense was largely generated on offensive rebounds (14) and in transition via an active defense.
One sequence in the third quarter was a perfect example of Ogallala’s style and night as a whole.
Race McClure blocked a driving attempt by AC’s Tate McIntyre, Gager scooped up the board on the run and dished to a settled Shaw in the right corner.
Bang. His 3-pointer further ignited an already buzzing gym, which was skewed in favor of the Indians. The lead reached 25 points on that shot and all but sealed the Patriots’ fate.
“They just have too many weapons,” said Foster.
Rezac keyed a hot Ogallala start with nine points in the first quarter. He hit two 3s and cashed in three free throws after being fouled beyond the arc.
Decker Shestak was the closest match Adams Central had offensively, as it collectively opened the game 2-for-10. Shestak, who scored a team-high 12 points, made his first four shots, including the team’s first 3-pointer.
Janzen and Grant Trausch followed with six points apiece. Jayden Teichmeier, Sam Dierks and Abram Johnson chipped in two points each.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Foster said. “We did so many things well. Our kids didn’t back down and kept competing, but Ogallala is a good basketball team and has a good chance to win it all.”
The Indians were runners-up to Auburn in 2020, the same year they beat Adams Central in the semifinals after throwing a junk defense at the Patriots.
Foster said he considered returning the favor on Monday night.
But there was no slowing down the Indians.
“They know who they are,” Foster said. “It’s why they’re as great as they are. They know who they are on offense and defense and they’re very good at it.”
Adams Central proved itself worthy of playing for a chance at a state title berth after fighting “more heartbreak than we’ve had probably in all of my 14 years,” Foster said.
All the Patriots could do was win to extend their season, which featured five losses by four points or less.
“If your locker room isn’t sound, your team unravels in those moments,” Foster said. “I thought we were tougher (through that).
“There’s no way we’re here if we don’t have the kids that we do, because it takes being unified and playing together.”
AC (12-12).................6 9 7 8 — 30
Ogallala (26-0)...17 14 18 17 — 66
Adams Central (30)
Sam Dierks 1-8 0-0 2, Jack Trausch 0-0 0-0 0, Decker Shestak 5-6 1-1 12, Dylan Janzen 1-8 3-6 6, Jayden Teichmeier 1-8 0-0 2, Grant Trausch 2-3 0-0 6, Hyatt Collins 0-0 0-0 0, Jack Sughroue 0-3 0-0 0, Tristan Propp 0-1 0-0 0, Tate McIntyre 0-4 0-0 0, Abram Johnson 0-1 2-2 2, Austin Vontz 0-1 0-0 0, Will Fago 0-1 0-0 0, Brodie Luksan 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 10-45 6-7 30.
Ogallala (66)
Sawyer Smith 7-9 1-2 17, Ian Shaw 3-5 0-0 8, Jeron Gager 3-10 3-4 11, Harrison Caskey 5-14 4-6 14, , Ryder Smith 1-4 0-0 3, Caden Rezac 2-5 5-5 11, Race McClure 0-3 0-0 0, Colton Knipsel 0-1 0-0 0, Caleb Castillo 0-0 0-0 0, Jackton Rezac 1-1 0-0 2, Luke Hiltibrand 0-1 0-0 0, Jayden Curtis 0-1 0-0 0, Eden Cain 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 22-54 13-17 66.
Three-point goals—AC 4-27 (Dierks 0-5, Shestak 1-2, Dylan Janzen 1-8, Jayden Teichmeier 0-3, Grant Trausch 2-2, Sughroue 0-3, Propp 0-1, McIntyre 0-1, Johnson 0-1, Vontz 0-1, Luksan 0-1); O 9-25 (S. Smith 2-2, Shaw 2-4, Gager 2-8, Caskey 0-1, R. Smith 1-4, C. Rezac 2-5, Hiltibrand 0-1). Rebounds—AC 25-5 (J. Trausch 5); O 44-14 (S. Smith 8-3, Caskey 8-4). Turnovers—AC 16; O 11.