Email: "“Devastating” third quarter seals STC boys’ fate 84-67"
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TAMA NEWS-HERALD - South Tama head coach John Courier summed things up succinctly after the loss to non-conference foe Vinton-Shellsburg December 22.

“The third quarter just killed us. It was devastating,” according to Courier. The boys were ahead after two quarters, 39-34, and played the fourth quarter nearly even at 16-17. But the Trojans were stunned by a Viking 33-point barrage and could answer with only twelve points of their own in the crucial and decisive third quarter.

The game started out well for the Trojans. Thirty seconds into the first quarter, Brody Hala was fouled while shooting, making the first of two, to get South Tama on the board.

After Vinton scored, Hala got a basket at 6:44 to put the Trojans up, 3-2. Over the next three minutes, South Tama would build up a 14-4 lead behind the scoring of Chalen Shuckahosee and Brandon Horbach.

With 3:15 to go, Vinton got back on the board to cut the lead to 14-6. By 1:37, Nick Clancy, Horbach and Dustin Dolash would get South Tama to its biggest lead of the game, 14 points, at 22-8.

The final minute and a half of the quarter was all Vinton. The Vikings would outscore the Trojans 8-0, but the Trojans were in the lead after one, 22-16.

Dolash opened the scoring in the second quarter to put STC up, 24-16. The Vikings answered eleven seconds later with a basket of their own. With 6:25 to go, Hala scored and was fouled, making the free throw, to build the lead to eight, 27-19.

M. J. Demarce extended the lead to ten with a bucket, but Jake Dyson nailed a three for Vinton with 5:15 to go, making it 29-22.

Vinton’s Logan Williams would go to the line twice in the next 44 seconds, making all four free throws, before Bo Axler would swish a three at the 3:10 mark to keep the Trojans up, 32-26.

After a Viking score, Axler would score again with 2:47 left. Vinton would draw closer with two field goals of their own, both coming off solid offensive rebounding by the the Vikings. At 1:29, it was 34-32.

After getting fouled, Clancy made the first to put STC up by three. Vinton answered to make it 35-34.

South Tama got a save on the scramble for a rebound when Demarce bounced the ball off an opponent’s leg near the out-of-bounds line. Time out, Trojans.

When the game resumed, Hala scored and put South Tama up, 37-34. Dolash scored with 17 seconds to go, and a last second shot by Vinton was no good. South Tama led at the half, 39-34.

“We proved we can play at a higher level,” commented Carrier about the first half of play by the Trojans. But the third quarter would prove to be the downfall of the Trojans, as the Viking shooting would catch fire and the Trojans had trouble getting the lid off the basket.

One minute into the third quarter, Vinton scored twice and it was all knotted up, 39-39. Blake Nelson scored at 6:51, but 20 seconds later Grant Witmer would be fouled and make both to tie things up again, 41-41.

South Tama’s final lead of the game came with 6:24 to go when Horbach scored to put the Trojans ahead, 43-41. Sixteen seconds later, Carson Struve hit a three to put Vinton up, 43-44.

The scoring onslaught was on. Over the next two-and-a-half minutes, Vinton would score 11 more unanswered points, going up 43-56.

Demarce’s three-pointer ended the Trojan drought and cut the lead to ten, 46-56. The teams traded baskets before Vinton would go on another run, this time 9-0, to go up, 48-67,

Hala scored and Horbach sank a free throw in the final minute of play, but after three, South Tama was now down by 16, 51-67.

“We tried changing defenses,” explained Courier, “going to a 1-3-1. We couldn’t do man (man-to-man) well.” Even though the damage was done, the Trojans did not give up, playing the Vikings nearly even the rest of the way.

The fourth quarter settled down scoring-wise, with Vinton getting a bucket at 7:15. Hala answered thirteen seconds later with a trey. After Vinton scored the next six points, Demarce drew a foul and went to the line for two, sinking both. At 4:12, South Tama trailed, 56-75.

Williams scored for Vinton with 3:30 to go, but Dolash launched a three to cut the lead to 59-77.

The Vikings scored and the Trojans scored twice, making it 63-81 with 2:06 to go. At the two minute mark, the Trojans cleared the bench and Vinton followed suit a few seconds later.

A Viking free throw and a pair of free throws by Dustin Kalinay made the final score 67-84 in favor of Vinton-Shellsburg.

A somewhat demure Courier analyzed his team’s play heading into the Christmas break. “We showed everybody we struggle with consistency. Some teams struggle with consistency from game to game. We struggle from minute to minute.”

After admitting to challenging his players in the locker room after the game, Courier remained positive going into the rest of the season. “We need to stay the course. We can’t get mad, can’t snipe, can’t throw blame. We just got to keep going!”

For the Trojans, Hala scored 15 points followed by Horbach with 13. Completing the totals for South Tama were Dolash (10), Demarce (9), Shuckahosee (6), Axler (5), Clancy (5), Kalinay (2) and Nelson (2).

South Tama shot 58% (15 for 26) from the line, Vinton 71% (25 for 35). The Trojans were called 28 times for fouls, the Vikings 16.

The loss puts South Tama’s record at 1-7. The Trojans will next travel to Grinnell January 8.

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