Payton Heinen

Every year the Twin Valley League tournament has great games and stories this year may have been one of the best stories in league history in the tournament as the seven seeded, Axtell Eagles won four games and captured the TVL tournament crown for the first time in school history after playing in the consolation games the previous year.

It was all-around team performance by the Eagles to capture the TVL crown, but junior, Payton Heinen shined for the Eagles anchoring the post as he has this season. Heinen filled the stat sheet throughout the four tournament games for the Eagles as he truly was a game changer on the floor for Axtell with his teammates.

Axtell opened up the tournament action taking down Blue Valley-Randolph 49-41, with Payton leading the way on the night with 18 points, his third highest point total in a game this season. While, Payton made a big offensive impact on the game it’s perhaps his other stats that truly showcase his impact on games. To go along with his 18 points he added 10 rebounds and eight blocks.

In the rubber match with B&B in the quarterfinals, Heinen posted 11 points to help push Axtell to a 39-33 win. Payton went on to add six rebounds, one assist, two steals and four blocks. Next up, was Centralia in the semifinals were it was Payton’s defense that made a big impact as he grabbed 15 rebounds, 14 of which were defensive boards and blocked six shots. He threw in six points, one steal and three assist to pad out his stat line, as his teammate senior, Aaron Schmelzle hit the game-winning three-pointer for Axtell.

In the championship game, Axtell took an early lead and never relinquished it taking down Valley Heights 60-57 to win the TVL tournament. Heinen again had a big presence in the game finishing with 12 points, hitting all four of his free throws, while adding four rebounds, one block and one assist.

Heinen finished the tournament with 47 points, shooting 67% from the floor (21-34 field goals) and 5-7 from the free throw line (71%). On top of his scoring he tallied 35 rebounds, 19 blocks, five assists and three steals. Payton on the season touts a stat line of 12.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.6 spg, 1.4 apg and 3.1 bpg on the season.

Payton has developed over his three years at Axtell into one of the top big men on the hardwood in the TVL and perhaps the biggest impact defensive player in the league with his presence inside the paint. The Eagles have nearly doubled their win total from last season with their 9-5 record this year and look to use the momentum from the tournament to propel them down the stretch of the season, with Heinen anchoring the post and helping support his teammates to continue their success.