Giant Communications and JBN Telephone Company Road to Glory, presented by Giant Mobile

A rematch of last year's third-place match between Axtell and Dighton was on the way tonight and it was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride with Axtell winning 57-51. Last season Axtell beat Dighton in the third place match 80-72, the win also snapped an eighteen-game winning streak for them and moved Axtell up to a twenty-one-game winning streak.

The first quarter started with a Dighton lead but was quickly snatched back by the Eagles with Brandon Schmelzle underneath the basket. There were five total lead changes in the first quarter, with both teams being deadlocked at 14-14 entering the second. Brandon Schmelzle finished the first with six points and Logan Sandmann added five points and three boards. It is Schmelzle and Sandmann’s game for the rest of the way for the Eagles. 

The Eagles would take the lead going into the half 30-27. Eagles finally hit from outside the perimeter with Landon Schmitz sinking one in the third and one also from Colin Shaughnessy. Axtell already had ten points off second-chance opportunities on the half, and they were just all over the paint side, dominating the Hornets. Schmelzle finished the first half with twelve points. 

The third quarter would be a small slouch for the Eagles as they were out-scored 9-2 in the first eleven points, but Axtell would outscore the Hornets 8-6 in the final fourteen of the quarter. Dighton would have the lead going into the fourth quarter 42-40. The star senior for Dighton, Daniel Cramer, had twenty-one points, five steals, and a couple of boards heading into the fourth. Axtell had three players with three fouls entering the fourth as well. 

Axtell would ignite the fire inside and find the spark they needed in the fourth, putting up their most points in a quarter in the game, out-scoring the Hornets in the fourth 17-9, Eagles punching their state ticket with a 57-51 victory. Eli Broxterman was silent at the half but got going in the second half with three points in the third and five points in the fourth. Daniel Cramer was held to two points in the fourth, it was a spectacular man-to-man performance by Schmelzle. 

Axtell would out-rebound their opponent 24-14 and would have another game with over thirty points scored inside the paint. The Eagles only hit three threes in the game.

Head Coach of the Axtell Eagles, Jayson Tynon, picked up career win 150 with the victory over the Hornets. 

Axtell will face the #1 seed and team in Kansas, Cunningham, at 6:15 PM tomorrow. The MSC Radio Network will provide live coverage on 92.1 KMZA

NAPA Auto Parts in Atchison/Sabetha Starting Line-up and Top Performers’ Stats

Logan Sandman: 11PTS, 7RBS

Brandon Schmelze: 15PTS, 7RBS

Eli Broxterman: 8PTS, 4RBS

Wyatt Detweiler: 2PTS, 1 RBS

Landon Schmitz: 10PTS, 1RBS

Colin Shaughnessy: 7PTS, 3RBS