LHS boys get buzzer beater win over Vermillion, defeat Western Christian
- Lennox Independent Staff
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Lennox High School boys’ basketball team earned back to back wins last week, defeating Western Christian, IA on Tuesday, Jan. 13 (61-48) and Vermillion on Thursday, Jan. 15, with a buzzer beater to win 60-58.
Against Western Christian, Lennox had three athletes in double figures with Tate Gerdes scoring 17 and both Aiden Hanssen and Teegan Musser scoring 14 points.
“The boys put forth their best defensive performance of the season against one of the best team in Class 2A in Iowa. We got stops on the defensive end, which led to easier buckets on the offensive end for us in the second half,” said LHS head coach Jacob Hinker. “Western Christian is a tough place to win at, and the boys never wavered in their composure and stayed steady from the opening tip until the final buzzer sounded.”
Cole Spieler provided five points and Eli Plank, Talen Eich, and Brennen Juffer each had three. Drake Mikkelsen finished with two. Leading gate team in rebounds were Gerdes and Musser who each pulled down five in the win. Spieler, Musser and Hanssen each had five assists in the game. Musser had three steals and Hanssen had two in the game.
Following the win over Western Christian, the Orioles hosted Vermillion and battled hard to the end. With the game tied in the final seconds, Hanssen stepped up and hit a shot at the buzzer to give the Orioles the win.
“The boys never blinked an eye in this game when they were down seven points late into the fourth quarter. They buckled in on the defensive end and got stops when they were needed and then we got much needed baskets on the offensive end,” said Hinker. “This was a great high school basketball game to be apart of and I’m glad that we came out on the winning end of it. What a great performance by both teams involved.”
Against Vermillion, Hanssen led the way with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in the game. He also had two assists and one steal. Gerdes finished with 17 points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal. Gerdes also scored his 1,000 career point in the game against the Tanagers.
Musser finished the night with 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Spieler had five points, two rebounds, and three assists. Both Plank and Mikkelsen finished with two points.
The Orioles will take on undefeated West Central on Thursday, Jan. 22 at West Central. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 24 the Orioles are set to compete in the Hanson Classic at the Mitchell Corn Palace. Games are slated to begin at 11 a.m. with Lennox taking on St. Thomas More at 6:30 p.m. The complete schedule is as follows: White River vs. Hanson 11 a.m.; Dakota Valley vs. Sioux Valley 12:30 p.m.; Lyman vs. Parkston 2 p.m.; Freeman vs. Wessington Springs 3:30 p.m.; Hamlin vs. Viborg-Hurley 5 p.m.; Lennox vs. St. Thomas More 6:30 p.m.; and West Central vs. Clark/Willow Lake 8 p.m. Game times are approximate.
Games will start 15 minutes following completion of previous game.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students which is good all day.