Falcons keep the pace, sprint by Spartans

PARKERSBURG – After eight minutes on Friday, Aplington-Parkersburg and Grundy Center were neck and neck in a high-speed boys basketball showdown between two teams filled with talented athletes.

For now, the Falcons are just built to sustain that pace better, and a lopsided second quarter sent A-P on its way in a 79-57 triumph at A-P High School.

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The Falcons (2-0) had four in double figures, led by Jayden Mackie and Gavin Thomas scoring 21 points each. Garrett Hempen added 18 points and three assists and Christian Haugstad contributed 11 points and team-high marks with eight rebounds and five blocks.

Dexter Whitehill dribbled down A-P’s sideline and launched a three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to even the teams at 19-19 in the early going.

The Falcons leveraged a 20-8 second quarter advantage, though, and the Spartans weren’t able to dig out of that deficit.

“I don’t think they had anyone quite the size of Haugstad,” Hempen said. “So we’d get it down to him in the post and if he got doubled he could kick it out to one of us shooters and we got on a little bit of a run there.”

At 6-foot-6, Grundy Center freshman Jalen Kirkpatrick is the closest to Haugstad’s 6-foot-7 frame, but the experienced big man held his own and helped the Falcons limit Grundy Center’s second-chance opportunities, particularly in the second half when the Spartans were trying to keep up.

“We got better as the game went,” Thomas said. “Executing a little better on offense and defensively really solid throughout. … They made some tough shots, sometimes that happens, but over the course of the game no matter which guy came in, I thought they all played well and played together, and if we can keep doing that, we’ll be in every game we play.”

Brayden Sawyer led a trio of Spartans in double figures with 15 points, followed by Kirkpatrick with 14 and Whitehill with 13. Patrick Brown III was the Spartans’ leading rebounder with seven boards. The Spartans were playing without starter Dayne Zinkula as Grundy works toward getting fully healthy from a long football season.

“We ran our offense really well in the first quarter, competing on every play,” Grundy Center head coach Troy Ersland said. “And then I thought we were scoreboard watching a little bit too much in those second and third quarters. We’re down and now we’re letting that affect our play on the other end. We miss the shot, we let that affect us.”

A-P didn’t open themselves up to any self-inflicted wounds, either, shooting 55 percent from the floor, including 7-of-16 from 3-point range and 16-of-21 from the free-throw line, and only turning the ball over six times.

“We just wanted to keep them in front of us, and then we gave them too many open looks,” Ersland said. “That was one of the things I challenged our guys on in the third quarter - ‘what do you expect [Gavin] Thomas to do when you’re leaving him wide open in the corner?’”

Both communities were supportive and helped nearly fill the gym for Friday’s varsity doubleheader.

“A-P’s always had a great atmosphere,” Hempen said. “They’re always at away games too, and it just gets us pumped up to win these games.”

The Falcons get a taste of NICL Central action against Waterloo Columbus at home on Tuesday and then head east to Jesup on Friday.

A-P 79, Grundy Center 57

Scoring

GC: Brayden Sawyer 15, Jalen Kirkpatrick 14, Dexter Whitehill 13, Patrick Brown III 6, Cole Lehr 4, Ben Wegmann 3, Bryce Greiner 2, Ashton Martens 0.

A-P: Jayden Mackie 21, Gavin Thomas 21, Garrett Hempen 18, Christian Haugstad 11, Cooper Hoff 5, Will Steege 2, Joe Johnson 1, Kale Riherd 0, Adam Schipper 0, Nick Neuroth 0, Aidan Junker 0, Kael Schoneman 0, Sam Livingood 0, Jack Eddy 0.