A-P boys bouncing back from Wapsie upset

Aaron Thomas figures Aplington-Parkersburg boys basketball is bound to have at least one game a year where it feels like nothing goes the Falcons’ way.

A-P’s head coach hopes last Friday’s loss to Wapsie Valley is the one.

The unranked Warriors conquered the top-ranked Falcons in overtime, 62-55, for A-P’s first loss to an Iowa team this season.

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Garrett Hempen led the Falcons with 17 points; Jayden Mackie added 13 points and Cooper Hoff came off the bench with 12 points. Christian Haugstad scored six points with 10 rebounds. Mackie crossed the 1,000-point threshold for his career.

Wapsie Valley's Gunner Meyer led all scorers with 20 points and added 15 rebounds. The Warriors outrebounded A-P 41-35, including 13 offensive rebounds; A-P committed just seven turnovers but shot 27 percent from the floor.

“We did not shoot the ball well, but with that said we had a chance to win in regulation,” Thomas said. “This was also the first time we got in major foul trouble, and we had to adjust defensively, had to go to a zone because of their size when they’re 6-6, 6-7, 6-4.”

Trailing 32-24 at halftime, the Warriors held A-P to just 13 second-half points to force overtime. The 55 points scored by A-P is its fewest of the season.

“It’s something we’ll learn from,” Thomas said. “It was a postseason-type atmosphere, and to shoot it that poorly and still have a chance to win, we’ll learn from it.”

A-P dropped to fourth in Class 2A in the latest rankings from Prep Hoops Iowa. The Falcons have since bounced back with road wins at Union and Hudson to improve to 15-2 ahead of Friday’s matchup at Dike-New Hartford.

At La Porte City, A-P vanquished the Knights, 77-48. Hempen led the way with 17 points and added six assists. Mackie contributed 15 points and Haugstad had nine points and eight rebounds.

The Falcons led 45-20 at halftime.

“We really came out and defended,” Thomas said. “Still didn’t shoot great, but defensive intensity was good and we didn’t turn it over, didn’t give up offensive rebounds since they were getting back worried about our transition. But I liked our intensity.”

Tuesday’s win at Hudson was a much better all-around performance in Thomas’ measure, an 86-41 win that featured a 29-9 start to the game.

Hempen was one of four Falcons in double figures with 19 points and added seven rebounds. Mackie had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists; Gavin Thomas had 16 points and Christian Haugstad scored 14 points with seven rebounds.

The Falcons finished shooting 62 percent from the floor, 45 percent (9-20) from 3-point range, and committed just nine turnovers.

“That’s the best we’ve played in a while,” Owen Thomas said. “We were hitting on all cylinders and it all started with our defensive intensity because the first time around, we struggled to contain them, and coach [Sean] Leonard does such a good job with those guys and he even told me at halftime, ‘Man, you guys have really improved defensively from Christmas.’

You worry about a back-to-back but our guys had a little pep in their step and it’s a shot in the arm for us getting ready for a tough, physical D-NH team.”

The Falcons beat D-NH 82-55 on Jan. 7 in Parkersburg.

“We always give each other our best shot,” Thomas said. “We know it’ll be a raucous atmosphere, and if they knock us off that’ll be good for them because going into the postseason there’s a good chance we’ll see each other again. We just have to do what we do, play to our best abilities and try not to get caught up in the rivalry.”

A-P 62, WV 55 (OT). A-P scoring: Garrett Hempen 17, Jayden Mackie 13, Cooper Hoff 12, Christian Haugstad 6, Gavin Thomas 5, Kael Schoneman 2, Kale Riherd 0, Nick Neuroth 0, Joe Johnson 0.

A-P 77, Union 48. A-P scoring: Garrett Hempen 17, Jayden Mackie 15, Gavin Thomas 9, Christian Haugstad 9, Cooper Hoff 9, Kaden Huttinger 4, Kale Riherd 3, Nick Neuroth 3, Will Steege 3, Kael Schoneman 3, Adam Schipper 2, Tate Neymeyer 0, Aidan Junker 0, Devin Davis 0, Jack Eddy 0, Joe Johnson 0, Caleb Merryweather 0.

A-P 86, Hudson 41. A-P scoring: Garrett Hempen 19, Jayden Mackie 17, Gavin Thomas 16, Christian Haugstad 14, Nick Neuroth 6, Cooper Hoff 3, Kael Schoneman 3, Kale Riherd 2, Kaden Huttinger 2, Jack Eddy 2, Joe Johnson 2, Adam Schipper 0, Tate Neymeyer 0, Will Steege 0, Aidan Junker 0, Ely Good 0, Devin Davis 0, Caleb Merryweather 0.

MACKIE SCORES 1,000TH POINT: Aplington-Parkersburg senior Jayden Mackie scored his 1,000th career point in A-P boys basketball’s overtime loss at Wapsie Valley on Friday.

Mackie, an Upper Iowa recruit, is the third A-P player in school history to reach the milestone, following 2019 grad Carter Cuvelier and A-P’s all-time leading scorer, and current boys head coach, Aaron Thomas.

And that’s all in basically three seasons of basketball - Mackie scored 14 points as a freshman, then 316 as a sophomore and 345 as a junior. He’s averaging 22.3 points per game for the Falcons this year.

“He can score with the absolute best of them,” Thomas said.

Mackie has admitted that growing up he was more into soccer, but was urged to pursue basketball and by middle school was starting to build his game in the driveway and open gyms. Last year, he helped lead the Falcons to the state semifinals in Des Moines and was named to the all-tournament team, as well as earning a spot on the first team of the 2A all-state team.

“His pull-up game is really good in the open floor and he’s just a kid that lives in the gym,” Thomas said. “He puts in all kinds of time and hours, shoots on his own, comes in and works and you can tell he’s made himself a really, really good offensive basketball player.”

Mackie appreciates the faith his teammates have in him to score, noting that the faith is mutual on a team that averages 19 assists per game.

“It’s hard to score 1,000 points without teammates that will give you the ball,” Mackie said, “and we’re just a really unselfish team.”