A-P boys win outright Central title

DENVER – Possessions are sacred for Aplington-Parkersburg boys basketball.

By putting a priority on taking care of the ball, the Falcons took care of business on Tuesday night at Denver in a 67-55 comeback win that completed an undefeated run through the NICL Central.

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A-P trailed 34-28 at halftime, and Denver went up 38-31 in the early moments of the third quarter before A-P senior Jayden Mackie went on a personal 9-2 run to knot the game at 40-all with four-and-a-half minutes left in the third. From there, the teams exchanged the lead four times, but the Falcons went on a 15-0 run spanning from the last two minutes of the third to the four-minute mark of the fourth quarter to take the lead for good.

This was all done with only two turnovers in the second half, compared to seven Falcon turnovers in the first half.

“Mackie had a stretch there where he was really good,” A-P head coach Aaron Thomas said. “We got some stops and rebounds and were able to execute. … And taking care of the basketball is so important for us.”

Mackie finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 17 points in the second half. Christian Haugstad added 16 points and 12 rebounds and Garrett Hempen had 15 points. Denver was led by Mitchell DeVries with 19 points.

The first half was a showcase of what can make Denver a menacing foe, sinking six three-pointers and trailing only once in the first 16 minutes. DeVries had 12 points in the first half.

“Our intensity and attention to detail wasn’t very good in that first half,” Thomas said. “Denver is a very good team, and we were giving up drives, offensively we weren’t running our sets, just some mental errors, and didn’t have the intensity we needed to. Being down at halftime, hopefully in the end will be a positive for our guys. Our second half was much better.”

Denver closed within 61-55 with under 90 seconds remaining in the game, but couldn’t convert on two consecutive offensive trips as time slipped away from the Cyclones.

It was the first loss for Denver at the Cyclone Center this season - A-P is now one of five teams in 2A that has yet to lose at home this season, and improved to 18-2 overall. Denver finishes 6-2 in the Central, and is now 16-6 overall.

A-P finishes the regular season at home against Charles City on Friday. The postseason won’t start for the Falcons until next Thursday, Feb. 17, when they meet the winner of a first-round match with South Hamilton and Dike-New Hartford back in Parkersburg, with a special 6:30 p.m. start time for a District 7 semifinal doubleheader. Grundy Center will face either South Hardin or East Marshall in the nightcap scheduled for an approximate 8 p.m. start.

Between a recent matchup with Wapsie Valley and Tuesday’s showdown with the Cyclones though, the postseason feel has come early to the doorstep of the fourth-ranked Falcons.

“It’s just a matter of focus,” Thomas said. “We’ve got one more here against an athletic, talented Charles City team and then we’ve got to be ready for the postseason. We can’t come in flat or unfocused. The guys have bigger goals that they want to achieve, and that starts with preparation for that first tourney game.”

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PARKERSBURG – Aplington-Parkersburg honored its seniors in conjunction with the Falcon boys’ 70-40 win over Janesville on Feb. 7 at A-P High School.

That meant the common tradition of having a senior starting five, which this year included Elijah Switzer, who has missed this season with injury.

Switzer dropped in a bucket, one of 10 Falcons with at least two points on Monday as the Falcons were able to empty the bench on the strength of a 42-19 lead at halftime.

Jayden Mackie scored 21 points and Gavin Thomas had 20 points to lead the way for the Falcons. A-P was also able to limit Wiley Sherburne, Janesville’s leading scorer and new all-time career scoring leader, to 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

“Our defensive intensity was outstanding,” Aaron Thomas said. “We had the opportunity to get everyone to play in the fourth quarter, and it was great to get Elijah a bucket, and for our fans to show their appreciation for Elijah and our program. It was a special night for us.”

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DIKE – Christian Haugstad scored a career-high 26 points and Aplington-Parkersburg boys basketball completed the season sweep of nearby rivals Dike-New Hartford, 89-50, at D-NH High School on Friday, Feb. 4.

Haugstad, a senior, added 13 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. Jayden Mackie contributed 24 points, Garrett Hempen had 14 points with seven assists and five steals and Gavin Thomas poured in 12 points.

“I’ve been making shots in practice as we’ve been working on getting the ball back to the post to open up our outside game,” Haugstad said. “I had my way in there tonight.”

He put down 10 points in the second quarter, including a string of six in a row, as A-P cruised to a 44-27 halftime lead.

“We wanted to play fast because we knew that would favor us,” Haugstad said. “We’re in amazing condition and we knew that we could pressure them and force some turnovers.”

A 10-2 run to start the third quarter effectively put Friday’s game out of the Wolverines’ reach. A-P was a terror on defense, leading to 26 turnovers by D-NH and a 35-of-68 shooting performance by A-P.

“They’re so good at making runs and it was a matter of trying to control the ball,” D-NH head coach Greg Moore said. “Their pressure got us sped up again and forced turnovers. And the boards got away from us with Haugstad.”

Jacob Stockdale led the way with 12 points for the Wolverines and Benton Bixby scored nine off the bench.

“It’s just about effort throughout the entire game,” Moore said. “We won’t see the kind of pressure A-P puts on us from some of the other teams we play, so hopefully we can execute offensively.”

The Falcons’ confidence was knocked back a step after losing in overtime to Wapsie Valley the Friday previous, Haugstad said.

It knocked A-P from the top of the Prep Hoops Iowa rankings, the first loss to an Iowa team this season for the Falcons.

“It humbled us and made us realize that we aren’t the greatest thing in the world,” Haugstad added. “We’ve got to keep working harder and harder if we want to get to the best spot.”

A-P 67, Denver 55. A-P scoring: Jayden Mackie 22, Christian Haugstad 16, Garrett Hempen 15, Cooper Hoff 7, Gavin Thomas 5, Kale Riherd 2, Adam Schipper 0, Nick Neuroth 0, Aidan Junker 0, Kael Schoneman 0.

A-P 70, J’ville 40. A-P scoring: Jayden Mackie 21, Gavin Thomas 20, Garrett Hempen 8, Kael Schoneman 7, Christian Haugstad 3, Nick Neuroth 3, Kale Riherd 2, Elijah Switzer 2, Adam Schipper 2, Caleb Merryweather 2, Sam Livingood 0, Cooper Hoff 0, Kaden Huttinger 0, Will Steege 0, Aidan Junker 0, Ely Good 0, Jack Eddy 0, Joe Johnson 0.

A-P 89, D-NH 50. A-P scoring: Christian Haugstad 26, Jayden Mackie 24, Garrett Hempen 14, Gavin Thomas 12, Cooper Hoff 6, Kale Riherd 4, Kael Schoneman 3, Kaden Huttinger 0, Adam Schipper 0, Nick Neuroth 0, Will Steege 0, Aidan Junker 0, Ely Good 0, Jack Eddy 0, Joe Johnson 0, Caleb Merryweather 0. D-NH scoring: Jacob Stockdale 12, Benton Bixby 9, Nathan Graves 7, Braxten Johnson 5, Brewer Eiklenborg 5, Devon Kollasch 3, Gus Varney 3, Tanner Dewall 3, Jerek Hall 3, Colin Meester 0, Shayden Loger 0, Isaac Derifield 0, Caleb Paulsen 0.