No. 7 IKM-Manning ousts Nodaway Valley in substate final

ATLANTIC — Unranked Nodaway Valley, runner-up of the Pride of Iowa Conference, which survived the gauntlet of Class 1A District 13, nearly pulled off the big upset here Saturday in the Class 1A Substate 7 final.

Instead, IKM-Manning denied the Wolverines their seventh trip to the Boys State Basketball Tournament in 12 years.

The seventh-ranked Wolves defeated Nodaway Valley 65-60 after trailing at the end of each of the first three quarters.

"We're really proud of them. We planned on winning this ballgame, so they're hurting in there," Nodaway Valley head coach Darrell Burmeister said. "This is my 32nd year. I don't know if a team could have gone any further than what these guys did. They almost did it. They almost pulled off the big one. If they would have been to Des Moines, that would have been one heck of a ride for these boys."

Nodaway Valley took a 52-50 lead with 3:14 left in the game after Nate Venteicher canned a long 3-pointer and Ryan Jensen made two free throws.

But that was the last lead the Wolverines held, as Jared Johnson hit a big 3-pointer for the Wolves and Jared Vollstedt made 8 of 9 free throws in the final 2:14 of the game to hold off Nodaway Valley.

"I think Jared Johnson's three, I don't know what the score was, he was wide open and stepped into it with confidence and put it in the basket. That was big," said IKM-Manning head coach Keith Wagner. "And then we got Jared (Vollstedt) to the free throw line and he did a great job there, too."

Jackson Lamb, the leading overall scorer in the state, hit a deep 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining to cut the lead to 56-55 and after Ben Wegner scored the last of his game-high 27 points, the Wolverines trailed 58-55.

But Nodaway Valley turned the ball over with 1:24 left, with IKM-Manning getting a timeout during the loose ball scramble. The Wolves melted 33 seconds off the clock before Nodaway Valley fouled and Vollstedt made both free throws to make it a 60-55 game.

Lamb hit another 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining to make the score 60-58, but Vollstedt's steady march to the free throw line held Nodaway Valley in check.

Wegner scored eight points in the post during the fourth quarter. With Nodaway Valley locking down on leading scorers Kyle Wagner (23.4 points per game) and Vollstedt (11.4 points per game), Wegner was able to take advantage in the post.

"IKM-Manning got the ball inside that fourth quarter," Burmeister said. "He had 27 points. We weren't expecting that from him tonight."

Wagner was held to just nine points for the game, and only two in the second half. Beau Weinheimer chased him all over the court, with Lamb guarding him at times. Vollstedt finished with 12 points, but eight of those points came from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.

Outside shooting

It became apparent early on it was going to be a battle of two different styles.

Nodaway Valley struggled to get good looks inside on a taller and longer IKM-Manning team, but found success in its long-range shooting. Meanwhile, IKM-Manning pounded the ball inside.

Nine of Nodaway Valley's 11 first-half baskets were 3-pointers.

Jackson Lamb made two 3-pointers in the first quarter, while Weinheimer and Nate Venteicher each added one.

Spencer Lamb took advantage of the increased attention paid to his older brother Jackson in the second quarter, burying four 3-pointers in the quarter. Dallas Kreager hit a late 3-pointer to give Nodaway Valley a 31-28 lead at halftime.

"We made 13 threes tonight and they made four," Burmeister said. "We made six twos from the field and they made 21 twos. They made 30 more points inside on the paint. We tried to do it with our 3-point shooting. Spencer Lamb did a nice job coming in. He's really cool for a freshman."

For the game, Nodaway Valley shot 13-of-39 from behind the arc, but shot just 6-26 (23.0 percent) from inside the 3-point arc.

"They're physical, they're tough. It's hard to get shots off when you give up 6 to 7 inches," Burmeister said about his post players Sam Marnin and Jensen.

Both Marnin, who was saddled with four fouls, and Jensen finished with six points apiece. Jackson Lamb led the Wolverines with 20 points, while Spencer Lamb finished with 12 and Venteicher scored 10 before fouling out.

Nodaway Valley bowed out at 18-7 for the season, while IKM-Manning improved to 22-2. The Wolves are the 5-seed in next week's Boys State Basketball Tournament and open against West Hancock, Britt.

Burmeister commended his team for a display of sportsmanship following the game. The Wolverines stayed on the court after the loss to watch the banner ceremony for IKM-Manning, something Burmeister said he's never seen before.

"Our guys are just class. I told them, I've never seen a losing team stand around for the presentation of the banner," Burmeister said. "That's awesome. I've been watching a few substate games in my life, I don't know that I've ever seen that in my life. They just wanted to stay out there and enjoy their moment. That's very unusual in sports."

Seniors playing in their final game for Nodaway Valley were Jackson Lamb, Venteicher, Noah Cooper, Jensen and Marnin.

IKM-MANNING (65) — Ben Wegner 13 1-2 27, Jared Vollstedt 2 8-9 12, Jon Brandt 4 0-0 10, Kyle Wagner 4 0-0 9, Jared Johnson 1 2-2 5, Ridge Muhlbauer 1 0-0 2. Totals — 25 11-13 65. 3-point goals — 4-16 (Brandt 2, Johnson 1, Wagner 1). FG shooting — 25-63 (39.7 percent). Rebounds — 43 (Wegner 12, Vollstedt 10, Austin Dahlgren 7, Wagner 7). Assists — Vollstedt 6, Muhlbauer 4, Brandt 4. Steals — Vollstedt 1, Johnson 1, Muhlbauer 1, Wagner 1. Turnovers — 7. Team fouls — 13. Fouled out — None.

NODAWAY VALLEY (60) — Jackson Lamb 7 2-2 20, Spencer Lamb 4 0-0 12, Nate Venteicher 3 1-3 10, Ryan Jensen 2 2-2 6, Sam Marnin 1 4-6 6, Beau Weinheimer 1 0-0 3, Dallas Kreager 1 0-0 3. Totals — 19 9-13 60. 3-point goals — 13-33 (J. Lamb 4, S. Lamb 4, Venteicher 3, Weinheimer 1, Kreager 1). FG shooting — 19-59 (32.2 percent). Rebounds — 29 (Marnin 10, J. Lamb 9, Jensen 6, Venteicher 4). Assists — 10 (J. Lamb 4, Venteicher 2, Kreager 2). Steals — 3 (Jensen 2, J. Lamb 1). Blocked shots — 2 (Venteicher 2). Turnovers — 4. Team fouls — 17. Fouled out — Venteicher.

IKM — 11 28 42 65

NV — 16 31 44 60