Feeding the hot hand works well for boys in district win

Nodaway Valley/O-M boys basketball cleared its first hurdle of the district tournament Monday, Feb. 13, defeating Interstate 35 at home.

The Wolverines were gradual to start but ended up with a convincing 70-40 win over the Roadrunners in the Class 2A, District 7 opening round.

“I knew, with the way they’ve played all year, they keep things close in the first half. They’re a really scrappy team. That’s what they did,” NV/O-M head coach Jeremy Blake said. “I think we got a little frustrated because we were wanting to have the big play and be up by whatever instead of chipping away. That was the message at halftime, to keep chipping away at it, keep going and it’ll be fine.”

The hosts led 17-8 after the first quarter. They were helped most on offense by two 3-pointers from senior Doug Berg and one from senior Jase Davidson.

The Roadrunners were able to be effective in driving to the basket in the second and stayed within arm’s reach. The Wolverines were in front 29-17 at halftime.

Nodaway Valley/O-M made its largest move in the third quarter, as it opened that frame on a 10-2 scoring run and closed it on a 9-2 run.

Blake said the players keeping their composure was most important as they kept chipping away. They also were best when they were feeding the hot hand. In the first half, it was Doug Berg.

“We came out really strong knocking some shots down, but they made a run back at us. In that third quarter, we came out and buried them, and that was the game,” Berg said. “In the third quarter we were penetrating well and finding the open guys. If the open guy wasn’t there but the drive was there we were doing that and making the layups.”

Berg ultimately finished with 19 points to lead a balanced night, in which junior guard Dawson Nelson scored 18 and senior guard Boston DeVault scored 14, including 12 after halftime.

“Doug has been told the last few days — first it started with his teammates and then it came from me — that if he’s driving, go score. He wants to pass it, which is great too, but him being able to rip and go, then go finish at the rim, was a big deal for us tonight,” Blake said. “Teams are taking Boston out, so it’s good that he trusts his teammates to do what we need to do on both ends of the floor. You can get frustrated when you’re that player, but I thought Boston handled that really well.”

Interstate 35 was led by Brendan Goering, who scored 14. The Roadrunners finished their season 4-18 overall.

Nodaway Valley/O-M improved to 14-8 on the season and anticipated a meeting with 15-6 Van Meter 7 p.m. Thursday on the road, weather permitting.

“I was proud of our guys. I never felt comfortable until the second half, but once we got everything going and we were clicking on all cylinders I felt like good things were going our way,” Blake said.

In the midst of a tough schedule, the Bulldogs have won only two of their last five games, however Blake said they’re a good program and on the road in the playoffs, they will be a good challenge for his Wolverines.

Seniors Aydn Netten (10.5 points per game) and Carter Durflinger (10.0 points per game) currently lead Van Meter in scoring.

DeVault leads Nodaway Valley/O-M with 19.8 points per game. Nelson averages 18 and senior Avery Phillippi 12.2.

“I’ve been so focused on this game, but everybody knows Van Meter. They were here tonight and they’ll have their guys prepared,” Blake said. “I’ve seen a little bit on film in prepping for other teams. They’re physical and are always a tough team. I’ve had the privilege of watching them many times in Atlantic’s gym when I was an assistant there. I don’t think the style they play with is ever going to change. It’ll be a good test for us. If we take care of us and do what we do, we’ll go from there.”