'Healed' Timm helps Mount Vernon to 1st hoops title game since 1973

DES MOINES -- Jake Timm wasn't afraid to lift his jersey top Thursday afternoon and show you the scars below and around his belly button. They're tiny, especially compared to the ultimate importance of his laparoscopic appendectomy.

It's weird to say, but the Mount Vernon point guard's midseason emergency surgery turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to his basketball team.

"It was a blessing in disguise," Timm said after his 27 points lifted the Mustangs to a 66-49 win over MFL/Mar-Mac in a Class 2A state tournament semifinal at Wells Fargo Arena.

During his three-week convalescence, Mount Vernon (22-4) suffered three of its four losses but toughened up collectively and got a chance to learn a lot of things about itself. This is a group that's playing at a very high level going into Friday night's 8:05 title game against Fort Dodge St. Edmond (20-6).

Mount Vernon won it all in 1973, the last time it advanced to the finals.

"The rest of our team got to step up and say 'OK, Jake's not here,'" Timm said. "Everybody got sent to play different (positions). So when I did come back, we were that much better on offense and defense."

They were really, really good offensively and defensively in disposing of 2A's top seed. MV shot it well (54.5 percent), made sure MFL/Mar-Mac didn't, and took extreme care of the basketball (four turnovers).

The three-headed backcourt monster of Timm, Jack Keleher and Micah Russell combined for 54 points, 10 assists and eight steals. Timm was the catalyst, penetrating for baskets and fouls, or finding open teammates.

"We had trouble containing their drive," said MFL/Mar-Mac Coach Eric Dettbarn, whose club is kicked to an 11:45 a.m. consolation game Friday against Clarinda. "I thought the Timm kid did a heck of a job. He was able to get to the hoop continuously. Going into the ballgame, we wanted to keep him out of the lane, and we weren't able to do that real well."

"He's a great player," said MV Coach Ed Timm, Jake's dad. "He has handled the father-son thing better than I have at times ... It was (initially) difficult to define the roles. It's one thing when you have a bad day at practice, and you go home and complain to mom and dad. Now all of a sudden, the guy you're complaining about is sitting right across the dinner table from you. Mom has to kind of be Solomon."

MFL/Mar-Mac (24-2) came into the game averaging just shy of 71 points, tops in the 2A tourney field, but never got into any kind of offensive rhythm. The Bulldogs didn't even notch their first 3-pointer until late reserve time.

"We haven't had trouble scoring all year. Today we did," said center Brandon Hertrampf, who had a team-high 14 points and seven boards. "We played the best defensive team in the state, probably."

Considering it starts four guys under 6-foot-1, Mount Vernon knows it has to 'D' it up and be fundamentally sound in every area to succeed.

"We can't go out and have 20 turnovers in a game," Jake Timm said. "Being as small as we are, we have to play as well as we do to get where we are."

Where they are is the state championship game.

Here is a copy of the game boxscore and play by play:

Mount Vernon vs MFL, Mar-Mac (03!08!12 at IOWA BOYS STATE Tournament-2A Semifinal)