Grand View Christian just too good for North Linn to overcome this time

DES MOINES — No miracle finish this time. So it’s second place for the North Linn Lynx.

Which is never a bad season.

Grand View Christian, its super tall front line and super quick point guard, was simply too much Friday afternoon in the Class 1A boys’ state basketball tournament championship game.

The top-ranked Thunder completed a perfect season with a 63-46 win over North Linn in the rubber match of their title-game troika against each other. Grand View won the 2018 championship game by three points, North Linn last year’s by four.

“That’s a buzzsaw team,” said North Linn’s Tate Haughenbury. “It just sucks, you know? We put it together for four years with these small-town kids. Going up against those guys, there’s not much you can do about it. Sometimes you’re just outmatched.”

North Linn (26-1) got to this game with an unreal comeback in Wednesday night’s semifinals against Remsen St. Mary’s, rallying from a 16-point hole in the fourth quarter. That just wasn’t possible in this case.

Grand View (27-0) built a big lead in the second half, then gave Josh Sanderson the ball to dribble around the perimeter until late in the shot clock. He’d then create for himself or a teammate.

Sanderson, who had 41 points in GVC’s semifinal win over West Harrison, had 18 points here and was named the 1A tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

“So many great memories with this team, the comebacks that we pulled off. We honestly shouldn’t even have been here after that Remsen game,” said North Linn’s Ben Wheatley. “We were really fortunate to get another chance at it.”

Sanderson’s point total in this game was matched by teammate Noah John, who went to the basket repeatedly and successfully. John is 6-foot-5, starting forward Emiliano Barrantes 6-9 and center Daniel Tobiloba (a Kennesaw State recruit) 7-foot.

They were too much on the interior offensively and defensively, helping their team rack up a decisive rebound advantage of 41-25.

“I thought John was great for them,” said North Linn Coach Mike Hilmer, who is one win shy of 500 for his career. “Not only did he make the play, but he was smart enough to always go to the right area.”

North Linn took a 21-17 lead after the first quarter, thanks in large part to 11 points from Wheatley, including three 3-pointers. GVC guarded him tightly from there on out and held him to two additional points.

Grand View used a slew of interior points in the second quarter to take a 32-24 lead, with North Linn responding for the final six points of the half to go into the break down by only two. The Thunder built their lead back up in the third quarter, and it was pretty much over.

“I think it was just a matter of time,” said Haughenbury, who led North Linn with 14 points, repeatedly trying to attack Tobiloba inside. “We played them tough, as best we could for a half. They haven’t had much pressure like that at all this season, haven’t had many close games. For us to play with them for a half was pretty impressive. It was just a matter of time before they’d beat us inside. We were just outmatched in there.”

Tobiloba had eight points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Haughenbury, North Linn’s Mason Bechen, West Harrison’s Sage Evans and Collin Homan of Remsen St. Mary’s

“We’ll definitely learn from this experience,” said Bechen, one of three underclassmen in North Linn’s starting lineup.

⧉ Related article: Photos: North Linn Lynx fall to Grand View Christian in Class 1A boys’ state basketball title game, 63-46

The Lynx lost three starters and a key reserve from last year’s championship team, yet somehow found their way back to state for the seventh year and a row and a title game for a record sixth straight year. Reload, not rebuild with this program.

“It’s a whole different team every year,” Hilmer said. “Yes, you have tradition. But you don’t have the same team going out there on the court. I don’t think our kids feel pressure. We just go out there and try to have fun and do the best we can. To be honest, our goal is to reach your potential, whatever that is, and I would say this group definitely did that this year.”

AT DES MOINES

NORTH LINN (46): Ty Pflughaupt 0-5 0-0 0, Tate Haughenbury 5-19 4-8 14, Ben Wheatley 5-9 0-0 13, Breckyn Betenbender 3-6 0-0 7, Mason Bechen 2-6 0-0 5, Cole Griffith 0-0 0-0 0, Drew Ries 2-3 0-0 5, Jake Van Etten 0-0 0-2 0, Grant Rechkemmer 1-1 0-0 2, Cael Benesch 0-0 0-0 0, Hayden Schmidt 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-49 4-10 46.

GRAND VIEW CHRISTIAN (63): Emiliano Barrantes 4-6 0-2 8, Noah John 8-16 2-2 18, Daniel Tobiloba 4-6 0-2 8, Frankie Chiodo 4-12 0-2 9, Josh Sanderson 7-16 1-1 18, Brayden Toben 1-1 0-0 2, Logan Witzenburg 0-0 0-0 0, Malachi Seyler 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas Childs 0-0 0-0 0, Tate Moulton 0-0 0-0 0, Eli Fincham 0-0 0-0 0, Isaiah Parlee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-57 3-9 63.

Halftime - Grand View Christian 32, North Linn 30. 3-point goals - North Linn 6-14 (Wheatley 3-4, Betenbender 1-3, Bechen 1-1, Pflughaupt 0-1, Haughenbury 0-3, Ries 1-2), Grand View Christian 4-15 (Chiodo 1-7, Sanderson 3-6, John 0-2). Rebounds - North Linn 25 (Haughenbury 10), Grand View Christian 41 (Tobiloba 15). Total fouls - North Linn 13, Grand View Christian 15. Fouled out - None. Assists - North Linn 6 (Haughenbury 3), Grand View Christian 7 (Sanderson 3). Turnovers - North Linn 5, Grand View Christian 6.

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