Beckman beats Anamosa in overtime

DYERSVILLE - A district-final quality game in the first round? Absolutely.

Sometimes the event really does live up to the hype.

'You knew it would,” Dyersville Beckman Coach Dan Correy said, after his Blazers simply outlasted Anamosa, 70-67, in one beauty of a Class 2A overtime opener. 'You hate to see one team go out like that. Their team gave everything. We got fortunate and got a couple more breaks than they did and came out on top. I hate to see them lose first round, but being a little selfish, I'm glad it's them, and not us.”

Quite a way for Correy to get his 400th-career victory. Colton Willenborg hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:19 left in the extra period to put Beckman (14-8) ahead for what turned out to be for good.

The junior guard refused to let his team lose, scoring 24 points and making all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Anamosa (13-9) played a unique chasing defense much of the second half, guarding guard Colin Squiers man to man and playing zone with its other four players - one at the free-throw line and three down low.

That allowed Willenbring to get open for jump shots, and he responded by making most of them, including the biggest one.

'I was just able to get a lot of shots up there,” Willenbring said.

'I knew that last one was going in,” said Beckman center Sage Maiers. 'He's done it all year. I always have confidence in him to make a 3, and that's just what he did.”

The scoring heroics of Tyler Zumbach rallied Anamosa from an eight-point halftime deficit. The senior forward had 19 of his 24 points in the second half, including four straight to give his club a 53-49 lead halfway through the fourth quarter.

The Blue Raiders were 7 of 11 from 3-point land in the second half, including Gavin Timp's heroic shot with 12 seconds left to tie it at 61-61. Zumbach blocked Willenbring's jumper at the buzzer to send it to OT.

Timp had another long 3-point attempt at the overtime buzzer bank out.

'They were just knocking down some shots,” Willenbring said. 'They made a lot of 3s there. But we advance, and that's all that matters.”

A sixth seed, Beckman plays Clayton Ridge (18-3) in a 2A district semifinal Thursday night at Beckman. Third-ranked Monticello (19-2) and MFL/Mar-Mac (13-9) have the other game.

'We thought we played pretty good defensively in the first half,” said Anamosa Coach Kevin Barnes. 'We thought we just played too quick offensively. Beckman had something to do with that. We just thought if we could relax and knock down some shots, we'd be all right. Tyler came out red hot.”

These teams played in the rugged East Division of the Wamac Conference, which includes good 3A and 4A teams. Beckman won both regular-season games.

And this one.

'You know, I don't really care anything about that,” he said, when asked about his 400th win. 'I care about the team.”

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