Evergreen, Waterville Eye First Title

Shocking developments at the boys State B tournament.

For one, there are the Shockers from Waterville, a group that epitomizes the team concept. They’ll be on display when the tournament reaches its zenith at 9 tonight.

Waterville’s championship game opponent will be Evergreen Lutheran, another balanced act that hails from Des Moines, not to be confused with Iowa. The Eagles have qualified for the title game in their first tournament appearance. Shades of Chief Leschi, the Eagles’ Tri-District rival that won it all in 1998 while making its first state trip.

Shocking indeed. Someone’s going to come away with their first state title, although Waterville pushed Northwest Christian to overtime during the 1994 title game.

Waterville defeated high-flying St. John-Endicott 46-41 in Friday’s second semifinal at the Arena. The Shockers snapped a 36-all tie with six consecutive points late in the fourth quarter, holding SJE scoreless for 3-1/2 minutes.

Evergreen Lutheran had an easier go in the first semifinal, gaining a 65-48 decision over Pateros.

“We haven’t been here before, so therefore, we didn’t know what the talent level was,” said Evergreen Lutheran coach David Habeck. “When you get to a state tournament, you have to respect every team. You have to play hard and hope for the best.”

Evergreen Lutheran scored 25 of the first 27 points of the second half. What had been a 26-all halftime tie turned quickly into a done deal.

Clint Hull of Pateros had lit up the Eagles for 16 points in the first half.

Habeck switched his defense at halftime to double-team Hull whenever the Billygoats tried to free him up with screens. Hull was limited to two free throws in the third quarter. “He was more than one guy could handle,” Habeck said of Hull, who finished with 25 points and has averaged 29.3 points at the tourney.

Senior Karl Rodmyre, EL’s season scoring leader by a fraction, hit 7 of 9 from the field, including four 3-pointers, for 20 points.

Waterville, too, likes to evenly dole out its points. The Shockers pride themselves on defense, and they accepted the challenge of an Eagles group that shot 62 percent from the floor in two tourney games.

SJE finished 17 of 50 from the field, prompting coach Darrell Miller to say that his Eagles were too tentative in trying to attack Waterville’s zone.

“It was the exact tempo of what we wanted,” said Shockers coach Jim Evans.

The Shockers led 22-16 at halftime after holding Grant Bafus (19.2 ppg) scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting.

SJE opened the second half with an 8-0 run, including a Bafus 3-pointer, but the Shockers steadied themselves. SJE never led by more than three.

The teams tied at 32, 34 and 36. Shockers senior Zach Gormley then took a chance at driving the lane with less than 3 minutes left, hoping to draw a foul. His scoop shot fell through, however, which started a 6-0 run.

“I thought it would get rejected in there because I’m so small,” Gormley said of the scooper.

Perhaps, but rejection isn’t something Waterville or Evergreen Lutheran has had to consider for three days of tournament play.