Fourth quarter sends Woodbine back to Des Moines
Woodbine punches fourth ticket to state basketball, first since 1996
By Matt Gengler, Sports Editor
sports@missourivalleytimes.com
It may have been the longest 7.4 seconds of the Woodbine faithful’s lives. State-rated #2 Madrid had two open looks from long range, and the ball hit every part of the rim and bounced harmlessly to the floor. Madrid fans buried their heads as they were denied a second straight trip to Wells Fargo Arena, but the Woodbine side erupted as they rallied for a 66-63 win over Madrid in the Class 1A, Substate 8 Final at Carroll High gymnasium in Carroll on Saturday evening.
“This team is just resilient, everyone kept saying we’re a year away,” stated Woodbine Coach Kyle Bartels. “But as we’ve done this entire tournament run, no lead is safe with this group, as we keep battling and lock it down on the defensive side to give us a chance.”
Trailing 50-39 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Woodbine staged a rally, starting with a 9-3 scoring run to end the third quarter and keep the Woodbine Tigers within striking distance. Woodbine’s Landon Blum drained the go-ahead three-point basket with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, as Woodbine answered every Madrid threat.
“This group deserves this trip, as they have worked the tails off the entire season,” Bartels concluded. “Defense and rebounding have been the key this post-season run, and we’ll have our hands full next week, but we’ll be playing instead of watching. We’ll enjoy every moment.”
Woodbine opens the Class 1A State Tournament on Monday, March 4 when they battle North Linn (23-1) at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Woodbine (23-2) 14 20 14 18 66
Madrid (22-3) 16 13 24 10 63
Woodbine Tigers Scoring: Carter Gruver 30; Carson Kelley 3; Brody Pryor 8; Landon Blum 12; Jax Pryor 13.
Rebounds: Gruver 13; B. Pryor 5; Blum 5; J. Pryor 3; Gavin Kelley 1.
Assists: Gruver 5; B. Pryor 3; Blum 1.
Steals: Gruver 1; B. Pryor 1; Blum 2; J. Pryor 1.
Blocks: C. Kelley 2; B. Pryor 1; J. Pryor 1.
