(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP … Evergreen’s John Herdman gets inside of the Patrick Henry defense on Friday night at Defiance High School.
NWOAL RIVALS … Will Ruetz takes a shot in the first half of the Division VI district title game against league rival Patrick Henry.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
DEFIANCE (February 28, 2025) – For about 27 minutes, Evergreen stayed right with bigger, undefeated and state-ranked Patrick Henry. The problem is basketball games are 32 minutes long.
Patrick Henry used a huge fourth quarter from Mack Hieber, along with a 12-0 run in the back half of the same stanza to finally shake off the Vikings 61-44 in the Division VI district championship game in front of a packed house at Defiance.
A number of times during the night, Patrick Henry threatened to blow the game open. Lincoln Creager’s pair of early triples and a putback gave the Patriots a 10-2 lead halfway through the first.
Evergreen fought back into the contest. The Vikings harassing trapping defense began to create chaos as George Allendorf converted a Troy Manz dish off a turnover for a score.
Will Ruetz’s flew coast-to-coast for a layup, Allendorf hit a 27-footer and Ruetz knocked home a floater with 30 seconds left in the first to bring the Vikings back to a 15-13 deficit.
A Manz corner three-ball off an Allendorf steal to open the second put the Vikings up 16-15 but Hieber answered with three straight buckets inside to regain a five-point Patriot lead.
Put backs from Reid Creager and Hieber maintained that margin, as the much taller Patriots scored eight second quarter points off the offensive glass.
Ruetz and John Herdman hit 3/4 from the foul line in the last 45 seconds to get Evergreen back to within a deuce, 25-23, at the half.
Again, in the third Patrick Henry extended the advantage when Reid Creager tripled and hit a pull up jumper to make it 32-25. Lincoln Creager’s 2/2 from the line and layup got it one better at 39-31 with 3:00 left.
Evergreen came back as Manz drained a three-pointer from the corner and then found Quinn Eisel for a layup to slice the lead to 39-36. However, Lane Jackson hit a long triple to push the margin to 44-36 entering the fourth.
Hieber tripled and got yet another stick back, but the Vikings came back one last time. Eisel scored on a drive, then on a dish off a Manz steal, and Herdman nailed a three-ball to get Evergreen to within 49-43 with 5:33 left. They got no closer.
On the next five possessions, the 6’6” Hieber hit a pair from outside the arc along with yet another score off the offensive glass, and Lincoln Creager got inside twice, while the Vikings went dry from the field to finally open the game up all the way.
Hieber had 29 points in the game, 13 in the fourth quarter, while Lincoln Creager had 18. Ruetz and Manz each had 10 for Evergreen.
Patrick Henry (24-0) shot 7/12 in the final quarter, the only time all night either team shot over 50 percent in a period.
Evergreen, who was known for their high-paced flying to the hoop game all season, shot just 37 percent for the night.
The Vikings committed just seven turnovers but Patrick Henry, after committing six in the first half, were guilty of only two in the second.
Evergreen finishes with a district runner-up trophy and a 17-8 record under first-year coach Kyle Bostater.
EVERGREEN (44) – Manz 10; Ruetz 10; Herman 8; Q. Eisel 8; Allendorf 8; Fritsch 0; Rafferty 0; Johnson 0; Totals: 12-4-8 – 44
PATRICK HENRY (61) – Hieber 29; L. Creager 17; R. Creager 8; Jackson 3; Scherdt 2; Schroeder 2; Totals: 17-7-6 – 61
EHS 13 10 13 8 – 44
PHHS 15 10 19 17 – 61
