GAME-HIGH SCORER … Will Ruetz drives baseline past a Delta defender on Friday night. Ruetz led all scorers with 22 points.
DELTA PANTHER … Vincent Martinez puts up a floater during first half action at Evergreen High School.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (December 20, 2024) – Delta has the highest scoring player in the area in sophomore Tyson Bower, who hits around 27 points each night out.
But what Bower gives the Panthers, Evergreen got even more from a variety of players as the Vikings had three players hit 16 or more to race past Delta 71-46 before a large and enthusiastic home crowd.
After starting 1-3, which included a 62-61 loss to league power Swanton, the Vikings evened their record at 3-3. The loss broke Delta’s three game winning streak as the Panthers fell to the same 3-3 mark.
“We have been very balanced all year and it’s a testament to the guys as the ball is starting to move a little more, and when we have four guys, five guys on the floor that can score, that ball moves and we can do some good things,” Viking coach Kyle Bostater explained of the Vikings balanced attack.
Delta took a quick 4-1 lead on buckets from Bower and Alex York with 6:15 left in the first but Evergreen had a long range answer.
George Allendorf hit a pair from real long distance, then Wil Ruetz canned a third in a 90 second span to vault the Vikings ahead 10-4 and the Panthers never led again.
Wyatt Gibbons’ six points kept the Panthers in striking distance at 14-12 but the fast paced Vikes finished the quarter with a 7-0 spurt in the last minute to take a 21-12 lead.
John Herdman nailed a triple, Ruetz scored on a fast break and Herdman scored on a putback with 2.3 on the clock to take that nine point lead.
Bower hit a triple and two more buckets inside in the second, but Herdman more than countered with two more triples and a fast break bucket from Allendorf to help extend the Viking lead to 35-22 at the break.
“I think a lot of credit goes out to the John Herdman legacy game,” Bostater cracked after. “He came out and definitely wanted this one bad and he made a statement in the first half.”
With the Panthers trailing 39-28 with 3:10 left in the third, Evergreen delivered the knockout punch led by Troy Manz, as the Vikes went on a four and a half minute 16-2 run to blow the affair open.
Alex Fritsch’s layup started the blast, then Manz found Allendorf and Ruetz on consecutive three-point plays toward the end of the third quarter.
Will Johnson’s power move began the fourth, then Manz swooped in for a steal and score, then got a layup from an Allendorf steal to make it 55-30 with 6:40 left.
“Our guys did a very good job attacking those seams, usually off a reversal against the zone,” Bostater said of his team’s offensive efficiency.
“I think my favorite stretch of the game was when they went to some pressure and we turned it over the first time, we didn’t have to call a timeout, we settled in, and we rattled off three layups in a row.”
“That’s just because the ball is moving, we kind of flying around right now and it’s fun to watch.”
Evergreen went 11/13 from the field in the fourth quarter, as every basket was inside the key, nine of them being assisted on.
For the game, Evergreen was 30/61 from the floor and hit six triples, all in the first half. Evergreen committed just eight turnovers.
Delta went 18/53 from the field and had 17 turnovers. Ruetz led the Vikings with 22 but had a lot of help with Herdman adding 17, 15 of those in the first half, and Allendorf tacked on 16.
Bower had 20 to lead Delta, while York hit double figures with 10.
DELTA (46) – Martinez 4; Alig 0; Bower20; Gibbons 7; Morr 2; Hoffman; York 10; Lintermoot 3; Hallett; Friess 0; Totals: 16-2-8 – 46
EVERGREEN (71) – Manz 6; Ruetz 22; Herdman 17; Allendorf 16; Fritsch 2; Gillen 2; Rafferty 0; Johnson 6; Shrader 0; Woodring 0; Eisel 0; Totals: 24-6-5 – 71
DHS 12 10 8 16 – 46
EHS 21 14 14 22 – 71