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by Anthony Robinson
“We just had a bigger will to win. Sometimes you can have all the fancy X’s and O’s you want; but it just gets down to desire and heart and will and kids stepping up and making plays, and that’s what they did,” coach Steve Blazek said to his team after Tuesday’s three-point win over the Kuemper Knights.
Atlantic won their sixth game in a row with a 49-46 victory over the Knights.
The Trojans improved to 11-2 on the season with the win.
Atlantic trailed by nine early in the third quarter, but the Trojans tied the game with a 9-0 run, keyed by five points from junior Harrison Hoegh. Hoegh ended the game with nine points. All of his points came in the third quarter.
Harrison Hoegh fouled out after two quick fouls in the early stages of the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was dominated by the two talented defenses.
Atlantic outscored the Knights 11-4 in the final quarter.
Stuart Hoegh hit a field goal from the left corner to tie the game at 45 with 2:45 remaining in the final quarter.
The Knights re-took the lead 46-45 after Carter Daniel hit one of two from the stripe.
On Atlantic’s next possession, Dalton Franken hit two free throws to give the Trojans a 47-46 lead with 45.4 seconds left.
Franken led the Trojans with 18 points.
Daniel went to the line on Kuemper’s next trip, but went 0-2 at the line.
On the next Trojan possession, Chad Christensen’s two free throws gave the Trojans a 49-46 lead with 18.7 seconds left.
Next, David Hicks put up a shot with Sam Markham all over him, but the shot fell short. Atlantic got the rebound and Stuart Hoegh was fouled, giving Hoegh a chance to make it a two possession game with 5.2 seconds left.
Both of Hoegh’s free throws fell off the side of the rim, giving Kuemper hope.
Cole Neary missed a good look from beyond the arc as the buzzer sounded, giving the Trojans the win.
In the first half of Tuesday’s game, neither team led by more than four, until Kuemper ended the first half on a 10-2 run.
After a 22-19 Atlantic lead, the Knights went on a 19-5 run, giving Kuemper a nine-point lead, their largest lead of the entire game.
