(Stuart) 7th ranked AHSTW is back in a substate final for a 2nd straight year and 3rd time since 2017. The Vikings beat Van Meter 64-49 on Tuesday night to win a Class 2A District 13 title at West Central Valley High School in Stuart.
Kyle Sternberg hit an interior basket and Cole Scheffler drilled a triple in the opening minutes to give the Vikings a 5-0 lead. They wouldn’t trail all night and led by double figures the entire 2nd half.
Nick Denning provided an offensive boost with a couple of 1st quarter three’s and 11 points on the night. Ryan Wedemeyer notched 8 points including a pair of shots beyond the arc in the 2nd quarter that helped pushed the lead to 30-18.
The Vikings were up 18-14 after one quarter and opened the second frame on a 10-2 stretch. Van Meter never established much of any momentum. A couple of Carter Durflinger three’s in the 3rd quarter got them as close as 11 points, but the Bulldogs were unable to rattle a veteran AHSTW squad.
Despite a lot of defensive attention, Brayden Lund and Kyle Sternberg still managed to find scoring opportunities. The outstanding senior tandem went for 20 and 14 points respectively. Lund has now topped 1,500 career points.
Aydn Netten scored 20 points for Van Meter. and Michael Banks finished with 8. The Bulldogs managed only two baskets from inside the arc in the 2nd half. Their season ends at 16-7.
AHSTW went 12/16 from the free-throw line after halftime and 14/19 in the game. Luke Sternberg notched 6 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals. Cole Scheffler had 3 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
The 21-2 Vikings will play 17-6 DM Christian for a trip to state on Saturday. The contest will take place at ADM High School in Adel. It will air on 96.5 FM KSOM.
