(Atlantic) Dayton Templeton scored 16-points in the fourth quarter to rally the Trojans past Denison-Schleswig, 57-55 in a Hawkeye Ten Conference boy’s regular-season finale on Tuesday night.
Templeton finished with 24-points, and Skyler Handlos tossed in 12 to lead the Trojans. Braiden Heiden led the Monarchs with 20, and Carson Seuntjens added 17.
Atlantic rolled out to a 10-2 first-quarter lead, but the Monarchs rallied back to come within one (12-11) at the end of the frame. Seuntjens, Jaxon Wessel, and Aiden Schuttinga sparked the rally with three long-range shots. Seuntjens netted a three-point basket to tie the game at 18-18 midway through the second quarter, and the Monarchs went on to build a three-point cushion at the break, 29-23.
Denison-Schleswig extended their lead to 43-33 at the end of the third quarter, but Atlantic junior guard Dayton Templeton drew the hot hand and scored 16-fourth quarter points to lead the home team back into the game. Templeton knocked down four three-point baskets and added two field goals, and Ethan Williams supplemented the comeback with seven points in the final frame to salvage the come from behind win 57-55.
“Dayton was feeling it, and his teammates knew he was hot and produced that extra pass to get him the ball,” said Atlantic Head Coach Jeff Ebling. “To come back from a ten-point deficit in the fourth is a credit to these guys. They never quit, and sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t, and we’ll take this win against a good Denison squad. Overall we did a good job of guarding the ball in the second half. Both teams wanted to win this one, and it was just a good high school basketball game.”
After starting the season 3-5, the Trojans ended the regular season, having won nine out of their last ten games and a share of the Hawkeye Ten Conference title with Glenwood. Ebling says the biggest improvement was the team started playing with confidence. “Every guy we put out there we feel confident with as a coaching staff,” said Ebling. “For example, tonight Garrett Reynolds gave us some good minutes in the first half, and Ethan Williams went off in the second half.”
The Trojans end the regular season at 12-6 and host Creston on Monday night in a first-round district game. The Monarchs fall to 7-14 and travel to Sergeant Bluff-Luton for a first-round post-season contest.
