(Harlan) AHSTW is a victory away from their first state tournament in school history. The Vikings advanced to a substate final with their 62-53 win over Exira-EHK on Tuesday.
5th ranked AHSTW improves to 23-1 in the process. They used a 7-0 run at the end of the 1st quarter to take the lead for good. The Vikings started the 2nd quarter on a 12-2 stretch to push the lead to double figures. Exira-EHK played well early in the 2nd half to chip away, but never got any closer than within five. After the game, AHSTW coach GG Harris commented, “Everybody is good at this point in the season and they made things difficult, but I thought once we settled in we were able to attack the basket and get to the free-throw line.” Harris says, “We played well when we needed to. Exira-EHK is super well coached. They play hard and they play well to their skill set.”
Raydden Grobe led all scorers with 17 points. Kyle Sternberg and Brayden Lund joined him in double figures with 16 and 12, respectively. Cole Scheffler scored 9 in the win. The pace was played to Exira-EHK’s advantage early and the Spartans enjoyed 1st quarter leads of 3-2, 7-4, and 11-9. Easton Nelson scored 8 of his team high 11 points in the first half. Trey Petersen and Cash Emgarten each scored 9 while Quintinn White added 8.
The Spartans bow out at 15-9. None of their main rotation players are seniors. AHSTW will take on West Harrison Saturday in a game that will air on KSOM. It’s the Viking’s first substate final since 2017.
