(Denison) Santi Lopez drew the hot hand in the second half to lead Denison-Schleswig to a 60-58 overtime victory over Atlantic in a boy’s Hawkeye Ten Conference regular season finale’ on Tuesday night at Denison.
The Trojans controlled the game from the opening tip and held the lead until the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, when Santi Lopez drained a three-pointer to put the Monarchs ahead 49–48. Gavin McLaren answered with a short basket while drawing a foul, and the senior converted the free throw to tie the game at 51–51 and force overtime.
In the extra period, the Monarchs built a 59–55 advantage, prompting the Trojans to foul. Owen Galvin and Blaine Grady converted their free throws down the stretch to preserve the lead and secure a 60–58 home victory.
Atlantic outscored the Monarchs 15–11 in the opening quarter. Sawyer Tarrell and Benny McLaren each connected from beyond the arc, while Gavin McLaren made an impact in the paint with six first-quarter points.
The Trojans extended their advantage in the second quarter, building a 31–21 lead behind Benny McLaren’s 10 points in the period, including a pair of three-pointers. The score stood at 31–23 at halftime.
Kale Jensen sparked the offense in the third quarter, going 4-for-5 from the free-throw line. The senior scored eight points in the period after foul trouble limited his minutes in the first half. Denison-Schleswig matched the Trojans with 12 third-quarter points, fueled by Lopez and a pair of three-pointers from Camdyn Nemitz.
Atlantic took a 43–35 advantage into the fourth quarter, but the Monarchs answered with a 16–8 run, sparked by Lopez’s sharp shooting from the perimeter. The junior guard buried three three-pointers, and the Monarchs’ defense limited the Trojans to just two field goals and four free throws in the period. Denison-Schleswig then edged Atlantic 9–7 in overtime to claim the two-point win.
Lopez and Grady each poured in 17 points to lead the Monarchs. Roman Byness contributed eight, Wilson Riphin added five, and Blaze Palmer and Owen Galvin scored two apiece.
Benny McLaren paced the Trojans with 17 points, while Gavin McLaren added 15 and Kale Jensen reached double figures with 12. Tarrell finished with six, Hudson McLaren had four, and Hunter Nelson and James Brauer chipped in two points each.
With the win, Denison-Schleswig improves to 4–18, while Atlantic drops to 6–15. The Trojans will travel to Sergeant Bluff-Luton on Monday for a substate quarterfinal, and Denison-Schleswig will face Storm Lake in its next matchup.
