ABERDEEN — After a run at the end of the first half led to a one-point lead at the break, a slow second half proved costly to the Ethan boys basketball team.
No. 6-seed Viborg-Hurley outscored the seventh-seeded Rustlers 27-12 across the final two quarters and topped Ethan 56-42 on Friday in the first round of the consolation bracket at the Class B state boys basketball tournament.
The Cougars forced 10 second-half turnovers and connected on 52.4% (11 of 21) of their shots over the final two quarters, finishing the game at 56.8% (21 of 37) from the field. On the defensive end, Viborg-Hurley limited Ethan to 22.7% (5 of 22) from the floor in the second half and held the Rustlers to 0-for-7 from 3-point range for the final 16 minutes.
“When it came to the third quarter, we just came out too flat,” coach Bryce Roth said. “We started to break down a little bit defensively — a little bit slow, a little bit tired — and really allowed them to shoot the kind of shots they wanted and get good position down low.”
Gage Goettertz scored 12 of his 20 points in the second half for the Cougars. Kobee Sherman also had 20 points in the win, with 15 coming in the first half, while Nick Hanson posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
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For Ethan, Riley Endres notched a team-high 17 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Taite Klumb chipped in 10 points. The Rustlers shot 35.3% (18 of 51) from the floor for the contest.
Ethan (20-5) moves to the seventh-place game, where it will square off with No. 4 Faith on Friday. Viborg-Hurley (21-4) matches up with No. 8 Castlewood in the fifth-place game Friday.
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