In the first quarter, Josh Kidney scored four, Jimmy Uebel had five and Troy Cooper had hit a free-throw, Bryan Niemeyer had yet to score.
That would all change in the second half as it would be Niemeyer scoring ten and Cooper hitting for six who would lead the charge, with Jimmy Uebel contributing four points as the Mustangs exploded for 20 points in the period to take a 30-23 lead and momentum to the locker room at halftime.
I'm sure that Brossart was reminded in the locker room that the year before our Mustangs enjoyed an eight point lead at intermission only to get gunned down in the second half and sent on a long, quiet bus ride back to Alexandria, in the previous year's semi-finals.
This Mustangs team learned their lessons well and matched the Bardstown Tigers point per point, as each team put up eleven in the third period to maintain the Mustang lead at seven points, just eight minutes from immortality. Bryan Niemeyer had put up six points in the third period and now led the Mustangs with sixteen points, all coming in the two middle periods.
Nothing in this world worth having comes easy, nor did the fourth period for the Brossart Mustangs. After pushing the lead to eleven points with 4:32 to play, the Bardstown Tigers made a run which resulted in the Mustangs seeing their lead diminish to four at 52-48 with just under two minutes to play in the game, and a sense of apprehension and de jevu began to permeate our thoughts.
But this group is something special, and when we have needed a basket in this tournament our Mustangs have produced and such was the case again in the final minute and seconds of this game. Cooper hit a pair of blue-chip free-throws, Jimmy Uebel scored on a rebound-stickback, and when Josh Kidney hit a pair of free-throws with 18 seconds left to give the Mustangs a three-possession lead, the party began to break out in the Mustang cheering section.
The Mustang defense held the Tigers scoreless on their final four possessions and with just seconds to go in the game, Jimmy Uebel sent the basketball skyward and the Mustangs on the bench charged onto the floor to join in the celebration that was beginning to take place at center court as the Mustangs celebrated our first All "A" State Championship.
Bryan Niemeyer, the most unlikely Mustang to be the MVP of our most important game in his career had scored 22 points as Nathan Mutsch's stand in and joined Nat Guard at center court and was awarded the game's MVP award.
Box Score: Kidney 2-0-5/6-9,
Niemeyer 7-1-5/7-22, Kramer 0-0-1/2-1,
Uebel 4-1-3/4-14, Cooper 4-0-2/4-10
Total Mustangs: 17-2-16/23-56 21-3
Total Wildcats: 15-2-12/16-48 |
