The Remsen St. Mary’s basketball team is returning to the state tournament after coming up short last year. The Hawks downed No. 5 A-C/GC 57-49 in a substate final on Saturday night at South Central Calhoun to send them back to state for the eighth time in nine years.
After last year’s disappointing substate final loss to Lake Mills, the Hawks were in search of payback this year. Co-head coach Justin Ruden says the guys were given an opportunity to redeem themselves and took advantage of it.
The name of the game for the Hawks was their defensive intensity. A-C/GC came into the game averaging 72 points per night. Remsen St. Mary’s held them to around 30% efficiency from the field while scoring just 49 points. Coach Ruden says they were able to switch things up at times which threw the Chargers off.
The Hawks also put together a well-balanced offensive output that saw them get to the free throw line very consistently. Coach Ruden attributes all of that to an aggressive mentality on the offensive side of the ball.
Remsen St. Mary’s was able to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter, but they were not given an opportunity to coast to the state tournament. The Chargers trimmed that 12-point lead down to four points with about two minutes to go in regulation. Coach Ruden says a timeout was needed to calm the guys’ nerves, and they responded.
The win improves RSM’s record to 21-4 on the season and gives them another opportunity at a state title. The Hawks will be the eighth seed in Class 1A and have to go up against the top-ranked Defenders of Marquette Catholic in the first round. Coach Ruden says they will be a tough team to scout, but he is looking forward to seeing how the guys respond to the challenge and the disrespect of being an eight seed.
The Hawks and Defenders will tip off their quarterfinal on Wednesday, March 12 at 12:15 PM in Des Moines. KLEM Radio will have all the coverage of the contest starting at about noon.
