Overtime Heartbreak for Keota Boys

You often hear teams say they’d rather lose in a blowout to end the season, rather than to lose the way the Keota boys did last Thursday.

Coach Dan Stout’s Eagles took on Twin Cedars in the first round of Districts last Thursday in Sigourney and, despite a fearless effort, came up a little bit short.

Despite leading by five points with five minutes left to play in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were unable to shut down Twin Cedars’ Otis Roby in the final minutes, as the senior finished with 38 points in the Sabers’ 71-66 overtime win.

Roby and the Sabers got out to a quick start in Sigourney, gaining an early 10-4 lead, before taking a 20-15 lead into the second quarter.

Keota responded in the second quarter by cranking up its defensive pressure and holding the Sabers to just ten points in the second quarter. The Sabers built their lead to as much as nine points with four minutes left in the half, until a late surge by the Eagles made Keota’s halftime deficit just 30-26.

Keota continued to build onto its momentum in the second half by outscoring Twin Cedars 19-14 in the third. A big 11-1 run by the Eagles, which was highlighted by a four-point play by Zach Mousel, left the Eagles up 45-44 at the end of three. Mousel finished with 13 points and three 3-pointers in the game.

"Read the full article in the Wednesday, Feb. 25 edition of The News-Review."