Weber put-back continues Sigourney streak

For the second straight game the Sigourney boys proved they could win in, and for the second straight game it's come down to a series of plays to get those wins. The Savages needed not one, but two overtimes to beat North Mahaska on the road 51-50 on January 9.

Sigourney made it seem like they'd make quick work of the Warhawks, as they were able to put up bunches of points early on. The Savages found some success when attacking the paint, using their athleticism to get by the North Mahaska defenders. On the other end of the court, the Warhawks were missing shots, which allowed Sigourney to get out in transition. After one quarter, the Savages led 13-7.

The script seemed to flip in the ensuing quarter, as North Mahaska was able to bury some shots they'd missed prior, which got them back in the game. The opposite was true for Sigourney, as shots they'd made in the first quarter, didn't find the bottom of the net this time. The Savages weren't doing themselves any favors by turning the ball over due to getting called for charges. Not only did it give the ball to North Mahaska, it also put Sigourney into some early foul trouble. Sigourney went into the break down 23-18.

"I think we got some easy baskets early, but then North Mahaska's defense began to get help and we didn't make the adjustments we needed to," Sigourney coach Mitch Eslick said. "They played really hard but we also had too many careless turnovers, considering they didn't pressure the ball much."

Sigourney came out with a determination they could win the game, to which they improved from how they ended the first half. The offense put up 11 points, while holding North Mahaska to just seven points. Both teams began to play tall on defense, either blocking shots or tipping away balls when they could. Points were tough to come by throughout the remainder of the game, as Sigourney scored nine points in the final eight minutes, while the Warhawks put up eight. Some key missed free throws from both teams allowed the other to have a chance at winning, but neither could do so, resulting in overtime.

"I thought we had this game lost about 10 times, and won about five, but it was just one of those nights," Eslick said. "In all honesty you'll get those games to go your way once, and against you another time, one of those lucky things."

In the first extra period, both teams managed to only put up six points each, mostly scoring in the paint or getting fouled and making free throws. Brady Powers ended up fouling out for Sigourney, which was a big loss as he was one of the primary attackers on offense. In the second overtime, the lead changed hands a few times. North Mahaska had a one-point lead with mere seconds left, having made a lay-in and the foul shot to go with it. Sigourney was able to get the ball down the court and toss up a shot, which missed, but was collected by Kyle Weber. Weber then quickly got a shot up before a defender could get to him, which fell through the hoop with less than a second to go.

"Weber deserves a ton of credit, he hung in there despite making some mistakes," Eslick said. "His head was down with about five minutes left, things weren't going his way. He made a hustle play all the way till the end and he got one in before the buzzer."

 Powers led the Savages with 15 points before fouling out, including nine from behind the arc, while also grabbing six rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Spencer Magill had 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block. Weber also had a dozen points to go along with 14 boards, one steal and one block. Eric Johnson had four points, Ben House and Brett Striegel had three points apiece, and Dawson Baumert rounded out the scoring with two points.

The Savages went on to beat HLV on January 12, before facing a tough Pekin team on the road to close out the week on January 13.