By Rick Peterson Jr. – KSHSAA Covered
DODGE CITY – In the two days between Beloit-St. John’s/Tipton’s semifinal win and Saturday’s Class 1A Division I championship game, Blujay coach Lance Bergmann fielded constant questions about the status of senior standout Edward Horinek.
There was no shortage of concern from Blujay fans after Horinek dislocated his thumb on his shooting hand against Norwich, a somewhat jarring sight in the final moments of the semifinal victory.
Horinek’s thumb was reset in the emergency room, where he spent three hours after the game.
“Man, it was scary,” Horinek said. “I saw my thumb in the wrong place and I was like, ‘Oh, gosh, I’ve got a championship coming up.
“I was just icing it every hour and stayed consistent with my recovery. I was worried about it at the start, but once I got it taped up and the adrenaline kicked in, I was confident in my shot.”
Indeed, Horinek never looked more confident when the Blujays needed him the most in the title game against South Central.
After a scoreless first quarter against South Central’s stout defense, Horinek scored 25 points over the next three quarters and teamed up with Gabriel Roderick to take over the game late, lifting the Blujays to a come-from-behind 57-53 win at United Wireless Arena for the program’s second state championship.
South Central led by as much as nine in the third quarter before Horinek sparked a Blujay run to bring them within two heading into the fourth. He hit a game-tying 3-pointer with two minutes left in the fourth quarter before Roderick broke the tie and gave the Blujays the lead for good with a jumper from the right elbow with 1:20 left.
Horinek also came up big on the defensive end, including a blocked shot in the final minute to protect the lead.
“I’m not going to lie, the (thumb injury) might have given him just a little more want-to, realizing he was that close to not playing in the state championship game in his senior year,” Bergmann said. “It almost was a blessing in disguise, just to give him that little extra edge.”
South Central, runner-up for the second straight season, utilized its size advantage with 6-foot-7 Eli Girk and 6-4 Jack Herd, who combined for 43 points. The Timberwolves never trailed until the go-ahead bucket from Roderick.
A bucket from Herd gave the Timberwolves a 46-41 lead with 5:30 left before St. John’s went on an 11-2 run to take a 52-48 lead with under a minute left on a transition layup from Roderick.
“We’ve always been a fourth-quarter team, and once the fourth quarter came around and we were in distance, I knew we would strike,” Horinek said.
Down five with Beloit-St. John’s inbounding with 22 seconds left, South Central made one last push. After a Blujay turnover, Herd hit a jumper just inside the 3-point line to bring the Timberwolves back within a point. Horinek hit two free throws to push the lead to three before South Central missed a deep 3-pointer and Roderick sealed it with a free throw with 2.1 seconds left.
“I was super proud of our kids,” South Central coach Bud Valerius said. “I thought they played pretty well, but sometimes you just have to tip your hat to your opponent. They hit tough shot after tough shot.”
Roderick scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter after attempting only four shots during the first three frames.
“I was just trusting myself,” Roderick said. “I’ve been practicing these kind of shots ever since I was a little kid, believing that they’ll go in and knowing my teammates have my back.”
“I knew that was coming,” Bergmann said of Roderick’s go-ahead score. “When he pulled up, I said, ‘That’s in.’ Gabe shot with confidence. It got to the point they were so focused on Edward that Gabe was going to shine. He’s been there all year.”
Bergmann credited the fourth-quarter defense of Horinek, who switched on to South Central standout Herd down the stretch.
“If there’s a guy scoring, we keep Ed away. Then when we’re struggling Ed’s like ‘I want him,’ ” Bergmann said. “He looked at me and said, ‘I want 24.’ And I said, ‘Fine, go defend him and make sure he stays off the boards.’
“Edward always seems to rise to the challenge and figure out what he needs to do defensively, and that gets him going offensively.”
Bergmann also lauded the play of forward Dominic Eilert, who helped keep the Blujays within three points (28-25) at halftime with 10 points before the break. He finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
“This state tournament Dom was amazing,” Bergmann said. “We said if he’s going to be around 10 points and eight rebounds, we’re going to feel good. He got 14, so there’s four extra points that we needed.”
Girk led South Central with 24 points on 11 of 13 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds while Herd had 19 points and seven rebounds.
Herd is the lone senior for the Timberwolves. He was also a leader on the South Central football team that captured the Eight-Player Division I title last fall.
“I wouldn’t trade that team for anybody,” Valerius said. “I just thanked them for the ride and the love they have to compete and the type of character they have. It’s a great team. Just great kids.”
Bergmann also guided the Blujays to the 2014 state title. Blujay assistant coach Parker Gates played on that team.
“I feel like I enjoyed this one more,” said Bergmann, whose son, Bryson, is a freshman on the team. “The first one, I was a young coach and I was so nervous, felt so much pressure. Everybody was just saying, ‘Hey, if you don’t win with this group, you’re never going to win.’
“And I said, if I ever get the opportunity again, I’m going to enjoy it. My wife (Beloit-St. John’s girls’ basketball coach Leah Bergmann) texted me on the way to Dodge City and said, ‘I know it’s tough, but make sure you enjoy every single moment of this.’ I was sick to my stomach a lot. I was worried, but when we got into both these games, I was able to relax and trust, ‘Hey, we’ve taught him everything we could. They’re playing their best basketball.’”
The Blujays have a six-player senior class comprised of Horinek, Roderick, Grant Goodaker, John Mick, Kaden Rabe and Greg Walter.
“This means so much to everyone in the school,” Horinek said. “We’re a great community and we’ve been waiting for this for so long. It feels so good to come back here and win.”
