Emiliano Barrantes on GVC’s state semifinal loss to Western Christian
Grand View Christian Center Emiliano Barrantes talks the Thunder’s 53-46 loss to Western Christian in the 2A boys state basketball semifinals.
The defensive presence of 6-foot-9 center Emiliano Barrantes and a strong offensive outing from Brayden Hoben kept Grand View Christian in the game against defending champion Western Christian during the Class 2A boys state basketball semifinals on Thursday.
But in the end, it Western Christian’s clear edge in outside shooting that made the difference in a 53-46 Wolfpack victory over the Thunder at Wells Fargo Arena.
Western Christian breezed through last year’s state tournament with wins by 22, 31 and 27 points en route to the 2A title, and the Wolfpack cruised to a 69-38 victory over Jesup during this year’s state quarterfinals. Grand View Christian made Western Christian earn everything it got on Thursday.
A big reason for that was the play of Barrantes, who will be playing college ball at the University of Illinois-Chicago next year.
Barrantes blocked seven shots and altered several more in helping keep Western Christian to just 40% shooting from the field. He also scored 17 points, dished out four assists and pulled down seven rebounds.
“Their big man, he’s a great player,” said Western Christian guard Landon De Stigter. “We struggled starting off with him.”
But Western Christian eventually adjusted. The Wolfpack rallied from a six-point deficit to take a 28-27 lead at the half.
In the second half, Western Christian went on a 9-2 run to end the third quarter. The Wolfpack eventually built an 11-point lead at 48-37 and they were able keep the Thunder at bay during the fourth quarter to advance to the 2A championship game for a chance to repeat as state champions.
Landon Des Stigter on Western Christian advancing to the 2A title game
Western Christian guard Landon De Stigter on Western Christian’s 53-46 2A boys state basketball semifinal win over Grand View Christian.
“We changed some things at halftime,” De Stigter said. “We rebounded better and we pressured more as guards, which made the in-bound pass better to the big man.”
Western Christian’s 3-point shooting was a difference-maker. The Wolfpack were 10 of 19 from downtown compared to a 4 of 13 effort by GVC.
De Stigter led the way by making 5 of 8 3-pointers and finishing with 16 points.
“The guys made some great passes to me,” De Stigter said. “They were always looking out for me, and I happened to put some in the net.”
All-state Western Christian forward Kaden Van Regenmorter finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists and Karsten Moret chipped in 12 points.
Western Christian will take a 24-3 record into the championship game.
Grand View Christian finished the season at 24-2. The Thunder players did not have any reason to hang their heads after a gutsy defensive performance kept them in it for the entire game.
“I think a lot of it was our coach giving us a good plan,” said Barrantes. “We were just focusing a lot on defense and what we were going to do on offense. We knew each player, we watched film and we did as much as we could.”
Hoben provided good support for Barrantes on offense. Hoben made 8 of 20 shots in scoring a game-high 2-0 points, and he also pulled down nine rebounds.
Thomas Childs added five points and four rebounds for the Thunder.
“I think it was a really good season,” Barrantes said. “Mostly not because of how far we went, but the group of guys that we had. Each one of them put their passion in this process. Most people see what we do on the court, but they don’t see behind the scenes. I think that’s the most fun that we have, during practices, team dinners, just hanging out and all that stuff.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
