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CROFTON — A fast start carried Wynot into the championship game of the Crofton Holiday Tournament, but the Blue Devils couldn’t sustain that momentum in the title matchup and settled for a runner-up finish.
Wynot opened tournament play Monday with a hard-fought 61-57 win over host Crofton before falling 59-52 to the Archangel Defenders in the championship game.
In the opening-round win over Crofton, both teams came out firing. Devin Brummer knocked down four 3-pointers in the first quarter, while Justin Heimes added a pair of triples and two baskets inside as Wynot built a 23-20 lead. Crofton stayed close behind five points from Preston Foxhoven and 3-pointers by Trevor Allen, Bo Drotzmann and Jace Panning.
Scoring slowed in the second quarter, but Wynot extended its lead with balanced scoring from Lane Heimes, Justin Heimes, Braylon Hans, Nixen Heimes and Kotner Koch to take a 35-26 halftime advantage. The Blue Devils maintained control in the third quarter by going 9-for-10 at the free-throw line and carried a 4438 lead into the final period.
Crofton made a late push behind a pair of 3-pointers each from Foxhoven and Allen, along with a three-point play by Tyson Jackson. Wynot answered with 3-pointers from Nixen Heimes and Killian Steinhaus and closed the game by hitting 9 of 13 free throws to secure the four-point victory.
That win sent Wynot to the championship game, where the Blue Devils jumped out early but were overtaken by Archangels in the second half. Wynot opened the title game on a 17-8 run, fueled by 3-pointers from Kotner Koch and Killian Stienhaus and putbacks from Justin Heimes. Baskets by Devin Brummer and Braylon Hans helped Wynot maintain a narrow 28-25 lead at halftime despite a late Archangel surge led by Gavin Gelenkirchen and Ethan Wieseler.
Archangels seized control in the third quarter behind six points from Kellen Mundil, four from Wieseler and a 3-pointer by Brendan Johansen to take a 43-39 lead. Wynot stayed within striking distance in the fourth quarter as Koch scored seven points, but the Defenders closed the game on a 17-13 run to claim the tournament championship.
Gelenkirchen led all scorers with 22 points for Archangels, while Mundil finished with 14 and Wieseler added 12. Wynot placed four players in double figures, led by Hans with 13 points, Koch with 12, Justin Heimes with 11 and Killian Steinhaus with 10.
Wynot 17 11 11 13 - 52 Archangel 8 17 14 17 - 59 Scoring Wynot- Braylon Hans 13, Kotner Koch 12, Justin Heimes 11 Killian Steinhaus 10, Devin Brummer 4, Carter Hans 2. Archangel- Gavin Geilenkirchen 22, Kellen Mundil 14, Ethan Wieseler 12,Brendan Johanes 5, Tucker Czarnak 4, Tucker Classen 2. Wynot 23 12 11 15 - 61 Crofton 20 8 10 18 - 57 FG 3PT FT REB Wynot 8 8 19-26 27 Crofton 8 6 9-15 24 Scoring- Wynot-Justin Heimes 19, Devin Brummer 16, Nixen Heimes 11, Killian Steinhaus 6, Lane Heimes 4, Braylon Hans 2, Carter Hans 1. Crofton-Trevor Allen 19, Preston Foxhoven 14, Tyson Jackson 9, Jackson Lydne 7, Bo Drotzmann 4, Jace Panning 3, Blake Connot 2.
