LCC pummels Paxton in State Tourney opener
LINCOLN — The Bears made sure their first trip to state since 2001 wouldn’t be a short one.
LCC raced out to a huge 22-4 first-quarter lead en route to a 75-47 whitewashing of Paxton in first-round action of the Class D1 State Tournament Thursday morning.
The win not only ensured two more games at the State Tournament, it also inked the Erwins into the school record book.
LCC senior Ty Erwin scored his 1,000th-career point in the second half of the blowout win, and his dad, coach Todd Erwin, earned his 100thcareer coaching victory.
Ty Erwin had to take a bit of a backseat to some bigger scorers during his varsity career, but that didn’t deter him.
His first three seasons were played alongside Izac Reifenrath, and this season, classmate Noah Schutte became the second player in nearly 50 years to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
“It takes a lot to stay focused and know that you bring a lot to this team when you’ve got two kids who can score like crazy,” coach Erwin said. “For him to get that accomplishment — even though the wins are what we’re after and what he’s after — that’s great.”
Ty Erwin was one of three Bears in double figures for the game with 12 points. The Bear offense was led by Noah Schutte’s 20 points. Sophomore Evan Haisch used the long ball to gain most of his 17 points.
Haisch’s 3-point shooting caused all kinds of problems for Paxton.
He put one up from downtown which just kissed the backboard before going in to spark the Bears. In the first half, the Bears hit on 6-9 from long range.
The Bear offense was able to score almost at will, but the Orange and Black defense was also clicking as they forced 20 turnovers in the contest, including nine in the first frame alone.
“We want to do that. Every team wants to do that,” coach Erwin said. “With our press and the way we play, we really want to do that, because if we get up two, four or six (points), we can turn up the pressure even more.”
Paxton 4 15 11 17 — 47
LCC 22 19 19 15 — 75
SCORING
LCC - Noah Schutte, 20; Evan Haisch, 17; Ty Erwin, 12; Evan Schmitt, 6; Cael Hartung, 6; Austin Hall, 4; Lucas Rasmussen, 3; Wilton Roberts, 2; Jake Rath, 2. Paxton - Dayo Kennedy, 16; Dane Storer, 9; Blake Brewster, 9; Davin Helmer, 4; Grant Detmer, 4; Caden Holm, 3; Keegan Schow, 2.