Athletics upset SEC champion Southland in regular season finale
Published 9:49 pm Friday, February 23, 2024
Lyle-Pacelli’s Chase Bauer battles inside against Southland in the second half Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Lyle-Pacelli boys basketball team celebrates their upset win over Southland Friday night in Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Lyle-Pacelli’s Marshall Burma shoots over Southlands Nick Edland during the second half Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Lyle-Pacelli’s Leland Hicks drives to the basket in the second half against Southland Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Lyle-Pacelli’s Isaac Nelsen shoots over Southland’s Maverick Hanna during the second half Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Southland’s Riley Jax guards Lyle-Pacelli’s Chase Bauer during the first half Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Southland’s Andrew Tim shoots during the first half against Lyle-Pacelli Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Lyle-Pacelli’s Dylan Christianson battles for a loose ball against Southland in the first half Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Southland’s Cole Miller drives against the Lyle-Pacelli defense in the first half Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Southland’s Maverick Hanna shoots during the first half against Pacelli Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Southland’s Sam Boe reaches for a rebound during the first half against Lyle-Pacelli Friday night at Pacelli. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
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The Lyle-Pacelli boys basketball team kept hammering away and it eventually broke through as it upset the Southeast Conference champion Rebels 57-53 in Pacelli Gym in the final regular season game for both teams Friday.
The game saw nine lead changes and two ties in the final 10 minutes, but LP finally took the lead for good when Isaac Nelsen canned a corner three-pointer to put the Athletics up 55-53 with 2:13 left.
“That’s about as good as it can get is winning your last home regular season game, it’s kind of like poetry. Coach has been trusting me and that one worked out,” Nelsen said of his three. “It was crazy. We had a huge crowd and it was so loud and it was just a fun atmosphere to play in.”
Things slowed down after Nelsen’s three as both teams exchanged multiple turnovers over the final stretch before Landon Meyer came up with a defensive rebound and sank two free throws to clinch the win with 1.3 seconds left.
Nelsen finished with 14 points for LP (13-14 overall) and Meyer added 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
“All year we’ve been talking about team wins and we finally got one,” Meyer said. “Southland’s an unbelievable team and we knew it would be a dog fight no matter what. We knew if we did the little things right, we’d have a chance and we did that.”
Southland led 26-18 in the first half after freshman Henry Wiste hit a three-pointer, but the game was back and forth from that point on. LP opened the game with a 12-7 lead after Andrew Fredrick scored on a put-back.
“We always better play at home. We are more focused at home for some reason. Our seniors on the team know this is it,” LP head coach Carl Truckenmiller said. “They played with a lot of energy. Leland Hicks, Marshall Burma and Logyn Brooks all played well for us. If we play like that in the playoffs, we’ll make a little noise. It’s always great to beat our rivals.”
Nick Edland finished with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Rebels (20-5 overall) and Sam Boe added 11 points, four rebounds and three steals.
Southland 34 19 – 53
LP 30 27 – 57
LP scoring: Landon Meyer, 14; Isaac Nelsen, 14; Marshall Burma, 9; Leland Hicks, 8; Andrew Fredrick, 4; Chase Bauer, 4; Dylan Christianson, 3
Southland scoring: Nick Edland, 16; Sam Boe, 11; Tate Goergen, 8; Henry Wiste, 6; Andrew Timm, 5; Jonas Wiste, 3; Cole Miller, 2; Maverick Hanna, 2
