G-E-T comeback falls just short in regional game

The looks on the faces of the Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School boys basketball team said it all last Tuesday. 

A few were emotional as others looked on in disbelief, trying to digest that their season was over quicker than they hoped it’d be.

The sixth-seeded Red Hawks had just mounted an epic comeback in a first round regional playoff game at home, but visiting Adams-Friendship — the 11th seed — made enough shots late to upset G-E-T 47-46 and end their season.

“It was a tough one to battle back like that, and we had a shot there,” G-E-T coach Jared McCutchen told the Times after the game. “They had a tough one in the lane, and then we just couldn’t get another bucket after that to come back.”

Junior Brady Seiling hit a three pointer with just over a minute remaining to give the Red Hawks a 40-39 lead, but Adams-Friendship responded with a basket to take the lead back with a minute left.

A three from G-E-T sophomore Cody Schmitz at the final buzzer was good with the Red Hawks down four, but the visitors crammed the lane to avoid a foul and earn the win.

While it wasn’t the outcome the Red Hawks hoped for, their coach liked the way they pushed in the second half.

“It was nice to see that we had a lot of fight left in us because there have been nights where there was not when we got down,” he said. “And tonight we knew there was more on the line than just a regular season game.”

Adams-Friendship relied heavily on the pick and roll throughout the first half, getting easy baskets underneath the net and creating clear lanes. G-E-T overcame a 6-0 hole to start the game and trailed 22-16 at halftime.

The offense stalled a bit early for G-E-T, which ends the season 11-14.

“We came out a little skittish, and our shots were a little flat,” McCutchen said. “I think it showed that we just don’t have a lot of experience in these situations yet. … but yeah, in that first half we came out pretty flat.”

The start to the second half wasn’t much better for G-E-T as the visitors spread their lead to as wide as 17 points. That’s when the offense started clicking for the Red Hawks.

“When you’re quiet on defense and you’re not really working that hard and talking, that will happen. In the second half, we did a better job,” McCutchen said. “But it took us a while to understand what we’re trying to do against it.”

Junior Warren Stoner drilled a trio of three-point shots in a row to cut Adams-Friendship’s lead to 37-29 with about 10 minutes remaining. A layup from Stoner minutes later cut it to three before Schmitz turned a layup into the tying basket thanks to a foul.

McCutchen praised Stoner, who dragged the Red Hawks back into the game with his sharp shooting. Schmitz (20 points) and Stoner (14) led G-E-T in scoring.

“Warren was a sparkplug for us and played very well,” McCutchen said. “He came in and was confident in his shot right away. Anytime he touches the ball good things happen for us.”

McCutchen said his team had higher hopes for this season, but he thought a lot of players saw significant growth this season. The Red Hawks lose just one player from their roster in senior Will Thompson, so the Red Hawks have the foundation of next year’s team in place.

“What’s special about our group is everybody can get better tomorrow for a meaningful next season already. There’s not a lot of teams in the state that can say that.”

The sting of an early playoff exit is a feeling McCutchen thinks could motivate his group ahead of next season. What happens next year is largely in their hands now, he said.

“This will be a telling offseason for us,” he said. “If we really want it we’ll see a lot of activity in the gym this offseason, and I think that will be the case because we have a lot of guys that are really hungry right now to be better than we were this year.”

The Red Hawks weren’t the only team on Adams-Friendship’s upset path. The Green Devils took down third-seed Elk Mound 44-36 then beat second-seeded Stanley-Boyd 54-38. They’ll play West Salem at Wisconsin Dells on Thursday.

G-E-T (field goals/attempts-free throws/attempts-rebounds-fouls-points)—K. Seiling 0/2-0/0-3-0-0, Mack 1/2-0/0-2-3-3, Burns 1/7-0/0-1-0-2, Stoner 5/7-0/0-0-0-14, Beedle 1/4-0/0-1-4-3, Sorenson 0/0-0/0-2-2-0, B. Seiling 1/4-0/0-0-2-3, Schmitz 8/16-3/3-11-3-20.