The Mount Vernon Mustangs (13-8) beat the Grinnell Tigers (14-6) 61-54 on Friday, Feb.9.
Going into the game the Mustangs had a plan. “We knew we had to be physical, make shots, and play good defense to get the win,” said senior forward Joey Rhomberg. In the first half, the Tigers got an early lead on the Mustangs, but the Mustangs would end up cutting the lead to only three points going into halftime with a score of 34-31 Tigers.
Early in the second half, the Mustangs took the court and had a huge momentum shift. “Kutcher’s and-one three-pointer set the tone for the second half and changed the momentum in our favor,” Rhomberg said of senior shooting guard Jackson Kutcher’s play. By the end of the third quarter, the Mustangs took the lead 49-42. And after a hard-fought fourth quarter, the Mustangs won.
This win meant more than most because it was senior night. “The whole team knew how special senior night is and what it would mean to get a win for the seniors,” said sophomore point guard Kellen Haverback. Senior night also brought out a big crowd for the game with lots of families and friends there to support the Mustangs and the seniors Gabe Fairchild, Cooper Parks, Atticus Rood, Oliver Hinrichs, Joey Rhomberg, Jonah Williams, Jackson Kutcher, and Lukas Schrock.
The Mustang’s win puts their record to 13-8 with only one more game before the postseason starts for the Mustangs. “The win feels good knowing the postseason is coming up and we have good momentum and are playing some of our best basketball,” Rhomberg said.
The Mustangs will play Central DeWitt (8-12) on Monday, Feb. 19 at home in the first round of the substate games.
