Round 1 of the Battle of the LCs goes to the Spartans, as Luxemburg-Casco won a thriller in the final seconds, taking down Little Chute 59–57, as heard on 104.1 WRLU on Thursday night.

 

Bryce Piesler and Trevor Verhagen exchanged baskets in the early going as the lead seesawed between the LCs, with neither team able to pull away. Little Chute’s aggressive defense forced Luxemburg-Casco to be patient, often resulting in the guards swinging the ball around the top of the key in search of a gap in the Mustangs’ zone. The Spartans’ patience paid off, as they made five first-half three-pointers, including three from Piesler. After a back-and-forth first half, one of those deep Piesler threes in the waning moments put Luxemburg-Casco ahead at the break, 24–17.

 

Piesler’s hot hand carried into the second half as the Spartans built the lead as high as 15 points, with Little Chute only able to score from the free-throw line. Still, the Mustangs got to the charity stripe early and often, earning the bonus quickly in the half. Combined with tenacious defense, Little Chute chipped away at the deficit, eventually tying the contest at 53–53. The Mustangs made 15 of 22 free throws in the second half. Luxemburg-Casco, however, answered with clutch free throws of their own down the stretch, as the Mustangs’ aggressive defense also sent the Spartans to the line frequently. Luxemburg-Casco finished 12 of 18 from the stripe, with Mason Burmeister hitting 10 of 13 to steady the Spartans.

 

With the game tied in the final minute, Coach Jandrin used his final timeout with 28 seconds remaining and drew up a play for a potential game-winner. With one second on the clock, Eli Derenne caught a pass on the block and hit the go-ahead layup, prompting a Little Chute timeout. Out of the stoppage, Verhagen launched a half-court pass to Reece Joten, whose shot was just inches off line and clanked off the rim, giving the Spartans a hard-fought victory.

Piesler led all scorers with 20 points, with Jacob Coisman adding 13 and Burmeister’s 10 rounding out the double-digit scorers for Luxemburg-Casco. For Little Chute, Verhagen led the way with 19 points, joined in double figures by Jaden Hermsen with 11.

Up next for the Spartans is a week off from game action before their home opener on Friday, December 12, against Waupaca.