Wartburg Falls to Oneida in District Semis 68-58

By Terry Futrell

For two quarters, it appeared that fifth-seed Wartburg might pull off a major upset in the semifinals of the District 3-1A boys basketball tournament as they led top-seed Oneida 30-27 at the half. Burying five 3-point shots in the half, and with six players contributing points, the Bulldogs played perhaps their best half of the season. But there is always a second half, and this one turned out to be disastrous for the Bulldogs.

A rejuvenated Oneida Indians team emerged from the locker room and shocked the Bulldogs, outscoring them 20-8 in the third quarter and taking a 47-38 lead going into the final quarter. The Bulldogs connected on only one 3-point shot in the second half, and Oneida’s stepped-up defense made it very difficult to drive into the paint. The best the Bulldogs could do in the final quarter was to match Oneida’s scoring, but Wartburg could not make up the deficit and lost the game 68-58.

Tanner Johnson led the Bulldogs with 26 points, but he went cold during the second and third quarters, scoring only three points in each of the two quarters. Matthew Thomas contributed nine points in the paint, and Steven Jones added eight points, including two treys.

In addition to tough defense, balanced scoring was a difference-maker for Oneida. Mason Keeton led the Indians with 21 points, hitting 8 of 10 free throws in the final quarter. Hayden Brawner contributed 14 points for Oneida, and Landon Limburg added 12 points. In stark contrast to Wartburg, Oneida does not depend heavily on 3-point shots and scored no treys in the game.

Oneida moves on to face Oliver Springs in the championship game Tuesday evening, and Wartburg faces Sunbright in the preliminary consolation game.