Wildcats Win On Last-Second Tip-in 61-59

The Wildcat basketball team escaped losing to Apple Valley after senior Matt Hentges tipped in a rebound as the game's final seconds dwindled.

Hentges' scoring line of 10 points, five rebounds and two steals was average in every way except for the timing of his final basket. After a missed shot from teammate Jameson Parsons, Hentges simply out-jumped everyone around him to seal the victory.

Apple Valley jumped to an early 12-4 lead over the Wildcats behind an early three-point shooting from its sophomore tandem Harry Sonie and Dustin Fronk.

Things in the Eagles camp took a turn for the worst when senior captain Tom Schalk re-injured the sprained ankle that kept him on the bench for the last two weeks.

While Schalk was able to walk off the injury and continue playing, three consecutive Apple Valley turnovers with ten minutes left in the first half allowed Eagan to claw its way back into a 16-14 lead.

Unwilling to let the game get away from them again, Eagan made five three-pointers in the first half to take a 31-26 lead into the intermission.

“We played OK tonight,” Apple Valley forward Josh Johnson said. “We could have stepped up our defense a little. We had that little lapse at the end of the first half.”

The Eagles trailed for much of the second half due largely to Eagan's sharp shooting. The Wildcats shot 72 percent from the free throw line in the second half and senior Nick Sabatke scored 13 of his 16 points after the break.

But as they have often done over the past four years, the Eagles looked to their newly returned floor general to keep them in the game. Apple Valley got 19 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots from perennial playmaker Schalk.

“Tom gives us a dependable scorer and great leader on the court. I think the kids rely on him when the game is on the line,” Eagles head coach Zach Goring said after the game.

19 points from Schalk and 17 from Sonnie allowed the Eagles to battle back to 55-57 with 3:45 left. The teams traded baskets after which Apple Valley applied a stifling defense that forbade Eagan any legitimate scoring opportunities.

Schalk then scored a 15-foot fade-away jump shot to tie the game at 59 apiece.

Eagan tried to breakdown the Apple Valley defense with such little success it took two timeouts in the final 14 seconds left. In the end, the short rest was all the Wildcats would need.

Junior Nick Sabatke led the Wildcat scorers with 16 points followed by Parsons and Hentges who had 13 and 10 points, respectively.

“This was a tough game tonight. We knew it'd be a nail-biter. Apple Valley has some very experienced players,” Eagan head coach Kurt Virgin said after the game. “This team still has not peaked yet though. The sky is the limit with these guys.”

Apple Valley next plays Burnsville at home on Friday, Jan. 21 at 7:00 p.m. Eagan travels to Rosemount to take on the Irish at 7:15 p.m. on the same day.