By Mike Drooger –

There are many things a basketball coach might yell out to his or her team during a game. Things like box out, move your feet, play defense, take care of the ball, talk, run the offense, and switch on the screens will be heard, but hardly ever does a coach yell out, “Just stand there!” But that’s exactly what Edgerton Flying Dutchmen boys’ basketball coach Doug Van Kley instructed his players to do with six seconds remaining in their game vs. Adrian/Ellsworth on Monday night, March 15, in Edgerton.

Some people call it a play-in game while others call it a pigtail game. No matter the official name, the Dutchmen were happy to be playing in the Sub-section 3 tournament game, and they were even happier to be playing at home when Edgerton (8th seed) hosted the Dragons (9th seed).

And the Edgerton players were really happy at the six-second mark when they were told to just stand there. They had that luxury thanks to the two free throws that Gabe Gilbertson had just swished to put his team up 59-54, which turned out to be the final score.

Edgerton and Adrian/Ellsworth split their two games during the regular season. During those games the Dutchmen learned Payton Lewis is the Dragons’ go-to player offensively, therefore, he would require extra defensive attention. That’s where Nolan Buckridge came in. Buckridge had done a great job on Madelia’s 2,000-point scorer Ja’Sean Glover, and Buckridge was called upon to do the same with Lewis. During Keegan Fey’s postgame interview with KDWC radio with Ross Kreun, Fey noted Buckridge’s effort, “Nolan Buckridge did an amazing job on Payton Lewis defensively.”

While Buckridge was taking care of his defensive assignment, Fey was hotter than the equator on the Fourth of July. At least in the first half. Fey was 6-for-11 from beyond the arc over the game’s first 18 minutes. He also added a two-point field goal for 20 points and Edgerton led 35-27. When a player shoots that well and scores 57 percent of his team’s points, the opposition will likely make defensive changes.

That’s exactly what the Dragons did. They went from a zone defense to man-to-man and Fey’s shot attempts went from 13 in the first half to just three in the second. “Other people stepped up to the plate when they needed to,” Fey said after the game.

One of those “other people” was Gabe Gilbertson who scored 12 points in the second half, getting three field goals on his patented attacking of the bucket. “I’m not the tallest player out there but I can jump. I just try to get to my sweet spot,” Gilbertson stated during his turn to talk on the radio. That sweet spot is in the six- to 10-foot area around the hoop.

For the complete article, please see the March 24th edition of the Edgerton Enterprise. If you do not currently receive the Enterprise, CLICK HERE for information on how to subscribe!