Ethan Gascoigne Goes Beast Mode as Bluejays Back on Track

Ethan Gascoigne went into beast mode Thursday as Northeast Nodaway’s junior high boys snapped a two game losing streak with a 27-15 win over Worth County. Gascoigne had 16 points and 15 boards, going up against the taller front line of Cannon Fletcher and Carter Chapman and grabbing everything in sight. 

Drew Dack hit Jake Redden inside to start the scoring, and then Gascoigne got a fourth chance putback and hit two free throws. Landon Wilmes got a layup after he got a tip and Jacob Meyer got a steal and got it to him, and then Gascoigne got another putback to make it 10-0 after one.

Northeast was slowed down after Drew Dack got his second foul, but they won the turnover battle in the first quarter, taking the ball away from Worth County 11 times, while surrendering the ball only five times.

Gascoigne continued to carry the Bluejays in the second quarter as Drew Dack came back in and started getting him the ball again. Ethan knocked down a pair of free throws and hit an inside shot, while Brayden Stevens started getting on the line for Worth County and put them on the board, as they trailed 14-3 at the 1:16 mark.

But then Worth County imploded in the last minute of the half as Jake Redden hit a free throw, missed the second, but then Ethan Gascoigne grabbed the putback to jumpstart the blue shirts. Gaige Bodle got a steal and fed Jake Redden, who missed, but Gascoigne was there for the putback, and then Drew Dack finished the scoring with a drive down the left side to make it 21-3 at the half.

Drew Dack got a tip and steal, and Ethan Gascoigne got a putback for the Bluejays in the third, but Worth County did a much better job in the period of rebounding and getting the ball out in transition. Carter Chapman got on the board for Worth County, scoring twice in transition as Worth County trailed 25-7 after three.

Drew Dack cut inside for a basket to make it 27-7 early in the fourth, but Worth County did a much better job of pressuring the ball in the fourth quarter, and a late rally brought the deficit down to 12 at the end. Franklynn Hoff got on the board with a layup off a Karson Briner steal and added a 3-pointer after Briner kept another possession alive with an offensive board. Brayden Stevens added a three point play off a drive for the Tigers.

For Northeast, Ethan Gascoigne had 16, Drew Dack 6, Jake Redden 3, and Landon Wilmes 2. For Worth County, Brayden Stevens had 6, Franklynn Hoff 5, and Carter Chapman 3. 

For Northeast, Ethan Gascoigne had 15 boards. Drew Dack had 5, Jake Redden and Landon Wilmes 4, Jacob Meyer 3, Kenneth Schieber 2, and Gaige Bodle 1. For Worth County, Carter Chapman had 10 boards. Karson Briner had 5, Cannon Fletcher and Brayden Murphy had 3, Brayden Combs, Franklynn Hoff, and Andrew Griffin had 2, and Jace Cameron and Sawyer Thurman had 1.