Worth County survived another frantic finish and handed previously unbeaten Mount Ayr their first loss, 70-67 last Monday, December 21st as Alex Rinehart hung 25 on them.
The Tigers came out throwing the ball all over the place, with seven turnovers in the first five minutes of the game. Yet somehow, they were still in the game after Alex Rinehart shot them into the lead late in the first quarter at 16-13.
Neither team was ahead by more than one possession until halfway through the second quarter. But then Alex Rinehart hit a 3-pointer after a Grant Cameron steal, Jackson Runde got a putback, Alex Rinehart cleaned up on a Grant Cameron miss and added a free throw and Jackson Smith hit Aydan Gladstone inside to make it 36-26 before Mount Ayr rallied late behind a pair of steals to make it 36-32.
The Raiders went to a triangle and two on Alex Rinehart and Jackson Runde, who had 26 of Worth County’s 36 halftime points. They crept to within 36-35, but they quickly got out of it when Grant Cameron and Aydan Gladstone started scoring to make it 42-35. Mount Ayr fought back to tie at 42 and 45, but then Aydan Gladstone broke the tie and Alex Rinehart added a steal to make it 50-45. Briar Knapp’s free throw cut it to four, but Tyler New hit Aydan Gladstone for three to make it 53-46 after three.
Jackson Runde’s triple after a Grant Cameron drive made it 58-47 early in the fourth, but then Jaixen Frost, only a sophomore, started carrying the Raiders on his shoulders, while Worth County started getting into foul trouble, with Aydan Gladstone and Jackson Smith picking up their fourth fouls. Mount Ayr was in the bonus, while they only had three fouls themselves, meaning they could afford to be very aggressive.
Mount Ayr put on a frantic press and got the deficit down to 67-63; then, Payton Wheeler’s 3-pointer with 30 seconds left made it 67-66. Worth County missed a layup on the other end, and Mount Ayr had a chance to take the lead. But they missed a three and two putback tries, and Frost fouled Tyler New trying to get another putback try. It was his fifth foul and New hit a free throw with 15 seconds left that bounced high off the rim and in to make it 68-66.
On the ensuing possession, Grant Cameron knocked the ball loose, but Jackson Runde fouled Peyton Wheeler in the ensuing scramble, and he had a chance to tie it on the line with 9 seconds left. Wheeler made the first to make it 68-67, but missed the second, setting off another scramble. Worth County, who couldn’t buy a board during the fourth quarter, finally got a break as Jackson Runde threw the ball off a Mount Ayr player just before falling into the stands and Worth County got the ball back.
Alex Rinehart, who missed two layup tries earlier in the period, finally got behind the defense and got one to fall with 4 seconds left to make it 70-67, and Wheeler’s shot from just inside halfcourt hit the heel of the rim as time expired.
Alex Rinehart had 25 points. Aydan Gladstone had 17, Jackson Runde 15, Grant Cameron 8, and Tyler New 5.
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