BOYS BASKETBALL: Grand Island Upsets No. 7 Northeast In Overtime

LINCOLN–(KLMS Jan. 28)–University of Virginia men’s basketball commit Isaac Traudt scored 24 points to lead Grand Island to a 46-44 upset of Class A No. 7 Lincoln Northeast in boys basketball Friday night at the Ed Johnson Gym.

The game heard on ESPN Lincoln, though, did have some drama.

Northeast led 33-26 after the third quarter and led by as much as 11 points with 6:25 remaining in the game.  Traudt, a 6-9 senior and the state of Nebraska’s top basketball prospect, hit one of two free-throws a few minutes later that pulled Grand Island to within five of the Rockets.  Traudt scored eight of his points in the final period and got help down the stretch from guard Andy Poss.  Both helped the Islanders outscore the Rockets 15-7 in the fourth quarter, ultimately tying the game up at 41.

Northeast had one chance to score and draw a foul from Zander Beard in the final seconds of regulation, but his shot attempt was high of the glass at the buzzer.

In overtime, the Rockets answered first with good ball movement and a three-pointer from 6-7 junior Porter Bazil that gave Northeast a 44-41 lead.  Grand Island (6-8) answered with a basket from Dylan Sextro and a free throw from Poss to tie the game.  Northeast had possession with under a minute left, but a turnover committed by G Gatnoor later set up the Islanders’ opportunity to take control.

Grand Island had the ball with under 20 second remaining, when Northeast was looking to stop Traudt from taking the final shot.  The Islanders moved the ball around, until Poss then got the ball and drove in from the right wing to score and give the Islanders the two-point lead with 2.7 seconds remaining.

Northeast took a time out to set up for a final shot.  Senior guard Zander Beard got the ball at mid-court and heaved up a shot at the buzzer that banked in, but didn’t count since the ball left his hands after time expired.

Both teams were tied at 15 at halftime, as Grand Island tempo on offense and 2-3 zone limited Northeast’s uptempo transition game.

Bazil and 6-1 junior guard Jalen Lang each had 10 points to lead the Rockets in the loss.

Click the links below to listen to the podcast of Friday’s game.

Grand Island at Lincoln Northeast boys basketball 1st Half
Grand Island at Lincoln Northeast boys basketball 2nd Half