It has been more than half a century in the making, but the journey back to the top of Class B boys’ basketball is now complete.
The Freeman Flyers won their first state championship since 1975 with a come-from-behind 61-53 victory over Castlewood in the State B tourney in front of a huge crowd inside Wachs Arena Saturday night.
“The kids have been remarkable the last two nights,” said Freeman coach Lance Friesen, “the amount of resiliency and grit and togetherness and toughness, you name it, this was a lot of heart.”
The final hurdle on the way to the state title capped off an incredible trek since the state championship trophy last resided in Freeman. There were lean years when wins were nearly impossible to obtain.
“This is super satisfying,” said Freeman senior Luke Peters. “My seventh-grade year we went 0-21, eighth-grade year we went 1-20, freshman year we won like five games so we were 6-63 or something. … That just fueled me. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid.”
The Flyers started out the year 2-2 before reeling off 22 straight victories, including the most meaningful one of all against Castlewood. And that looked improbable with Freeman facing a 13-point deficit early in the second half.
“We didn’t give up,” said Freeman senior Tate Sorensen. “We did it as a team. We did it together.”
The Flyers took a pair of words to heart to help fuel their run to the title.
“Two of the words that we had up on board this week before games is togetherness and resilience,” Sorensen said, “and I think those two carried a long ways through this whole tournament.”
And when the going got tough against the Warriors, Freeman got tougher.
“We were in good shape at halftime and early third. Things were going well,” said Castlewood coach Paul Raasch. “They changed defenses. They got after us physically and it got us shook up a little bit. We got banged around a little bit and didn’t finish around the rim a few times, and then when we did get open shots, it got us off a little bit.”
With the prospect of not being able to finish off the season with a state championship, the Flyers dug in and got more aggressive as the game wore on.
“I think we started out playing a little scared, a little fearful. You can see on the court, Castlewood’s bigger than us, they were defending champs. So going in there maybe a little timid,” Peters said. “Then second half, I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid. I don’t want it just getting taken away from me. This is a state title, a banner up on the wall, I’m going to go and earn it, and I’m going to work my butt off for it.”
Trailing 33-20, the Flyers slowly clawed their way back into the game, one shot and one stop at a time. While Freeman still trailed heading into the final quarter, it was obvious the Flyers had gained some much needed momentum.
“My message was this, obviously we want to control the penetration and rebounding every game, but we had to be aggressive and we weren’t,” Friesen said. “And then you’re aggressive and hit some shots and now you’ve got enthusiasm, and anything can happen.”
Freeman’s refusal to back down physically from the taller Warriors begin to take a toll, and the Flyers were able to close out the game on a 15-5 run to capture the championship.
“We’ve always been probably the most physical team of everybody we played,” Raasch said, “and tonight they were as physical or more physical and we aren’t used to that. I think that’s probably the difference in the game.”
The Flyers turned a 48-46 deficit into a seven-point lead with nine unanswered points to take control. Peters tied the game, Tayden Kerrigan converted a three-point play, and then David Walter made four straight free throws.
“They can all shoot. You’ve got to guard everyone tight,” said Castlewood senior Brody Bass. “You’ve got to protect the drive and then if you sag off, they’re going to hit a 3 if you leave them open.”
Friesen said rebounding played a key role in his team’s comeback.
“I said this is about rebounding,” Friesen said, “and David cleared some boards for about four minutes. Tate was a monster on the boards down the stretch.”
Kamden Keszler topped Castlewood with 24 points. Will Aderhold contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Warriors finished the season at 22-4 and came up just short in their quest for a second straight championship.
“I think a lot of people at the beginning of the season counted us out for this tournament,” Bass said. “They didn’t think we were going to get this high or make it even.”
Bass scored six points and had a pair of steals in his final prep contest. The senior said he played in honor of his late mom, Traci, who passed away last spring of cardiac arrest at the age of 45.
“I have no doubt in my mind, that she would have loved to see me win, but she’s definitely proud of me and how the team played,” Bass said. “She loves Castlewood and always will.”
Walter finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds for Freeman. Peters added 14 points, and Sorensen contributed nine.
The state basketball title comes on the heels of a state football championship for the Flyers this past fall.
“Two state championships. It’s a blessing,” Sorensen said. “I don’t take that for granted.”
FREEMAN (24-2): Tayden Kerrigan 2 3-3 7, Luke Miller 2 0-0 6, Luke Peters 4 4-6 14, David Walter 6 7-10 22, Tate Sorensen 4 0-2 9, Oliver Waltner 1 1-2 3. Totals 19-45 15-23 61.
CASTLEWOOD (22-4): Kamden Keszler 9 1-5 24, Brody Bass 2 0-0 6, Tyson Manley 1 2-4 5, Leonard Wernke 2 0-0 4, Will Aderhold 4 0-0 10, Trevor Everson 1 0-0 2, Denver Mack 1 0-0 2. Totals 20-55 3-9 53.
Freeman 11 20 38 61
Castlewood 19 30 41 53
3-point field goals – Miller 2, Peters 2, Walter 3, Sorensen; Keszler 5, Bass 2, Manley, Aderhold 2. Total fouls – Freeman 11; Castlewood 14. Rebounds – Freeman 36 (Walter 12, Kerrigan 9, Sorensen 8); Castlewood 31 (Aderhold 10). Turnovers – Freeman 12; Castlewood 12. Assists – Freeman 10 (Walter 4); Castlewood 10 (Keszler 3, Wernke 3). Blocked shots – Freeman 1 (Walter); Castlewood 1 (Aderhold). Steals – Freeman 4 (Miller 2); Castlewood 8 (Keszler 2, Bass 2, Aderhold 2).
