What we learned from GVC's thrilling double-overtime win over Lake Mills in Class 1A semifinals
Grand View Christian loves making things exciting at the boys state basketball tournament.
The Thunder followed up their 64-63 overtime win over Bellevue in the Class 1A quarterfinals Monday with a thrilling 71-66 double-overtime victory over Lake Mills in the semifinals Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
"It was super exciting," GVC senior Josh Baucum said. "They've got some strong guys and they're a great team. But we focused and didn't get down at all."
No. 1 seed GVC came back from 16 down at halftime to advance to the 1A championship game for the first time in three years. The Thunder will take a 26-0 record into Friday's finals.
Lake Mills, the No. 4 seed, saw its fantastic season end with a 25-2 record.
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Here's what we learned from GVC's dramatic semifinal victory:
Josh Baucum and Manny Hammonds come up big
Baucum and Manny Hammonds were the keys in bringing GVC back from a 32-16 deficit in the second half. Baucum scored 23 of his 27 points during the second half and two overtime periods. Hammonds scored 17 of his 19 after halftime.
"It was a super fun game," Baucum said. "We just trusted each other and didn't beat up on ourselves."
Both Baucum and Hammonds also had three assists. They combined to shoot 17 of 32 from the field and make five 3-pointers.
Their ability to hurt Lake Mills off the dribble was a big difference maker.
"Josh — that's my brother right there," Hammonds said. "We always push each other in practice to be our best."
Daniel Tobiloba hit three big free throws in the second overtime and finished with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Noah John had six points and five rebounds and Josh Sanderson and Frankie Chiodo five points apiece for GVC.
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Defense steps up in the third quarter
The Thunder would not have been able to rally without some key defensive stops.
Lake Mills hurt them with great patience in the first half. The Bulldogs found holes in the Thunder defense and constantly burned them with mid-range shots along with a few timely 3-pointers.
But in the third quarter, GVC put a lot more pressure on the ball and did a much better job sticking with defenders. The end result saw the Thunder move in front 36-35 by the end of the quarter.
"That third quarter was huge for us," GVC head coach Dave Stubbs said. "If we could step it up on defense, we had the confidence our shots would fall. They believed in each other."
Lake Mills shot 54% in the first half. The Bulldogs were held to just under 41% over the final two quarters of regulation plus the two overtimes.
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Helming is sensational in defeat
Lake Mills 6-foot-7 forward Wyatt Helming was the player of the game in a losing effort.
Despite having to deal with Tobiloba, GVC's intimidating 6-11 shot-blocker, for much of the game, Helming was dynamite from 13-15 feet and he also hit four 3-pointers in finishing with 36 points.
"He's a special player," Stubbs said. "We had two guys on him in that first half and he was schooling us for a while."
Helming nearly won the game in an unbelievable manner at the end of the first overtime. He got a loose ball and heaved a shot from three-quarters court that went just off the rim at the buzzer.
"I'll tell you what, he was close," Stubbs said. "That little shot got up there and hit that rim."
Helming also had 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Seth Hermanson added 10 points and five rebounds off the bench for the Bulldogs.
GVC will play the winner of second seed North Linn and third seed Remsen St. Mary's in the 1A championship game Friday at 1 p.m. back at Wells Fargo Arena.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How GVC topped Lake Mills in two OTs in the 1A state semifinals
