By Milla Butler
After a successful round of regular-season games, the Mustang men were set to take on the Meridian Mustangs for their first round of sub-districts. After previously defeating Meridian once this season, the Mustangs were hopeful for another win to advance them to the second round. The first quarter rolled around and immediately set the tone for the game; the Mustangs held an eleven-point lead heading into the second quarter with a score of 17-6. The Mustangs managed to maintain that momentum throughout the second and third quarters too, those scores ending 25-14 and 37-17. After another quarter of tough gameplay from the Mustangs, the team took the win against Meridian to advance to the second round of sub-districts. The final score tallied 52-19, setting the Mustangs up for another match against the Lawrence-Nelson Raiders. Junior Landon Duester led the team in points, gathering 21 for the Mustangs. Obtaining 12, Duester was also a main contributor in rebounds. Trailing behind him were seniors Cody Plambeck and Paxton Sorensen with 6.
After triumphing over Meridian in the first round, the Mustangs were hopeful going into the second round of sub-districts, taking on the Lawrence-Nelson Raiders. This was a big game for the Mustangs and adrenaline was running high, as the Mustangs’ last time competing in the district finals was back in 2021. As the first quarter started, it was apparent to everyone in the gym that because of the closeness in score and the intensity brought by both teams, the outcome of this game would be hard to call. The first quarter brought tough gameplay from both teams and the Mustangs went into the second quarter leading by 2; the scoreboard tallied 12-10. In the second quarter, the close score was maintained and ended 28-24 with the Mustangs still maintaining the lead. The Mustangs managed to widen the gap in the third and instead of a four-point lead, it was now nine. Going into the fourth quarter with a manageable score gap, the Mustangs took that momentum and ran with it. They managed to gain 12 more points to the Raiders’ 5, and the game ended 56-40 with a Mustang win. After defeating both the Meridian Mustangs and the Lawrence-Nelson Raiders in sub-districts, the Mustangs became district-final qualifiers for the first time in four years. Team leaders against the Raiders were seniors Paxton Sorensen and Casey Conway with 15 and 13 points, and Duester with 12. Junior Beau Bonifas was also a main contributor, gaining the most three-pointers for the Mustangs. Duester and senior Lane Conway led the team in rebounds, both obtaining 7.