Madrid uses rebounding and defense to take district title

DES MOINES - On a night where the shots weren’t falling for the Madrid Tigers, their defense and ability to grab rebounds played a key role in their game against Lynnville-Sully for a 1A-District 12 championship. With big three-pointers, free throws and offensive rebounds down the stretch, Madrid survived a 50-46 scare from the Hawks to advance to the 1A-Substate 6 final.

“Ultimately we did what we needed to do to win the game,” Tiger coach Brian Surratt said. “The kids just stuck with it and made a few key shots down the stretch to get the victory.”

Madrid took charge in the opening minutes with a 9-0 run to start off. Lynnville-Sully responded with a small 4-0 run to trigger a Tiger timeout. The Tigers continued to enjoy a lead through the period even though they started to go cold shooting and went up by eight to the second, 15-7.

“Midway through the first quarter we quit what got us the big lead and started launching shots.” Surratt said. “There were no post touches or movement on offense. I didn’t think our defense was much better that quarter as we started to gamble a bit and got into foul trouble. Overall we held them to 46 points and that was the key to winning this one.”

Slowly but surely momentum began to go to the Hawks throughout the second period. Madrid wasn’t finding much success on offense in the first four minutes of the period as their lead was trimmed to three. However, they were able to finish the half on a high note and took a six point edge to the locker room, 26-20.

“I think the mood was pretty good,” Surratt said of the halftime feeling. “We had a six point lead and things weren’t going the way we wanted so we had to be pleased with the outcome at that point. Our guys were a little over amped and not focused on the things they needed to be focused on so we tried to concentrate on what we needed to do to win the game.”

The defenses still reigned supreme in the third quarter but the Tigers continued to see their shots miss the mark even when open. L-S climbed back into it and got within two midway through the period before eventually taking the lead late in the quarter and took a 38-36 advantage going to the fourth.

“The goal was to win,” Surratt said of the break between periods. “I just asked my kids if they wanted their season to end this way and they said no. So they went out and did what it took to finish.”

Madrid was able to tie it up with a little more than six minutes to play, the score knotted at 40. The Tigers took advantage of a couple of big triples from Toryn Severson to push their lead to six a handful of times in the final three minutes.

With 1:38 left, and Madrid holding onto a three point lead, they were able to get some more stops down the stretch. A key moment came with under 15 seconds to play. Madrid missed a shot as the Hawks got the ball back looking to tie but the Tigers forced a miscue, getting the ball back with 12.6 seconds to play. From there Madrid was able to hit a free throw and used key offensive rebounds to retain the ball off of misses to seal the tough win.

“It was just a sense of relief,” Surratt said after the final horn. “We shot horribly and were still able to come away with a victory so it was nice to keep moving on.”

Madrid went 20-for-60 from the floor, a 33 percent clip, well below their season average. They made three shots from behind the arc and seven free throws. Madrid grabbed 42 rebounds with 16 of those coming on the offensive end to keep possessions alive. The Tigers also had eight assists, three steals and three blocks.

“We did a really nice job on the offensive and defensive glass,” Surratt said. “They are one of the better offensive rebounding teams in the state and we held them down to around five offensive boards so that was key.”

Toryn Severson paced Madrid offensively with 18 points to pair with six rebounds. Brody Buck added 15 points and nine boards while Jevyn Severson had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Emerson Bridgewater had a team high 13 boards and four assists. Fabian Ortiz-Alaniz had two points, three rebounds and two assists.

Up next for the Tigers is the 1A-Substate 6 final at Drake University against the Ankeny Christian Eagles. The Eagles beat Martensdale-St. Marys in the District 11 title game, 70-63. The two teams met earlier this season with Madrid taking a 70-67 decision.

“We need to play better defense than we did last time,” Surratt said. “We gave up a ton of points and offensive boards. They are a very good team with lots of depth, so we will need to play our best to come out on top.”

Tip off is set for 3 p.m. at the Knapp Center.