As the old saying goes, “all good things must come to an end,” for the Sutton boys basketball team, the end of the 2023-24 season came to an end with a near 115 mile road trip to Southern Valley High School, south of Oxford.
The trip wasn’t just any trip for the Mustangs, however, this game was for a trip to the 2024 state tournament in Lincoln.
Sutton’s battle in the D1-7 District Final with the Tigers of Dundy County/ Stratton High School was a sluggish start for both teams, as the two teams duked it out in the first half, with the Tigers claiming a 17-13 halftime lead, before a tough third quarter by Sutton led to an eventual 46-33 win for the 21-5 Tigers, as Dundy County/ Stratton sent the Mustangs packing, while wrapping up the season with a 14-11 record.
Sutton, who had won 10 of their last 13 games were seemingly on a roll heading into the battle with the Tigers, after rolling through the D1-3 Sub-District tournament with convincing wins over Blue Hill and Kenesaw in the tournament.
But after the teams worked towards the fourpoint tiger lead at the halftime break, Dundy County/Stratton broke open the game in the third with a 13-2 scoring run to take a 30-15 lead into the fourth quarter, where Sutton held an 18-16 scoring advantage, but fell short of the win.
Sutton struggled offensively, shooting just under 28 percent in the loss. The Mustangs were 13-47 overall from the floor, as Sutton hit on just three of 22 three-point shots (13.6%), while making 10 of 25 shots from two-point range (40%). At the foul line, Sutton hit on four of nine (44.4%).
Juniors Harrison Herndon and Aidan Jones paced Sutton’s scoring attack with 13, and 10 points, respectively.
Sophomore Payton Reed, who added six points to the mix, led the team on the glass with six rebounds, while senior Cole Baumert, who hit for four points, led Sutton in assists with four.
Sutton (14-10)................ 7 6 2 18 -33 Dundy County/Stratton... 9 8 13 16 -46 Scoring: FG FT Pts Harrison Herndon...................6-12 0-0 13 Aidan Jones............................4-11 0-1 10 Payton Reed............................1-7 4-6 6 Cole Baumert.........................2-11 0-2 4 Weston Ohrt............................0-2 0-0 0 Keith Kliewer..........................0-4 0-0 0 Sutton Totals:..................13-47 4-9 33 DC/S Totals:.....................18-39 8-13 46 3-pt FG: Jones 2-7, Reed 1-1, Herndon 1-5, Kliewer 0-2, Reed 0-3, Baumert 0-5. Total: Sutton: 4-23, DC/S: 2-10. Rebounds: Reed 6, Jones 4, Ohrt 4, Baumert 3, Kliewer 1, Herndon 1. Total: Sutton: 19, DC/S: 34. Assists: Baumert 4, Jones 3, Reed 1, Kliewer 1. Total: Sutton: 9, DC/S: 12. Steals:
Reed 2, Baumert 2, Herndon 2, Jones 1. Total: Sutton: 7, DC/S: 4.
