By Rich Winter

605 Sports

MISSION — The Lyman Raiders are headed back to another Class B boys basketball tournament following Tuesday’s 58-56 SoDak 16 win over Gregory. 

Lyman’s lone senior Aksel Ehlers scored nine, fourth-quarter points including back-to-back 3-pointers to spark the Raiders run. 

“This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” Ehlers said. “We’ve put in so much work and no one thought we could do it but here we are.” 

The game was tight throughout with Gregory heading into the final quarter with a 42-36 advantage. Gregory junior Lincoln Juracek hit an early fourth-quarter 3-pointer to give the Gorillas a 45-38 lead with 6:54 remaining forcing a timeout call from Lyman’s Cooper Garnos.

“I just told them let’s take it one possession at a time on both ends,” Garnos said. “If we are on defense let’s just concentrate on this possession and let’s get the rebound. On offense I just told them we are going to execute and make sure we move the ball and make sure we give ourselves an opportunity to score.” 

Sophomore MJ Diehm hit a pair of free throws and Ehlers a 3-pointer that cut the lead to 45-43 with 5:54 remaining. Following a Noah Bearshield basket for Gregory, Ehlers drilled a contested three with just over five minutes remaining. 

Lonnie Klundt’s 3-pointer gave Gregory a 51-48 lead before Lyman freshman Cole Kieffer hit a pair of free throws.

Ehlers canned his third 3-pointer of the quarter with 2:15 remaining as the Raiders took their first lead (53-51) since late in the second quarter. The Gorillas took their last lead of the game 54-53 on a Klundt 3-pointer but Lyman’s Dawsen Volmer answered with an inside basket that put the Raiders up 55-54.

“We were down and we needed points and that’s what I practiced and the game that’s where it’s at,” Ehlers said. 

Diehm knocked down 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch as the Raiders 17-6 had just enough to hold off the Gorillas. Diehm had a big game for the Raiders and carried much of the offensive load while other players were struggling. 

“I just left it up to God to help me get through all the fears and the mental problems in my head,” he said. “I gotta hold my head high and I stayed calm by reminding myself it's just another game and there is a lot more to life than basketball.”

The Raiders got off to a quick start against the 20-3 Gorillas and took an 11-6 lead on a drive and finish from Diehm. After a quick Gregory timeout Gregory senior Jackson Bolander grabbed back-to-back offensive rebounds and put shots back. 

Lyman’s Canyon Garnos beat the first-quarter buzzer to give the Raiders a 14-11 lead. 

Lyman led for much of the second quarter but never by more than four points. A late 3-pointer from Klundt and an inside hoop from junior Colt Keiser gave Gregory a 29-26 lead. 

Ehlers hit a free-throw and Garnos a pair of free throws that tied the game 29-29 at halftime. 

The more experienced Gorillas seemingly took control in the second half as Keiser hit a pair of inside shots. Klundt found Bearshield for a basket. Late in the third period Gregory took its biggest lead of the game 40-31 on a Klundt, baseline 15-footer. 

“Whenever we've gone down this year, the coach just tells us to be calm and strong,” Ehlers said. “Be smart and take care of the ball and that’s what we did and it came out in our favor.”

For Garnos, a player on the 1985 Class B state championship team from Lyman, a season of growth came full circle in Tuesday’s win. 

“It’s a group that’s a hard working group and we’ve grown so much, especially over the last six weeks,” he said. “They’ve matured so much, they won some games and got some experience under their belt so I think it was a combination of those things.”