MITCHELL — No. 1 West Central is the last undefeated team in Class A boys basketball. 

The Trojans topped Class A No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake, 55-52, in a highly-competitive nightcap at the 44th annual boys Hanson Classic. West Central improves to 13-0, and is the last undefeated team in Class A. The Cyclones, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat and dropped to 11-1. 

The No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup was tight throughout, with West Central’s eight-point lead with four minutes left representing the largest lead of the night. It also featured nine ties and four lead changes in a seesaw battle, in front of an electric Corn Palace crowd. 

“It was a really physical game and it was really competitive,” West Central junior guard Connor Mebius said. “It was fun to compete and it came down to the wire.”

After building their eight-point lead, the Cyclones stormed back and set the stage for an entertaining final period. CWL’s Sullivan Felberg, who scored 18 points and hit four 3-pointers, gave the Cyclones a 52-51 lead with 55 seconds left. Mebius, who tossed in 15 points, gave West Central a 53-52 advantage just seven seconds later. 

After a timeout, Felberg and Bo Begeman both misfired on 3-point attempts, allowing West Central to escape. West Central’s Hayden Heier converted on two free throws to seal the win. 

It was Mebius’ first action in three games, after sitting out with a lower abdominal strain. The all-state guard finished 7-of-15 from the field, added five rebounds, five assists and two steals. 

“I have been struggling with injuries,” Mebius said. “So it was really fun getting back on the court and I might have been a little rusty, but it was a fun challenge and we got it done as a team.”

West Central’s Will Kuhl, a 6-foot-10 senior center, finished with 17 points, six rebounds and three 3-pointers. Kuhl and Felberg, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, were among the big bodies matched up in the contest. 

The teams were evenly matched, and Mebius acknowledged CWL controlled the boards, “but as the game went on we kind of rebounded the ball more and that’s what helped us win the game.”

The teams combined for just 11 turnovers, and ran their offensive with precision. CWL shot 20-of-50 (40%) from the field, while West Central went 22-of-42 (52%) from the field. 

“It was super high level,” Mebius said. “Two of the best teams in the state and it was just a battle. Super competitive and it could have gone either way, but we got it done.”