MITCHELL — Two Class B teams with championship aspirations — Viborg-Hurley and Castlewood — faced off at Saturday’s Hanson Classic. 

The matchup was headlined by all-state big men Nick Hanson (Viborg-Hurley) and Bryon Laue (Castlewood). But it was junior guard Braydyn Morrison that stole the show late, scoring eight fourth-quarter points as the Class B No. 3 Cougars picked up a 49-44 decision at the Corn Palace. 

“Castlewood was circled on our list for a while,” said Morrison, who tossed in 17 points and hit five 3-pointers. “They are a big contender. They are no team to joke around about. So coming out with a win here feels really good.”

In the fourth quarter, Morrison hit two back-to-back 3-pointers after Class B No. 1 Castlewood cut the deficit to 40-39 3:30 left. Morrison’s second triple extended Castlewood’s advantage to 46-39 with 1:26 left. 

“He’s fearless,” Viborg-Hurley coach Shane Warwick said. “I love coaching him. He’s just a kid that loves hoops and loves that moment.”

Morrison, who finished 5-of-7 from the 3-point line, said he hadn’t hit many big shots for the Cougars this season. But shined on one of the state’s biggest stages. 

“I was enjoying every single minute of it,” Morrison said. “Every moment I touch the ball I was looking to score. I am glad my teammates can come through, too. I was just really happy.”

Castlewood’s Luke Baumberger hit a 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 46-42 with 1:14 left. Jamison Keszler got Castlewood within 46-44 with :32.9 seconds left, but Morrison hit two free throws for a 48-44 Cougar lead with :14.2 seconds left.   

The Cougars added one more free throw on a technical foul, and ran out the clock for the marquee win. 

“You have to play well in the game to be with them,” Warwick said. “So naturally it’s a big win for our kids, but you can see the Class B field is going to be really good.” 

Laue, a 6-foot-9 senior, led the Warriors with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Hanson, a 6-foot-7 senior, recorded 12 points and seven rebounds for the Cougars. 

Hanson was whistled for two quick fouls, and 6-foot-6 Owen Niederbaumer was called upon to help defend Laue. 

“Owen did a nice job getting us through the second quarter,” Warwick said. “I guess we were fortunate to feel like we got out. Compliment Owen on that piece of it.”

Viborg-Hurley finished 19-of-36 from the field and 6-of-13 at the 3-point line. Brady Schroedermier and Niederbaumer scored seven points apiece. 

Keszler added 13 points and four steals. The Warriors shot 19-of-47 from the field, including 3-of-18 at the 3-point line. 

“We know what we need to do to clean things up,” Castlewood coach Paul Raasch said. “We are real happy with our defensive effort. We held a pretty good team to 49 points. We just didn't have enough at the end.”

The Cougars built a 19-9 lead early in the second quarter, and led 28-22 at halftime. The Cougars maintained their lead the rest of the night.

“They got control of the game a little bit and we were kind of fighting uphill all night,” Raasch said. “We are not shooting the ball very well right now. Their defense played a big part of it.”

The Cougars stretched their lead to 38-30 with 6:28 left, but the Warriors made one last surge. Laue cut VH’s lead to 40-39 with 3:35 left, but Morrison buried his two back-to-back 3-pointers and sparked the fourth quarter for the Cougars. 

“The two he hit in the fourth quarter we are down and we are trying to pressure a little bit,” Raasch said. “We lost track of him and defensively you are trying to create some things. They did a nice job of finding him.” 

Viborg-Hurley plays Centerville on Jan. 30. Castlewood plays Colman-Egan on Jan. 28.