Rebels pull away late in district semis

Joe Smoldt, Caden Kickbush and Tyler Pierce combined for 67 points as the Gladbrook-Reinbeck boys used an 11-2 fourth quarter run to secure an 89-75 victory over Belle Plaine last Tuesday night in a Class 1A, District 6 semifinal matchup.
           
The Plainsmen (16-7) came out firing early, taking a 10-6 lead after a Garrett Straight three-pointer, but Smoldt responded in typical fashion, hitting a fall-down three of his own to bring the score back to within one. The two teams traded baskets until Pierce scored an and one to make the score 18-14, but Belle Plaine bounced right back with lay-ups from Brandon Mantz and then Straight to tie up the score. Smoldt hit his first of two buzzer beaters at the horn, however, to put G-R (22-2, 12-0) up 21-18 heading into the second.
           
Pierce struck first in the next frame to extend the lead to five, and Kickbush and Thomas Mussig scored on back-to-back possessions to make the score 30-22. Five straight Plainsmen points brought the deficit back to just three, but another Pierce three-point play pushed the lead back to eight at 38-30. As the clock expired, Smoldt threw up another contested three and drained it falling away to make the halftime score 43-32. The all-state guard went to the locker room with 16 points.  
 
Read more in this week's Grundy Register.