Rebels outlast Comets in district quarterfinal

REINBECK- In two previous matchups this season, Gladbrook-Reinbeck pummeled BCLUW by an average of 26 points, but the Comets did not go down without a fight in Friday night’s Class 1A District 4 quarterfinal in Reinbeck. BCLUW kept the score close for the majority of the game, but the inside-out combination of Zach Pierce and Joe Smoldt led the sixth-ranked Rebels to a 61-51 win and a spot in the district semifinals against GMG.
“(BCLUW) has been improving all year,” G-R coach Scott Kiburis said. “They’re one of the better teams in this tournament, and we knew that going in.”
Both teams played tight defense in the first quarter, and G-R’s Luke Holman rattled home a 3-pointer late in the quarter to give his team a 12-9 advantage at the first horn. Pierce, who dominated the Comets in previous meetings, finally got in the scorer’s column in the second quarter, and the Rebels stretched their lead to seven points before BCLUW clawed its way back into the contest. Grant Frazer ended the half with an emphatic block, and G-R led 26-23 at the intermission.
 

For more of this story see the Feb. 27 Grundy Register.