By Scott Bidroski The 2023-24 season for the Gordon-Rushville Basketball team has come to a close for the Mustang Boys.
The team traveled to Bridgeport, Neb. on Tuesday, February 20 to face off with the #1 seeded host Bulldogs in the first round of the Class C2-12 Sub-District tournament.
The Bulldogs showed all in attendance why there were seeded in the top spot for the Sub, racing out to a 44-0 halftime lead over the Mustangs.
They would cool down a bit in the second half but still cruise to the 66-7 victory.
Senior Louis Martin and freshman Kannon Leeper led the offense with 2 points a piece.
The loss closed the books on the 2023-24 season which has been a rebuilding year for the program.
Head Coach Jared Nelson notes that while the loss column was lopsided this season, the team grew exponentially.
“This group has grown leaps and bounds in just this one season. We had a very inexperienced team this year who needed a lot of exposure to varsity level basketball,” said Coach Nelson.
“The experience gained will be phenomenal for our returning players next season.
It’s no sercret that the only way to improve a skill is by doing it and our boys have been practicing five days a week since November and played 19 games. We’re really excited to pick up right where we left off at the beginning of the year next year,” he added.
Seniors Louis Martin and Allan Tullis suited up for the final time as Mustangs.
Martin led the team in rebounding with 103 rebounds this season in 18 games played.
He also tallied 35 points in the middle for G-R.
Tullis played in 8 games and scored 8 points.
“Our seniors have been excellent examples for the younger guys on the team. They bring the energy of practice up, work hard on the court and in the classroom, and their presence will be missed next year,” said Coach Nelson.
“They really helped us get the ball rolling this year even though unfortunately they won’t be able to be with us next year,” he added.
Returning to the roster next season will be a majority of the production from this season.
Sophomore Daniel Martins led the team in scoring with 168 points, averaging 8.8 per game.
Junior Maddox Leeper will return for his final season following this year in which he scored 74 points and pulled down 76 rebounds.
Sophomore Johnny Ziller and freshman Kannon Leeper, along with junior Juan Montanez-Rodriguez and freshmen Case Scheenen, Brody Popken all return to the roster.
Mix that in with some of the newcomers coming to the program along with the progress in the youth basketball leagues, Coach Nelson is hopeful there are better days to come for the Mustang Basketball program.
“It’s been great to see what is happening with the youth basketball program this year. It really is the foundation for our program and having young boys playing basketball and mastering fundamentals at a young age will propel our high school program to a high level very quickly. We just need to keep encouraging our youth to participate in all the sports and activities that they can,” said Coach Nelson.
“We’re very excited for the talent that is coming up from the middle school next year. There are some good athletes and basketball players who could be competing for varsity minutes next year. Having that competition is going to really raise the bar for everyone.”
The Mustangs finished the 2023-24 season with a 0-19 record.