Peyton Coleman’s 33 help Mustangs topple Trojans
DAVID MERRILL/DAILY FORUM
North Nodaway’s Peyton Coleman scores over Union Star’s Lane Potter during the Mustangs’ 81-50 victory over the Trojans on Thursday. Coleman had 33 points.
HOPKINS — Much like their female classmates, the North Nodaway Mustangs boys’ basketball team used a strong start to beat Union Star on Thursday.
The Mustangs beat the Trojans 81-50.
North Nodaway jumped out to a 21-8 lead with before Union Star took its first timeout.
Mustang coach Jake Shipman said the strong start was key for his team.
“I liked what I saw,” he said. “We came out confident and ready. Our thought process going in was that we’re ready for anybody that we play. Whether it be Union Star or South Holt. It got our confidence level up.”
The Mustangs built a 29-12 lead going into the second frame and added on to it before the half.
North Nod went up 47-23 with 1:30 to go in the half, which forced another Trojan timeout.
Union Star coach Dave Schmitt emphasized defensive intensity before he sent his team back out.
North Nodaway, however, scored the final six points of the half to extend its lead to 30 at the break.
Schmitt said the first half was the difference in the game.
“We didn’t play any defense in the first half,” he said. “We weren’t in good position and we were just jogging back. I thought we played well in the second half, but you can’t get behind 30 going into halftime and expect to win.”
Union Star did little to climb the hill in the third as a layup from Peyton Coleman made it 61-33 with 1:50 left in the third.
The Mustangs took a 65-40 lead before the end of the third stanza.
North Nodaway quickly took whatever life the Trojans had left in the fourth, as it stretched its lead to 74-46 with four minutes left.
Peyton Coleman controlled things on offense once again for the Mustangs, as he finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block.
Dakota Smyser finished with 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Smyser said the Mustangs played good defense.
“I thought our defense started a little slow, but we picked it up toward the end and I thought our press was great tonight,” he said. “We forced a lot of turnovers and scored off of almost all of them. That was our strong suit.”
The Mustangs move to 12-11 overall and 6-5 in conference play. They host South Holt on Friday following the girls’ 6 p.m. contest.
Union Star now sits at 4-17 overall and 0-8 in conference play.
NORTH NODAWAY (12-11, 6-5 275): P. Coleman 33, Smyser 16, Bird 10, A. Coleman 6, Hoepker 5, Riley 5, Bix 4, Torres 2. TOTALS: 33 10-6 81. 3 PT GOALS: 5 (Smyser 3, P. Coleman 2).
UNION STAR: (4-17, 0-8 275): Potter 21, Barnett 18, E. Sharp 7, C. Sharp 4.TOTALS: 21 6-10 50. 3 PT GOALS: 2 (E. Sharp, Bennett)
DAVID MERRILL/DAILY FORUM
North Nodaway’s Dakota Smyser lays the ball in as Union Star’s Liam Mitchell contests on Thursday. Smyser had 16 points in the Mustangs’ 81-50 win over the Trojans.
