By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
*** This is Part 3 in a four-part feature on the Fremont Bergan boys’ basketball team in its quest for the Class D1 state championship. MaxPreps.com Nebraska correspondent Scott Hansen will follow the Knights every step of the way. ***
LINCOLN, Neb. – It was ugly, but Fremont Bergan will take it.
Bergan moved on to the Class D1 state championship game with a 51-39 over Mead in the state semifinals at the Pershing Center on Friday morning. With wind chills below zero outside, both teams struggled to warm up inside.
The main story could have been how All-State guard Wes Eikmeier nearly was unable to participate. During warm-ups, Eikmeier suffered an undisclosed injury while he was stretching. Head coach Chris Paulson was worried that Eikmeier would not be available.
Instead, Eikmeier dug deep to play the role of hero for the Knights. Eikmeier scored 35 points, including hitting all 16 of his free-throw attempts for a school-record. With shooting guard Brian Liekhus struggling from the field, Paulson was pleased that Eikmeier stepped up when Bergan needed him most.
“Wes really stepped up for us. Brian couldn’t find his rhythm when yesterday he couldn’t miss. Wes was not even close to 100%. It was a gutsy effort. We had a lot of people step up on the defensive end and those sort of efforts don't show up on the score sheet,” said Paulson.
Eikmeier was happy that Bergan is a mere 32 minutes from reaching its ultimate goal.
“This is something we have been dreaming of for a long time. The score doesn’t matter as long as you are one-point better than the team on the other bench. As for the injury, it’s just something I had to play through,” said Eikmeier, who would not comment on the extent of his injury after the game.
The Knights (26-0) hit just one three-point field goal in the victory. In a first round victory over Kenesaw, the Knights hit nine from behind the arc.
Eikmeier did the honors with his three ball in the first quarter as he scored the first nine points of the game for Bergan. It happened to be all the points of the entire contest up until Mead got on the scoreboard with a lay-up with 2.6 seconds left by Adam Taylor. Bergan forced eight Mead turnovers in the first quarter to due its relentless defensive pressure.
“Once again, we know that to win a state championship we have to do it with defense. We feel we are the best defensive team in this tournament. We knew that we could defend them in the half-court offense, and they are a half-court team,” said Paulson.
Both teams warmed up in the second quarter, including Mead’s leading scorer Eric Johnson. Johnson scored eight points in the second, including a pair of three-pointers. Eikmeier and sixth-man Joey Spellerberg combined for 10 second quarter points as Bergan took a 23-14 lead into intermission.
Eikmeier went to the locker room on two separate occasions to receive treatment for this injury. In the second half, the officials put their whistles away, which resulted in a minor game of football. That didn’t help Eikmeier nurse his injury.
“We have played in games more physical than this. We knew that was what Mead would try to do,” said Eikmeier.
Eikmeier hit all 11 of his free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter as part of 13 straight as a team from the charity stripe. With Liekhus in foul trouble and junior point guard Jim Wilmes already fouled out, sophomore Nick Jensen performed well for the Knights.
Johnson led Mead (20-4) with 11 points. 6-5, 300-pound center Josh Charles added 10 points, including eight in the fourth quarter for the Raiders.
Bergan will face the winner of Humphrey St. Francis and Hayes Center at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday for the state title. Bergan is searching for its first title since 1987 when the Knights won it under Wes’ father Randy.
Score by Quarters
Mead………………2 ….. 12 ….. 12 ….. 15 ….. - ….. 39
Fremont Bergan….. 9 ….. 14 ….. 14 ….. 18 ….. - ….. 51
Scoring
Mead (20-4): Moline 4, Raver 7, Johnson 11, Taylor 4, Charles 10.
Fremont Bergan (26-0): Liekhus 6, Jensen 4, Morrissey 2, Spellerberg 4, Eikmeier 35.
