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MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U CO-GAME OF THE WEEK (SWAL Boys Basketball): Cuba City 60, #9 Darlington 58
Vaassen, Cubans stun #9 Redbirds at the buzzer
G. Vaassen
Cuba City's Gavin Vaassen scores the last of his career-high 31 points on this buzzer-beating game winner to lift the Cubans to a 60–58 upset of Division 4 #9-ranked Darlington last Friday night. (photo by Casey Lindecrantz).

MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Jan. 14–21)
SWAL BOYS BASKETBALL: Cuba City 60, #9 Darlington 58

By Casey Lindecrantz, Tri-County Press, Republican Journal

Cubans stun #9 Redbirds at the buzzer

CUBA CITY — Upsets are abounding for the surging Cuba City boys’ basketball team following a buzzer-beating victory over No. 9 Darlington on Friday, Jan. 17, 60–58, on a buzzer-beater by senior Gavin Vaassen.

The Cubans kept their second ranked opponent in as many weeks on their heels early, claiming a 9-0 lead over the opening 2:40. Gavin Vaassen and Trevor VanNatta split scoring over the stretch with five points for Vaassen and four for VanNatta. The quick burst prompted a Redbirds (10-3, 6-2 SWAL) timeout, and the stoppage was effective for the traveling squad.

“We knew it would be a tough game in a tough environment, and in these types of games, it comes down to the little things,” Darlington head coach Tom Uppena said. “There were a lot of plays throughout the course of the game that could’ve gone differently to help us get the win.”

The Redbirds worked their way back into the matchup, eventually claiming the first of a few leads on the night by 12:20, 14-13. None were long for this world, as Cuba City’s Miles Hinderman drained shot in the paint after nearly a minute-and-a-half of regulation on the next possession. 

The conference rivals traded blows for the next six minutes, until a pair of free throws and a field goal from Vaassen put the lead in the Cubans’ hands again, 29-26. The lead change was the final of the half, though Darlington never let Cuba City pull to more than a 5-point lead to the break, 35-34. Both teams came out of the break ready to fight.

Vaassen scored the first points of the second half, draining a layup, and making the and-one attempt, just 13 seconds in. The Redbirds encroached on and claimed the lead three minutes into the second, one it would hold onto for under two minutes.

After VanNatta got the Cubans to a 1-point deficit at 13:49 with a jumper in the paint, 41-40, Vaassen claimed a fading jumper for three to earn his team the lead yet again.

That advantage held strong until a three from Darlington put the lead back in the traveling team’s hands, 54-53. The Redbirds maintained their edge thanks to Broker Buschor and Dante Glendenning draining buckets, setting the travelling team ahead, 58-54. Unfortunately, the latter’s putback with 2:58 to play would be the final basket of the night for the Redbirds.

Vaassen trimmed the deficit to three points with a free throw at 2:25, and a Hinderman three set the tie, along with the potential for overtime.

Following a Redbirds’ timeout, Darlington appeared intent on having the last shot or taking the game to overtime. The Redbirds inbounded the ball and after crossing over the half court, Taggart Gille dribbled the ball near the top of the Redbirds’ court until 13.8 seconds remained and Uppena called a timeout.

After a pair of passes, Zeke Zuberbuhler released a three with little coverage. The ball almost fell through, but a pair of bounces on the rim had other plans. Cuba City got the ball after it fell out of bounds with 3.2 seconds on the clock.

In a play reminiscent of the Redbirds’ home loss to Mineral Point a month prior, Tyson Richard inbounded the ball to Vaassen with less time to play. 

Vaassen turned and bolted with tight coverage the entire time. Between the half court and the arc, he glanced at the clock. When he reached the arc, one second remained, and he kept the matter in his own hands. After one final step to the hoop and 0.5 seconds on the clock, Vaassen left the ground with defenders on each side. His arm swung out for a hook shot and released the ball with 0.2 seconds left. The buzzer rang out, though the ball didn’t get the memo for at least half a second. It didn’t matter though — Vaassen shot fell through, signaling the upset and preventing an overtime matchup.

“As far as the last play, we told Gavin we are going to get him the ball, and he had Miles Hinderman who hit the three to tie it in the corner,” Cuban head coach Tanner Schieve said. “We wanted him to get down hill, and he could either get to the rim, or if the help came, he had a shooter in the corner. Gavin got to the rim with no help, and made the basket.”

Vaassen’s effort against Darlington was a valiant one — his 31 points led all scorers. He nearly led the team in rebounds at seven, just behind Ben Richards’ nine. Scoring-wise, Hinderman and VanNatta were second and third with 10-and-8 points, respectively.

“We tried to move Gavin around in our offense to get him different actions and allow him to do what he does,” Schieve said. “He is a hard matchup because he shoots over 40% from the three. He is so big and strong, he can really score around the rim, too.”

Meanwhile, the Redbirds were led by Buschor’s 16 points, followed closely by Cagyn Paisley and Zuberbuhler at 11 points apiece.

“I was obviously disappointed in the outcome, but I have to give a lot of credit to Cuba City,” Uppena said. “They outplayed and outcoached us. We’ve had three close losses that came down to the final play now. Hopefully we can figure out how to win these games before the season is over.”

Cuba City 60, D4 #9 Darlington 58
(from Friday, Jan. 17 @ Cuba City)
Darlington....34 24 — 58 
Cuba City.....35 25 — 60   
Darlington (9–4, 6–2) — Broker Buschor 16, Cagyn Paisley 11, Zeke Zuberbuhler 11, Grady O’Brien 9, Ryder Fitzsimons 9, Dante Glendenning 2. Totals — 24-60 2-4 58.
Cuba City (9–4, 6–2) — Gavin Vaassen 31, Miles Hinderman 10, Trevor VanNatta 8, Talan VanNatta 4, Ben Richards 4, Cameryn Guler 3. Totals — 22-46 12-21 60.
3-point goals — D: 8-28 (O’Brien 3, Buschor 2, Paisley 1, Zuberbuhler 1, Fitzsimons 1); CC: 4-14 (Vaassen 2, Hinderman 1, Guler 1). Team fouls — D: 17; CC: 10. Fouled out — none.