New Bremen needs double OT to knock off Minster

MINSTER - Another Friday night, another chapter in the growing legend that is the senior season of New Bremen Cardinal basketball player Scott Steineman.

For the third straight Friday night, Steineman was instrumental in his team's success as the senior poured in a game-high 21 points and added 13 rebounds headlining a 54-50 double-overtime win over the Minster Wildcats in Midwest Athletic Conference play at the Minster Middle School.

Steineman saved his best play for the overtimes as he hit 7-of-9 from the free-throw stripe and added a bucket for nine of his team's 12 points in the extra sessions.

"Steineman is a four-year letterwinner, those are the kids that you put the ball in their hands when the game is on the line," said Minster coach Mike Lee. "He's a great basketball player and the bad part is you know what is going to happen and you cannot stop it, so you have to give him credit, he is a great player"

"I really cannot tell you what happened from about the two-minute mark in the game on, but I know we rode our horse tonight and Scott Steineman made a lot of plays tonight," said New Bremen coach Mike Ernst. "He not only made a lot of plays offensively, but he made some great defensive plays as well and I know we would not be anywhere near where we are now without him. He just makes a ton of plays and he did again tonight."

Steineman's heroics began at the end of regulation as he was part of a great play to send play into overtime. Trailing 42-41 with just two seconds left, New Bremen guard Matt McCollum, inbounding the ball at his own end of the floor, threw the ball to the free-throw circle at the other end of the court to center Scott Schnelle who quickly tapped the ball to Steineman who was fouled with no time left on the clock. Steineman sank one-of-two free throws to send the game into overtime

New Bremen took the first lead in the overtime as Schnelle scored inside on the first trip of the period. After an exchange of empty trips, Minster tied the game with 1:51 left on a basket inside by Jimmy Stechschulte.

New Bremen retook the lead, 46-44, with 92 seconds left on pair of Steineman free throws. New Bremen had two chances to build on its lead as Minster turned the ball over on its next two trips but the Cardinals could not capitalize as they turned the ball over twice as well.

Minster tied the game at 46 with on a basket by Stechschulte with 28 seconds left.   New Bremen used a timeout with 16 seconds left, but Brian Garman missed a shot with the time running down.

Minster took control early in the second overtime, 49-46, as Evan Lee hit a free throw and Stechschulte hit a lay-in in the first 68 seconds of the period.

Steineman gave his team lead again at 50-49 as he hit a pair of free throws with 2:24 left and again with 1:13 left.

Minster tied the score one last time at 50, as Logan Sommer hit one-of-two free throws with 58 seconds left.

Steineman then went to work again to grab the win for his squad. First, with 40 seconds left, he hit an off-balanced jumper in the lane, was fouled, and completed the three-point play to make the score 53-50. Steineman then stole the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass to seal the win.

"This was a great high school basketball game," said Lee. "We just did not make our own breaks the last few possessions going into overtime, but both teams laid it on the line and I am proud of my kids. As well as we executed at the end of regulation, we did not execute at the end of the overtimes. We made a lot of mental mistakes, the kind we are going to have to cleanup before the tournament starts next week."

"We did enough things to loose but we also did enough right things to win," said Ernst. "We thought we were in pretty good shape at the end of regulation but to their credit they made the plays. I told the kids their were many times tonight we were could of hung our heads but we didn't, and we just kept battling."

New Bremen opens Division IV sectional play on Tuesday night at Coldwater High School against Marion Local. Minster awaits the winner of the New Bremen-Marion game on Friday in the sectional final.