Varsity boys fall to Mayer Lutheran in OT, head to section playoffs

Had the Clipper varsity boys survived the overtime when Mayer Lutheran came to town on Thursday for the regular season finale, they likely would have had a higher seed in the section tournament and a home game to start.

But after trailing the Crusaders 31-22 at the break, finally deadlocking the game when Carson Lyons stole and assisted a Braeden Smith basket with 1:15 remaining in regulation, hanging on for a 63-63 tie at the buzzer but then falling 79-70 at the end of the extra minutes, the Clippers, ranked ninth, will take on eighth-ranked host Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

But from the glass-is-half-full perspective, the competitive game—the first OT a varsity Clipper boys team has played in since they beat, ironically, Mayer Lutheran in the second round of the 2022 section tournament—was an opportunity to hone their game before playoffs.

“The good thing tonight is (the refs) let a lot of contact go,” said head coach Mike Meyer. “I think that frustrated us in the first half because we were getting fouls and they weren’t calling it. Our players are not used to not getting those calls, but that is how playoff basketball is: you get away with a lot of contact; it’s a lot more physical. It’s good experience to get that.”

Ten seconds after the break, Lyons set the tone for the second half when he plopped in a three. Bode Bartell drove through the paint and then braked for a jump shot for the next bucket. On a Smith jumper, the Clippers were back in business, only trailing 31-29.

“Offensively in the first half, we didn’t have anything clicking for us, but we turned it on in the second half,” said Meyer, “and that just comes from our defense. When the guys start buying in, digging in their heals on defense, we always play better on offense.”

But with an inside basket and a pair of layups, the Crusaders scored the next six points for the first of several second-half runs that kept the Clippers at bay. Smith ran in a layup and put in the and-one, but the Crusaders scored on another layup and then stole and scored from inside for a 41-34 advantage.

With a Garrett Heldberg free basket, two Smith layups and a Lyons layup, the Clippers were back within a basket, 43-41, but again the Crusaders rallied, this time for nine points and an 11-point lead.

Bartell and Alex Kortuem teamed up for back-to-back threes, and Bartell stole and put in a bucket for the next eight points, but the Crusaders sank consecutive threes to maintain a nine-point cushion.

But after trading the next four baskets, the Clippers finally caught up after a Lyons three, a Lyons inside basket on a Smith offensive rebound and assist, and back-to-back Smith layups, both after a Lyons steal and assist.

With 53 seconds left, the Crusaders put in the first of two foul shots. Six seconds later, the Crusaders fouled Bartell when he was going up for a layup, and the senior made the second free shot to stalemate the game at 63.

The Clippers had another chance for the W when, with 6.4 seconds left, the Crusaders lost the ball out of bounds, but their jumper from the paint was off the mark, sending the game into a 4-minute overtime.

“Obviously we would have loved to win on that last-second shot,” Meyer said. “It didn’t fall. Could we have gotten the rebound and put it back up? Maybe, but there are little things we can learn from. There’s always room for growth.”

The Crusaders put in a three for the first OT basket and then stole and hit a two. Bartell put in a layup, but the Crusaders landed a running jump shot and directly followed it with a three to lead 73-65.

Later, Smith scored as did Miles Tomaszewski, but the Crusaders put in six free throws to put the finishing touches on the win.

“They hit big shots,” Meyer said. “That’s the thing about overtime: you want to get ahead and stay ahead, but we kept fighting.”

Lyons put in a three and then a two to put the Clippers in front 5-2 early, but the Crusaders responded with the next 10 points. The Clippers kept up from there, and Lyons grabbed a rebound and, facing the other end of the court, put in a blind jump shot just before the half time buzzer, but the Clippers still trailed by nine points at the intermission.

With 27 points, including nine from three-point land, Lyons led all players. Smith totaled 22 points, 15 of them in the second half and three in the extra minutes. Bartell had 13 points, including one three. Tomaszewski put in a basket in the second half and one more in OT for four total points. Kortuem bagged a three pointer in the second half. Heldberg chipped in a free shot.

The Clippers could have won the game from the foul stripe, where they were seven of 16. Mayer put in seven threes and 14 of 24 foul shots.

The Clippers made 24 of 54 two-point attempts (44 percent) and five of 25 threes (21 percent). They pulled down 14 offensive rebounds and 26 defensive rebounds. They suffered 19 turnovers and stole 14 times.

Mayer Lutheran made 22 of 45 two-point attempts (49 percent) and seven of 22 threes (32 percent). They had 13 offensive rebounds and 36 defensive rebounds. They turned the ball over 21 times and had a dozen steals.

Lyons had six rebounds, eight assists and three steals. With a double-double, Smith had 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block. Mason Kluntz had three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tomaszewski had five rebounds and one assist. Bartell had three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kortuem had five rebounds, one assist and two steals. Heldberg had two rebounds and one assist. Jack Mons had one rebound and one steal.

“I’m proud of them,” Meyer said. “We gave them a battle. If the first half would have been different, we could have ran away with it and not even got to overtime, but the guys played well again. A lot of good things came out of it.”

JWP is the Section 2A top seed. Madelia is ranked second. Springfield is third, Mayer Lutheran is fourth, Nicollet is fifth, Mankato Loyola is sixth, and GFW is seventh.

Above: Braeden Smith runs the ball down court as a Mayer Lutheran defender keeps close watch.

Bode Bode Bartell launches a three-point shot from in front of the bench.

Mason Mason Kluntz sets up for a pass from the floor.

Mons Jack Mons peers around a Mayer Lutheran defender.

Bode Bode Bartell draws a crowd as he launches a jump shot.

Alex Alex Kortuem winds up for toss to Carson Lyons in the final seconds.

Carson Carson Lyons coils for the game’s final shot.

Krenik family Before the game, emcee Greg Davis recognized the family of the late Ken Krenik for its donation to the boys and girls basketball program. While at CHS, Krenik lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track. He earned the Androli award. He coached the junior high boys basketball team in the 1980s, the girls varsity basketball team from 1984 to 1990 and the boys varsity basketball team from 1991 to 1993. He was also instrumental in the layout and work for the school’s two softball fields. He passed away on September 21, 2025, at the age of 79 from cancer. In the stands were his family: wife Sandy, daughter Julie (Dittrich), daughter Michelle (Smith) and son Tim.