After slow start, Corning dominates

CNA photo by KURT RITZMAN Break your ankles: Blake Thompson of Corning does a crossover as Alex Carr of Lamoni slips while defending him Tuesday during CorningÕs 74-55 victory.

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CORNING — Lamoni’s Kip Deemer scored five of his team-high 23 points in the first five minutes of the game helping the Demons build a 9-2 lead over Corning Tuesday in a Class 1A district semifinal. Michael Webb hit a fastbreak layup for the Red Raiders. Then Corning shut down the Demons for the rest of the quarter, while getting a 3-pointer each from Webb, Billy Dimmler and Blake Thompson to close the quarter on an 11-0 run and take a 13-9 lead. “I think it was the big turning point in the game when they went on that big run,” Lamoni coach Ryan Olson said. “We just didn’t have an answer. Webb and (Weston) Brandt were great (Tuesday). They were just too much down low and out on the wing.” Corning (16-6) would win the next two quarter 44-19 and cruise to a 74-55 victory. “Our boys just started the game off really intense,” Olson said. “ I don’t know if (Corning was) quite ready to go or not, but we sure woke them up in the first quarter. After that, they were lights out.” “We weren’t doing the things we needed to do early. I think some of that might have been jitters. But once we settled down, we really get out of the funk,” Corning coach Mark Fisher said. The Red Raiders advance to play Adair-Casey (23-0) Thursday at 7 p.m. in Greenfield at Nodaway Valley High School. Lamoni (12-9) scored 27 of its 55 points in the fourth quarter. Post play Corning got 42 of its 74 points from its post players. Weston Brandt led the way with a game-high 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds, despite missing time early with foul trouble. “He really took over the game late and had one of his best offensive games,” Fisher said of Brandt, who shot 11-of-14 from the field. Tyler Kinman scored nine points, including Corning’s opening bucket when the Red Raiders were trailing 7-0. Fisher said finally getting a bucket helped calm his team. “Tyler’s getting more and more confident in his game. Early on, he was a big guy we had defending and rebounding. As times gone on, he’s getting more confident in his offensive game,” Fisher said. “It gives us a lot of depth in the post, obviously (Caleb) Nett can score. Tyler can score, Brandt can score. It frees it up more for our guys outside.” Nett added eight points. Transition “We’re a run for a good shot team and I thought that was something we did a great job of (Tuesday),” Fisher said. “We were really starting to wear them down and get up the court.” “Corning’s a great team. They’re fast. They’re quick,” Olson said. “The better team won and the most athletic team won.” Webb and Thompson run the show for the Red Raiders in transition. Thompson scored eight points and dished out four assists. Webb scored 17 points and had five assists. “He’s a guy, when he gets in the open court he can make plays for himself and for others. He did an excellent job of that,” Fisher said of Webb. Last game Deemer, the Bluegrass Conference’s leading scorer this season, played his final game for Lamoni. In addition to scoring 23 points (41.2 percent of Lamoni’s points), he also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. “Kip Deemer is a heck of a player. Any coach would die to have a Kip Deemer,” Olson said. “He’s a great player and I wish I had five of him on the floor at all times. He’s just one of those special players” Next up Corning will play in the District 14 Final Friday for a berth in a Class 1A substate held at West Des Moines Valley High School Saturday. To do that, Corning will have to give the Bombers their first loss of the season. “They’re a real tough team,” Fisher said. “We’ve got to find a way to contain the Leeper kid and the Harris kid. We’ve got to play another really good game. Defensively, we’ve got to be solid. We’ve got to take care of the ball and do the things we need to do on offense.” Zack Leeper and Josh Harris combined for 30 points in Adair-Casey’s 56-42 victory over Lenox Tuesday. Lamoni (55) — Kip Deemer 11 1-3 23, Alex Carr 3 4-5 10, Tyler Seymour 3 2-2 8, Clint Foster 3 0-0 6, Zaldy Doyungan 1 0-0 3, Joe Kotz 1 0-0 2, Rhett Boles 0 2-2 2, Cordell Towers 0 1-2 1. Totals — 22 10-16 55. 3-point goals — 1 (Doyungan). FG shooting — 22-46 (47.8 percent). Rebounds — 24 (Deemer 12). Assists — 8. Steals — 10 (Deemer 3). Turnovers — 20. Team fouls — 23. Fouled out — Kotz, Foster. Corning (74) — Weston Brandt 11 3-6 25, Michael Webb 7 2-4 17, Tyler Kinman 3 3-6 9, Blake Thompson 2 3-8 8, Caleb Nett 2 4-6 8, Billy Dimmler 2 1-2 7. Totals — 27 16-29 74. 3-point goals — 4 (Dimmler 2, Webb, Thompson). FG shooting — 27-46 (58.7 percent). Rebounds — 24 (Brandt 7, Nett 6). Assists — 18 (Webb 5, Hefflefinger 5). Steals — 13 (Webb 4, Kinman 4). Turnovers — 14. Team fouls — 18. Fouled out — None. Lamoni — 9 19 28 55 Corning — 13 36 57 74 —————— Kurt Ritzman can be reached at 782-2141, ext. 246 or kritzman@crestonnews.com