Ennis boys basketball fights to a fifth place finish at districts

The Ennis boys basketball team fell short of qualifying for the divisional tournament after a fifth place finish at the District 5B Tournament. 

“I told the team after our final game that they showed what it means to not give up and keep moving forward even when things are difficult and not going exactly to plan,” said head coach Greg Feddes.

“We had several close losses (this season) that were tough on us.  After every one of them, I challenged the team to stay together.  We really tried hard to use the losses to bring us together instead of ripping us apart and I think the players responded well.  They stayed together and played for each other and just kept working to get better.  I am so proud of them for that.  It shows the character of the players,” he continued. 

Ennis lost their opening round match of the tournament to Jefferson, who eventually finished third and qualified for divisionals, 39-61. The Mustangs had difficulty creating the same frantic pace against Jefferson they had in their last meeting in the regular season and could not match the length and movement of the Panthers. 

Senior Kace Wagner put up a dozen points in the loss and junior Brandon Foss added eight.

“Brandon Foss did a nice job at point guard and getting us organized and executing,” said Feddes. 

“Kace Wagner was the heartbeat of our defense and set the standard for playing hard.  We will miss Kace's leadership,” Feddes continued. 

The Mustangs rebounded from the Thursday night loss with a dominant win Friday afternoon in their first loser out match against Whitehall. Foss scored 22 points in the 70-49 win. Senior big man Ryker Swanson added 11 points and sophomore guard Riley Reynolds chimed in with 10. 

“Ryker Swanson was our inside presence and he had a great feel for rebounding and finishing around the rim. Ryker is also a great teammate and he will be missed,” said Feddes.

“Riley Reynolds provided a spark off the bench and a three point threat,” he stated. “Malachi Lewis did a good job attacking the rim and putting pressure on the defense”

The win set up a Saturday morning match-up against Lone Peak that was played in the Manhattan Elementary School Gym.

Ennis vs Lone Peak loser out

The game got off to a physical start with both teams probing for openings. Lone Peak took an 8-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

Ennis junior guard Malachi Lewis started to find a rhythm in the second period scoring seven of his eight points in the game on a combination of hard drives to the basket and a step back three pointer. The Mustangs had difficulty finding an answer for Lone Peak’s 1,000 point scorer Isaac Bedway who tallied nine second quarter points showcasing the full range of his game in the lane and doing the lion’s share of work on the offensive and defensive boards.  

Lone Peak came out of halftime and immediately began to build on their one point lead. Junior Ebe Grabow went off for eight third quarter points as the Bighorns built their lead to nine. Lewis continued to find driving lanes for the Mustangs, but the rim went cold and he struggled to finish plays the same way he had in the second quarter. 

Wagner took control of the Ennis offense and turned from scorer to distributor, setting up Reynolds twice in the third quarter and helping cut the Lone Peak lead to just two points at the end of three.

The Bighorns opened the final quarter with Bedway and Grabow working to rebuild their lead. Foss tallied the only basket from the field in the quarter for the Mustangs as their season slipped away. Bedway finished the game with 24 points and Grabow added 14 as the Bighorns earned their way to the consolation game against Jefferson. 

“We have come a long way since the first game and that is a credit to the boys being coachable and working hard and working together,” said Feddes in a post season recap with The Madisonian. 

“Specifically, I think our defense has greatly improved.  These kids had to learn a new system and they did a great job learning and improving all of the nuances.  The focus at districts was to execute on both ends and play the game one possession at a time,” he continued. 

“I would like to highlight (our remaining) our seniors and say thank you to them,” said Feddes. 

“Declan McBurney did everything he was asked.  He gave his best every time he hit the floor. We will miss Declan and his energy.  Finally, Caden Lovett was asked to guard bigger players very often and he never backed down from that challenge.  We will miss Caden and his toughness,” he continued. 

“We are excited about the future,” Feddes stated when asked to look ahead.. “This year, the main focus was to start laying the foundation for the program.  I feel like we have a good base and I am excited about moving forward.