Between these two small towns, it’s more than just a game.
It’s the culmination of their hard work, effort, and mental toughness. It’s the first round of the state tournament, and it’s got a familiar foe.
Meet Hanson and Ethan.
Alexandria and Ethan are just 18 miles apart, but both teams will make the trip to Watertown today to play in the Class B State Tournament. And both teams have high marks for the other.
“We know they are a really good team,” Ethan Head Coach Tom Young said. “Both teams have changed a lot and they have a really good inside out game and their press is something we have to handle.”
Hanson’s Head Coach Jim Bridge also noted the change that both teams have experienced since they last played. After all, the two opponents haven’t played since December 12th.
“We are excited. We played them the second game of the year and every year we know we have to play them to advance. We played them in the state tournament in 2018, so we have always known we have had to play them,” Bridge said. “We have grown a lot since the beginning of the year and we are happy to be at the state tournament.”
And while they slowly met their destiny in Huron, both teams found the road to the state tournament in a different way. Hanson has stuck to a team-first format, that creates mismatches against opposing teams. Bridge notes that any player on his team can score double-digit points in any game.
“I think our kids have grown up a lot. I don’t think a lot of people thought we would have achieved as much as we have. We have a bunch of really good kids that have blended and gelded and we have a group of kids that have accepted their roles. This group has been a lot of fun,” Bridge said. “We are one of those teams you can’t key on anybody and we have grown so much. They keep proving to ourselves that we belong.”
The Beaverettes also have strong mental toughness driven by the goal of reaching the State Tournament. That mindset has helped Hanson win a lot of close games, according to Bridge.
“We have had 12 games we have won by 7 points or less, we’ve lost a couple of close ones,” Bridge said. “Our kids have not been rattled all year. We have handled the maturity level and there really hasn’t been any pressure on us. A lot of these kids had connections to 2018, so they have kinda been through it and want a chance at it.”
Ethan, meanwhile, has relied on a steady offense that has had players make big shots for Rustlers, including a 70-56 victory against Hanson.
“Of the 23 games we have played so far, that was our best shooting game” Young said. “The strengths of our team is that we are very well balanced offensively.”
The Rusters also played a close game with Corsica-Stickney, losing by six, and proved to Ethan that they can play good basketball along with one of the top teams in the state.
“I thought we played pretty well, but we were in the game all the way until the last minute,” Young said of the Corsica-Stickney loss. “It proved to our girls that we can play teams like Corsica-Stickney and in the state tournament those are the teams you have to play of that caliber.”
The Rustlers do hold one other advantage over most other teams in the state tournament:
Experience.
2021 marks the 7th straight state tournament Ethan has qualified for, and the community has supported the Rustlers all season.
“Our community support is awesome. This is the 7th straight year we have gone to the state tournament, so every year they back the girls. Despite the covid issues, we have felt like we’ve had a lot of good support,” Young said. “Every year is a different year and this is a totally different year than last year. It’s been fun and I don’t think there has been a whole lot of pressure. They’re excited and it is like the first time we went back in 2015.”
Now, as both teams come together in Huron to play for the first time in 89 days, it will be more than just a game. It will be two towns, showing that with mental toughness, hard work, and effort, anything can happen.
This article is part of our new series of State Tournament Previews
