Rash will be the wildcard. He was a key reason why Gilbert was ahead of Waverly-Shell Rock after three quarters a sea- son ago, but late in that third quarter he went down with a knee injury that sidelined him for the next eight-plus months. He couldn’t play soccer last spring, nor could he step onto the football field this fall. So you better believe Rash is ready for basketball.
“We know we can’t take Con- nor out of Connor ... we always enjoy the intensity he brings,” BJ Terrones said of his senior who averaged 7.9 points per game a winter ago. “His aura is contagious.” Hawthorne, an Iowa State football recruit, brings power and confidence to the paint for the Tigers. He can score when called upon, as his 6.5 points per game as a junior proves,
but his biggest assets come on the glass (8.0 rebounds per game in 2023-24) and at the defensive end of the court. “We are very excited to have him with us,” BJ Terrones said of Hawthorne. “He is such an important piece of what we do.” Terrones also credited fellow seniors Ashton Fergen, Bowen Kruse, Grayson Fergen, Isaac Brown, and John Hales with playing key roles over the summer to help prepare the Tigers for the season. Injuries kept some of the more experi- enced players off the court over the summer, and yet the Tigers were still able to compete and improve because of those role players. “They had great participation over the summer,” BJ Terrones said. “They really helped out and gave us the opportunity to improve as a team.” Will that improvement, cou- pled with the experience, lead the Tigers into contention for the Raccoon River Conference crown this winter? How about the program’s first trip to the state tournament since 1995? Those are the goals. League rivals Ballard and Bondurant-Farrar both reached state a season ago. Led by Jude Gibson (17.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 steals per game) and Jackson Brown (14.5
No Name
Gr
0 1 2 3 4 5
Billy Terrones
Jr
Preston Stensland Jr
Tayton Warg Ashton Fergen Gabe Fierce Charlie Reich Connor Rash Ean Eldred Bowen Kruse Grayson Fergen
So Sr So Sr Jr Sr Sr Sr Jr
10 11 13 15 20 21 22 23 24 30 40 43 50
Isaac Brown Eli Hague
Jr
Easton Van Cleave Jr
Brody Hague Lual Kenyang John Hales
Sr
Jr
Sr
Matt Zoz
Jr
Will Hawthorne
Sr
Trent Wesselmann So
points), the Bombers will be stellar once again. Terrones also sees ADM as one of the teams to beat, and he puts his own group in that upper tier as well. “I look forward to our players having the opportunity to com- pete with (Ballard and ADM),” Terrones said. “I think we have an opportunity to have a fun season.” And who doesn’t like fun?
26 GAME ON | WINTER 2024-25
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