Before Monday's Jamboree exhibition game, Arlington and Blair boys basketball coaches Jake Polk and Chris Whitwer agreed to make the fourth period about the teams' bench players.
Then, however, the preseason matchup got competitive at BHS.
“Both of us, it seemed like, had the itch to really compete and stick the main guys in there,” Polk said after his team pulled out a 63-53 victory. “But, it being an exhibition game, finding ways to learn from it and subbing everyone in there — getting everybody a chance to be on film and get their feet wet — was big.”
Whitwer had a similar viewpoint.
“At first I was, like, 'Five-minute mark, let's get them in,'” the coach said. “Then I looked up at the clock again and it was 3:57. I was like, 'Jeez, we've got to get these guys in.'”
AHS led by just four points, 50-46, before both teams gave their deserving substitutes some game action.
“Those guys came in and they competed hard, and they finished it out,” Polk said. “It was cool to see.”
Eagles sophomore Ryder Logemann sunk, arguably, the biggest shot in the final minutes, stretching his squad's lead out to 57-49 with a 3-pointer.
“Seeing guys, how they respond to pressure, was definitely good for both teams,” Polk said.
Senior post player Trent Koger, however, led his Arlington squad in victory with a game-high 23 points. Oliver Ladehoff added 11 for the Eagles, too, while freshman Brevin Leggott — who played throughout Monday's exhibition — led a shorthanded Blair squad with 10 points.
Both Andrew Smutny and BHS ninth-grader Kalan Steinbeck added eighth points apiece, too.
AHS looks to carry on momentum
Coach Polk returns three starters — Koger, Schuyler Logemann and Ladehoff — from last year's 9-14 AHS basketball team this season as well as five other letter winners.
At least one of those players, though, watched Monday's contest from the bench in street clothes. Dallin Franzluebbers is recovering from a football injury suffered this fall.
“Football injuries happen. You expect that as a basketball coach,” Polk said. “But (the football team) finished strong with that win against (Fremont) Bergan. That was great and I think that's going to carry over into our basketball success, too — just the positive energy.”
The Eagles start the 2024-25 campaign 7:30 p.m. next Thursday at home against West Point-Beemer. In the lead-up, Polk wants to put his players in high-pressure practice situations to make sure they're ready to respond to adversity throughout the season.
One player likely up to the task is Koger, the 6-foot-7 senior. His coach, however, wants to continue to work with the starting big man to help him make his teammates better.
“Trent, he can find ways to score 1-on-2 — 1-on-3 at times — which isn't exactly how we want to play,” Polk said.
Not having the senior have to do it alone is key.
“Finding ways for him to contribute within our offense, and having guys play off of him is going to make us really tough,” Polk explained.
Against Blair, eight Arlington basketball players scored altogether. Koger, though, was the leader. He made four 2-point buckets, two from long range and was 9-for-10 from the foul line.
“It was good to see him start off his senior year strong,” Polk said.
Bears look to start new chapter
Coach Whitwer views a new season like a new book with new chapters.
“There's opportunities for everybody,” he said. “Every year is a new season.”
The Bears, like AHS, went 9-14 last year. They return starters Easton Bosanek, Bo Meier and Aidan Slominski, but just one of the three was healthy enough to play against the Eagles on Monday.
“You've got a couple of guys out due to injury, but that just provides an opportunity for other guys to step up,” Whitwer said. “We've had some good practices and there's been a few change-ups for what we're doing this year, and the guys have done a pretty good job.”
The contributions of Leggott and Steinbeck were notable during the exhibition as Bosanek and Meier watched from sidelines. Both freshman, Leggott led the team in scoring with two made 3-pointers, while Steinbeck was also able to sink a pair of shots from beyond the arc.
“They bring some experience as far as the amount of hours they've dedicated to the game,” Whitwer said. “A lot of these kids have put a lot of time in.”
Isaac Field, Cooper Sorensen, Colin McCabe, Hayden Daggett and Slominski started Monday's outing and are poised to contribute this winter. Several younger players, though, have made highlights during practice, Whitwer said.
“Brevin, especially, has shown some leadership qualities as a freshman where he's been vocal, offensively and defensively,” the coach noted.
While he looks forward to the return of his injured players, Whitwer believes there's plenty of Bears on the roster who can make an impact once the season officially begins 2:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at home against Ralston.
“We feel we have some depth this year with this group,” he explained. “It's just going to be about making sure we're minimizing mistakes and putting ourselves in a good opportunity to be successful.”
Jamboree Exhibition
ARLINGTON 63, BLAIR 53
AHS 19 8 12 24 — 63
BHS 14 13 13 13 — 53
Scoring: AHS — Trent Koger 23, Oliver Ladehoff 11, Schuyler Logemann 8, Ryder Logemann 6, Owen Ladehoff 5, Jack Rosenbalm 4, Killian McIntosh 4, Winston Slykhuis 2.
BHS — Brevin Leggott 10, Andrew Smutny 8, Kalan Steinbeck 8, Aidan Slominski 5, Colin McCabe 4, Hayden Daggett 4, Nelson Kosch 4, Cooper Sorensen 3, Alex Just 3, Luke Donner 2, Thomas LeGrand 2.
