It took overtime but the C2 State Championship trophy is headed to Amherst for the first time in school history after beating Lincoln Lutheran 59-54 in overtime.
This group was not a stranger to state title games making it to the state championship last year before falling to Freeman to end the season runner-up.
The team acknowledged that going into this year. “That was our whole motto and goal going into this season.” said Senior Tayje Hadwiger “… making it back to where we did last year but not ending it like we did last year.”
The Broncos opened the year 5-0 winning by at least 20 points in all 5 contests. Their first loss of the season came in mid-December when they hit the road and took on Gothenburg. Eric Rippen Head Coach for Amherst said “Things didn’t go right for us. We got down 16-2 in the first quarter and for our kids to fight back and get it to overtime. It was really good it was something we could use as a positive out of that game.”
They certainly did learn something from that overtime loss, as they went on a winning streak that lasted 12 games and the entire month of January. The only other loss came in the FKC tournament when they lost to SEM 44-39.
Heading into the final stretch of the season they went on to win their last 6 games by 10 or more points and were seeded first in Class C2.
At the state tournament, they would beat Bridgepoint in the first round 55-47, Cross County in the semifinal 63-48, and Lincoln Lutheran 59-54 in overtime to secure the championship.
The Broncos ended the season with a 26-2 record and will be graduating 3 seniors heading into the 2024-2025 season where they will look to defend the title.
