Feb. 17 had the feel of a big night long before the opening tip as the Sabetha Bluejays hosted the Hiawatha Red Hawks, who entered the night 17-3 and ranked sixth in Class 3A. The Roundhouse crowd was loud, the match-up was circled and everyone knew it would be a battle.

Sabetha faced an added challenge before tipoff, as junior Micah Lang was sidelined due to illness. Even without their leading scorer, rebounder and playmaker, the Bluejays stormed out of the gate with an opening stretch that set the tone for a memorable first half.

Behind relentless defense, physical rebounding and fearless confidence, Sabetha jumped out to an incredible 20-0 lead. The Bluejays completely disrupted Hiawatha’s large and talented lineup, turning stops into points and feeding off the energy in the gym.

Senior Charlie Lukert got things going with a smooth two-dribble pull-up jumper and strong finishes down low. Junior Jack Frazee kept the momentum rolling with a sharp shot fake and score, followed by a hard-driving finish through traffic. Senior Cole Menold showcased his versatility, slicing to the rim for a fast layup before knocking down a three-pointer as Sabetha continued to pour it on.

“I think that run just shows we have a mindset that we can compete with any team on any night,” said sophomore Kyson Wertenberger. “Even without Micah, we believed in what we could do.”

After multiple Hiawatha timeouts, the Red Hawks finally found the bottom of the net late in the second quarter. Still, Sabetha answered. Senior Reid Mitchell drilled a wing three, and Frazee beat the shot clock with a high-arching prayer that banked in, sending the Bluejays into halftime with a 25-13 lead and the crowd buzzing.

Hiawatha came out of the locker room determined to flip the script. The Red Hawks turned up the pressure in the third quarter, chipping away at the lead with several runs to cut the margin to 34-27.

Lukert stepped up offensively when Sabetha needed it most, burying a key three-pointer, knocking down a jumper from the elbow, and threading a perfect pass inside to Mitchell for a finish. Menold — who hadn’t yet found his scoring rhythm — closed the quarter in unforgettable fashion — going two-for-two at the free throw line before slicing through three defenders and scoring while diving to the floor at the buzzer. Sabetha entered the fourth quarter up, 38-29.

The Red Hawks opened the final frame with a 5-0 run to pull within four. K. Wertenberger calmly stopped the surge with a smooth baseline jumper, but Hiawatha’s size began to take over down the stretch. The Red Hawks pounded the ball inside, eventually grabbing their first lead of the night with just under three minutes remaining.

Moments later, a Hiawatha three-pointer followed by an and-one dunk ignited the Roundhouse and swung the momentum for good. Despite playing hard until the final horn, Sabetha fell 57-48 in a game that was closer than the final score showed.

“We’re going to use this as a learning opportunity to stay composed in the late stretches of games like this,” K. Wertenberger said.

Lukert led Sabetha with 11 points and five steals. Mitchell added 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals. K. Wertenberger chipped in 10 points and five rebounds, while Menold finished with 9 points and three assists.

“We were focused on both ends of the floor and executed early,” said Head Coach Josh Wertenberger. “This was a game of momentum, and we want to continue learning from every opportunity.”

Even in defeat, Sabetha proved they can go toe-to-toe with the state’s best — especially when the energy is high and the lights are bright.