Creston boys open with road win

WINTERSET — It didn’t seem like a recipe for Creston boys to beat Winterset Monday for the first time in eight years, but it worked.

Starting center Brayden Schoon was home with illness. Senior Jake Hoyt, the team’s go-to scorer, picked up his third foul with 5:30 left in the second quarter as Creston held an early 19-9 lead. Winterset outscored the Panthers 9-8 the rest of the period to trail 27-18 at the break.

Head coach Bryce Schafer went to his bench early and often and it worked as the Panthers opened the 2024-25 season with a 52-44 victory. The Huskies pulled within two possessions at 48-44 with 40 seconds left, but Parker Varner made four straight free throws down the stretch to secure Schafer’s first victory over Creston’s non-conference rival.

The last win over Winterset was 64-52 on Jan. 21, 2017 as Kylan Smallwood scored 21 points and Evan Jacobson added 19.

Three Panthers scored in double figures, led by Hoyt with 17 points. Varner finished with 16 and sophomore guard Rhett Driskell added 13. Without Schoon, the starting five was senior Josh Schaefer, junior Cael Barton, Driskell, Varner and Hoyt.

Helping off the bench were Tyler Riley, Tanner Ray, Eli Schaffer and Tommy Sand. As a team, Creston made 13 of 16 free throws, while the Huskies were just 2-of-10. Logan Porter made four 3-pointers in leading Winterset with 14 points. The Huskies shot 32.2% from the field compared to Creston’s 44.7%, which helped the Panthers overcome 28 turnovers.

“Two things were big for us tonight,” Schafer said. “We missed only three free throws all night, and I was putting a lot of people in with Schoon out and then Jake sitting out most of a quarter, and a lot of guys stepped up. They gave us energy and allowed some of the starters to get some rest. With only two guys with real varsity experience (Hoyt and Varner), we withstood their run at their place.”

Winterset had trailed the entire game before pulling even at 34-34 late in the third quarter. Driskell made two free throws with 12 seconds left to give the Panthers a 36-34 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Hoyt, who never picked up his fourth foul, was effective in the high post area in Creston’s new offensive system early in the final period, and Driskell’s 3-pointer gave the Panthers a 43-37 advantage.

Barton drove to the basket for his first two points with just over two minutes to play for a 48-41 lead, but the Huskies made one last charge to pull within four with 41 seconds left. The Panthers avoided any costly turnovers and Varner made two free throws each at the 29-second mark and 17 seconds left to seal the win.

“These are the kind of games that we need,” Schafer said. “This is always a tough matchup for us in the context of when it happens, in the first game of the year, and we’re playing a team that plays a defense that we don’t see much during the season. It’s a 2-3 zone, but really a matchup, and our guys adjusted. We can be even more dynamic when Brayden is with us.”

The Panthers travel to Madrid Thursday before the home opener next Tuesday against St. Albert in a girl-boy doubleheader.

CRESTON (52) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 17 13-16 52. Jake Hoyt 7 3-4 17, Parker Varner 4 4-4 16, Rhett Driskell 4 4-5 13, Cael Barton 1 0-0 2, Tommy Sand 0 2-2 2, Eli Schaffer 1 0-1 2. 3-point goals — 5-14 (Varner 4, Driskell 1). Rebounds — 30 (Varner 9, Hoyt 9, Driskell 5, Josh Schaefer 3). Assists — 13 (Schaefer 3, Driskell 2, Hoyt 2, Tyler Riley 2, Tanner Ray 2). Steals — 6 (Driskell 3, Schaefer 2). Blocked shots — 2 (Driskell 1, Hoyt 1). Turnovers — 28. Team fouls — 19. Fouled out — Ray.

WINTERSET (44) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 18 2-10 44. Logan Porter 5 0-0 14, Hank Wilmes 2 1-4 5, Jace Bellamy 2 1-4 5, Reed Smith 2 0-2 4, Ryley Johnston 2 0-0 4, Daxon Weeks 1 0-0 2, Cam Sheffield 1 0-0 2, Jake Hall 1 0-0 2, Wesley McKinney 1 0-0 2, Jackson Baer 1 0-0 2. FG shooting — 19-59 (32.2 percent). 3-point goals — 4-23 (Porter 4). Steals — 15 (Bellamy 5, Wilmes 3). Rebounds — 29 (Bellamy 9, Hall 5). Turnovers — 15. Team fouls — 20. Fouled out — none.