Van Gorp’s big night powers PCM boys to win in district opener

MONROE — There was only one thing in question after the third quarter of PCM’s boys basketball postseason game against Van Buren County on Monday.

“The guys on the bench told me they wanted him to get it tonight,” PCM head boys basketball coach Tony Ford said about Gavin Van Gorp’s opportunity to reach 1,000 career points. “I’ve heard stories of guys who ended just short of it, and I didn’t want Gavin, for what he’s done for us, to be short of it. He had the matchup where we knew if he got the ball he could finish.”

Van Gorp entered fourth quarter still needing 18 points to reach 1,000. The Mustangs made sure he had enough chances to get there and his career-high 38 points guided PCM to an 82-36 home win in Class 2A District 10 action.

Van Gorp came into the game needing 38 to reach the scoring milestone. He scored 12 in the first and six in the third, but an 18-point fourth with the game no longer in doubt was the difference in him reaching the mark on his home floor.

“The plan was to win the game, but I looked at the bench when he was probably at 28 or so and they all wanted me to leave him in,” Ford said. “To do it at home was something we wanted to do. He’s always hurt and plays hurt so I wasn’t worried about that.”

The game was close for a lot of the first half. But the game turned in the Mustangs’ favor when Van Buren’s leading scorer, Izaac Loeffler, fouled with 1:23 to play until halftime.

Loeffler came into the game averaging 20 points per contest but scored just eight in the first 15 minutes of game action. He also missed a large chunk of the second with his third foul.

His fourth and fifth fouls came on the same play. He was whistled for a foul on Kaleb DeVries on a breakaway for his fourth personal and then was issued a technical foul seconds after for his fifth.

“It was huge,” Ford said about Loeffler missing the entire second half. “I looked up at the board and saw it was four and then five. That was a big deal. Our defensive game plan was all about No. 1 and No. 4.

No. 1 is Will Cocherell, a sophomore who averages 14 points per game for the Warriors.

Cocherell finished with a team-high 13 points, but Loeffler’s absence was felt in a second half that saw PCM outscore its visitors 48-16.

The Mustangs (12-11) led 15-13 after one quarter and pushed the margin to nine when Loeffler fouled out. PCM ended the first half on a 9-2 run and it was basically over at that point.

“That obviously helped us a lot,” Van Gorp said. “Once he fouled out, they didn’t play near as well. We just played our game though I guess.”

The two teams split 47 fouls called in the game, but PCM had a 13-point advantage in free throw makes.

Van Gorp scored 12 points in the opening frame, but neither team led by more than three.

The Mustangs opened the second with a 9-0 run to push the margin to double digits. It stayed that way until Van Buren scored four straight and then Loeffler closed the margin to seven with a pair of free throws.

The Warriors (6-16) didn’t score again in the period though and PCM led 34-20 at the break.

“The intensity was high and the boys executed the game plan,” Ford said. “From what I could tell, they had not seen a 2-3 zone this year. I knew that was one of our strengths so we just modified what we did to try to force them to play through their inside guys. They are not very big and don’t have a lot of post players. The guys knew that and believed in it. (Van Buren) also didn’t shoot as well as they normally do.”

Van Gorp and Chase Wagaman combined to score PCM’s first nine of the third and that stretch swelled the advantage to 43-22. The Mustangs led 56-25 after three.

DeVries opened the fourth with a 3-pointer, but the quarter belonged to Van Gorp, who did a lot of his work from the high post. He converted a pair of three-point plays in the frame, made five free throws and added a trio of buckets inside the lane.

“I came out feeling great and my teammates were being super unselfish. That helps a lot,” Van Gorp said. “When I got up in the high 20s in the third, I figured it might happen. The guys just kept passing me the ball because they wanted me to get it. They were all cool with it so I appreciate the chance to have that opportunity.”

Van Gorp added five rebounds, three assists and two steals to his career-high 38 points.

DeVries posted eight points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals and Wagaman chipped in seven points, six rebounds and two steals.

Alex Wendt put in six points and grabbed 12 boards, Cutler VandeLune posted six points and three rebounds and Jake Winters led the bench with four points and six boards.

Kash Fischer totaled four points, two rebounds and two steals, Gavin DeRaad had three rebounds and four assists, Joe Shaver put in four points and Pete Kiernan added a 3 off the bench.

The Mustangs shot 41 percent from the floor, made 5-of-17 from 3 and connected on 27-of-38 from the free-throw line.

They also turned the ball over only 12 times against a Van Buren team which pressured full court for most of the first half.

“We wanted to take care of the ball in their press,” Ford said. “We handled the press very well. I give a lot of credit to (DeVries). He ball faked, got the ball up the floor and kept them off their heals.

“He’s a coach on the floor and has a coach’s brain in a teenage body.”

Notes: Hayden Shannon made his varsity debut late in the fourth quarter. … The Warriors came into the game allowing more than 70 points per game. PCM scored more than 80 for a second straight contest. … Ford said Van Gorp was the one who told him to leave VandeLune in the game last year when he was going for the 3-point record. “It’s a good group of seniors,” Ford said. “Cutler always talks about us being a family, and that’s what the senior group is about. They are a tight group.” … PCM advanced to play 2A No. 5 Grand View Christian at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Des Moines. The Thunder are 2-0 against the Mustangs this season. “We were up in the first half the last time we played them,” Van Gorp said. “I think our game plan is good. We just need to execute. It’s a good group of guys. I think we have a shot and can compete with them if we want to.”