VIENNA — The Vienna Eagles boys basketball team scored two crucial wins last week, including a dominant 74-41 victory over Prairie Home on their homecoming night, moving their record from 6-10 to 8-10 on the season. With every seat in the gym filled by parents, grandparents, students and neighbors, the energy was electric. The crowd’s roar pushed the Eagles to a performance that combined explosive offense, lockdown defense and a few dramatic moments that had everyone talking.

Teagan James delivered one of the most compelling games of his season, finishing with 27 points. After scoring seven points in the first quarter, he came out firing in the second, but missed his first five shots of the period, leaving Vienna’s offense struggling. Head coach Chandler Harker called a timeout, and in a surprise move, designed a play for the ball to end up in James’ hands. James then nailed a corner three to break the drought, followed by two more triples in the quarter.

When asked about his willingness to let the ball fly, James had this to say.

“It’s what coach wants,” James said. “Just clear your head and make the next one.”

Drama escalated in the third quarter after a 23-5 run by the Eagles, when James drove for a layup and was fouled hard by a Prairie Home defender. Initially called a regular foul, it was clear the defender appeared to make a play on James rather than the ball. James’ father, Chad James, advocating from the stands, was asked to leave by event staff after voicing his concern and advocating for his son’s safety. He left peacefully and respectfully. 

After the mass confusion on the court, to everyone’s surprise, the call was later overturned to a flagrant foul, giving Vienna a free throw and possession of the ball. James, who had suffered a hip and back injury on the play and would leave the game in the early minutes of the third quarter. He would return in the fourth quarter to score six more points, cementing his impact on the win.

Junior Point Guard Hunter Schwartze returned to action after missing time with the flu last week and immediately made his presence felt, scoring 20 points and wreaking havoc defensively. With 1:30 left in the first half, Schwartze completed a one-handed and-1 layup, converted the free throw and then executed a perfect outlet pass to James for another basket, pushing Vienna’s lead to 20. Minutes later, Schwartze stole the ball, sprinted the length of the floor, drew another and-1 foul , this time a mid range jumper and added another point from the free throw line, showing why the Eagles perform better with him on the floor.

Down low, Dylan Long had a season-high performance with 16 points, dominating the paint even after teammates Jayce Bertoni and Eli Crum fouled out. Long grabbed rebounds, protected the rim and recorded blocks while scoring 10 points in a memorable second quarter. His four-point third quarter helped maintain Vienna’s momentum and ensured Prairie Home could not mount a comeback. When asked about his career high 16 point game he only had one thing to say.

“I’m never scoring that much again,” Long said with a smile.

Jude Stricklan had a quieter night offensively, connecting on just one three-pointer. However, his early long-range attempts, combined with James’ early shooting slump, forced Harker to adjust the game plan, leading to a decisive 23-5 run to close the second quarter.

“We created a lot of havoc and caused a lot of turnovers,” Harker said. “That was really the only quarter where we were able to get out and score in transition consistently. The other three quarters, it was just kind of up and down. Our shot selection wasn’t as good in the half-court sets, but all in all, you score 31 points in a quarter, you’re sitting pretty good.”

The full stat line for the Prairie Home game: Teagan James: 27 points, Dylan Long: 16 points (season high), Hunter Schwartze: 20 points, Talan Reeves: five points, Bryce Ewers: three points, Wyatt Wulff: two points and Jaiden Hayes: one point.

While Prairie Home provided the homecoming excitement, Vienna also had to navigate a tough matchup the previous night, Jan. 29, at Iberia. In a 68-55 defensive battle, the Eagles emerged victorious. Vienna secured a hard-fought win, improving its road record to 4-3 on the season and moving the series record against Iberia to 7-18.

The Eagles now turn their attention to a packed week with four upcoming games. They will travel to Calvary Lutheran and Newburg, and host Bunceton, as well as Jamestown, hoping to build on the momentum from their wins last week.