Vienna sweeps GVC tripleheader at Bourbon

By Will Johnson, Sports Editor
Posted 2/1/23

After a week of tournament action at Iberia and School of the Osage respectively, Vienna’s Eagles and Lady Eagles stepped back into Gasconade Valley Conference (GVC) basketball play last Monday …

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Vienna sweeps GVC tripleheader at Bourbon

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After a week of tournament action at Iberia and School of the Osage respectively, Vienna’s Eagles and Lady Eagles stepped back into Gasconade Valley Conference (GVC) basketball play last Monday night in a tripleheader at Bourbon High School.

Seeing their JV Eagle and Lady Eagle counterparts post victories, Chandler Harker’s varsity Eagles looked to complete the sweep with a win over the host Warhawks.

Leading 35-23 after three quarters, Vienna weathered a furious fourth-quarter rally by Bourbon to hang on for a 43-40 victory giving them three wins over a span of four games going back to the Iberia Tournament.

Tied at 10-10 after one quarter, Sam Rowden led the Eagles with six points over the first eight minutes.

Outscoring the Warhawks 15-8 in the second quarter helping them to a 25-18 halftime lead, Cash Stricklan led Vienna in the second quarter with eight points.

Doubling up Bourbon 10-5 to open the second half, the visiting Eagles suddenly saw themselves with a double-digit lead by the score of 35-23 after three quarters behind six points from Duncan Wilkinson.

In spite of being outscored 17-8 over the final eight minutes, Vienna held on for a victory in their GVC opener.

Stricklan led the Eagles with a game-high 16 points scoring 10 of them in the first half.

Wilkinson just missed double figures finishing with nine points followed closely by Gavin Schwartze with eight points knocking in four markers during the second and fourth quarters.

Rowden scored all six of his points in the first quarter while the duo of Alex Zimmer and Tanner Bock each chipped in two points apiece rounding out the Vienna scoring against the host Warhawks.

Josh Burns led Bourbon with 13 points followed closely with 12 markers from Payton Cranford with nine of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Kevin Schwartze’s Vienna Lady Eagles had to play from behind throughout the majority of their GVC opener against the host Lady Warhawks in Crawford County.

Racing out to a 19-9 lead after one quarter, Vienna saw that lead disappear by halftime after being outscored 18-4 in the second quarter.

Trailing 37-32 entering the fourth quarter, the Lady Eagles were able to come from behind in the fourth quarter to post a 49-44 win over the host Lady Warhawks.

Helping Vienna to a 10-point lead after one quarter was Brooke Mercer scoring nine of Vienna’s 19 points in the opening eight minutes.

Aubrey Schwartze and Aubrey Reeves each had two points in the second quarter helping Vienna stay within four points of Bourbon at halftime.

Mercer and Schwartze combined to score all 26 second-half points for the Lady Eagles helping them win their GVC opener in come-from-behind fashion.

Scoring 16 second-half points, Mercer led Vienna and all scorers with a game-high 25 points.

Schwartze also reached double figures for the Lady Eagles with 18 points by scoring 10 of them in the second half.

Jaedyn Schell added a pair of first-quarter buckets for four points while Reeves rounded out the Vienna scoring with two points on a bucket in the second quarter.

Rayna Claus led Bourbon with a team-high 15 points followed also in double figures by Bevin Bouse with 10 points.

Three nights later, the Lady Eagles returned to Crawford County facing Steelville’s Lady Cardinals coming out on the wrong side of a 67-18 final score.

Friday night, Vienna’s JV and varsity Eagles completed the Crawford County trifecta with a road trip to Cuba to face the Wildcats.

Outscored 30-4 in the first quarter, Ken Miller’s Vienna JV Eagles could not overcome the early deficit before falling to Cuba 70-27.

Raymond Logan led the JV Eagles with nine points followed by six markers from Alex Zimmer.

Similar to their JV counterparts, Vienna’s varsity Eagles fell behind 12-2 after one quarter against the host Wildcats before falling 69-48 on the road at Cuba.

Cash Stricklan led Vienna with 20 points followed in double figures by Wilkinson scoring eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Zimmer also reached double digits for the Eagles with 11 points.

Kyle Ray and Joel Sanders led Cuba by scoring 14 points apiece for the Wildcats.