Ithaca just doesn’t like to lose when it comes to varsity sports.
The football team went 14-0 en route to another state title, and coach Jim Thompson’s basketball team has picked right up with a 9-0 start to the season.
“Some of our role players have really stepped up,” Thompson said. “They’ve done a whale of a job contributing. We had some injuries coming into the season.”
Travis Smith had to miss the first six games after suffering a leg injury in the Division 6 state championship football game in November. Logan Hessbrook has also stepped up well in his role as a big man for the Yellowjackets.
“The kids have accepted their roles in what we’ve asked them to, and they haven’t questioned it,” Thompson said. “They’ve played extremely hard in the three years since I’ve been here. They refuse to lose, and they play with a lot of passion and effort.”
Ithaca is shooting around 50 percent from the floor.
“A lot of that is we haven’t settled for the 3-point shot,” Thompson said. “We’ve attacked the basket and we’ve used our athleticism. “
In one victory, Ithaca allowed the opposition only one offensive rebound.
“In high school basketball, that speaks volumes,” Thompson said. “That was the sole reason we won that game. They were one and done. We’ve rebounded well for our size. We’re boxing out.
“When we’ve been bad, the bigger schools are getting four or five whacks at the basket. In the big games, when it was crunch time…when we box out we’re tough to beat. If we get lazy at that, it will be a long night for us.”
When his team played Shepherd, “their first possession, they had four or five shots,” Thompson recalled.
The Yellowjackets have had their share of close games. “We were down by eight points going into the fourth quarter against Valley Lutheran and pulled that one out,” Thompson said. “Shepherd, we won by four. Against Carson City, we were down by eight in the fourth quarter and came back and won.”
Sage DeMull, a senior guard, is leading Ithaca in scoring with 15 points per game.
“Sage has shot the ball well, obviously,” Thompson said. “But Sage’s shot selection is what has contributed to his scoring. Last year, he was a kid content to sit outside the three-point line and let it rip. He’s taking three or four dribbles and maybe be a shot off the glass..he’s really matured from an offensive standpoint, knowing that there could be a better shot out there, and if I can get that a better shot out there, I need to put myself in a position,
“There’s three or four players that can score. He’s done a whale of a job with that.”
Logan Hessbrook is the second-leading scorer.
“He’s a mismatch problem for people,” Thompson said. “He’s 6’3″, and he’s grown, I don’t know how many inches, six inches maybe in the last year and a half. He was a two guard last year. He’s taken a lot of the skill with him. He’s a post player now. We’ll run a lot of sets with him where he’s on the perimeter. It gives him the ability to maybe bring their big guy out. He’s the second leading three-point shooter on our team. He’s done a nice job of not only hitting the 3-point shot but getting to the basket and scoring.”
Hessbrook is also leading the team in rebounding at eight boards per game.
Thompson expects the rest of the season will present the Yellowjackets with plenty of challenges.
“We have to continue to become a better rebounding team,” Thompson said. “It’s not just one guy. We have to have five guys committed to rebounding.
“We have kids here, they’re not very big, but they’re athletic. If we can get them to focus on rebounding…we’re shooting 50 percent from the floor. We have to become a good rebounding team.”