Lake City's Nathan Heise and Stewartville's Will Tschetter combine to average nearly 65 points a game. So it makes sense that when these Hiawatha Valley League and Class 2A heavyweights meet on Tuesday in our Top Game of the Week the spotlight will shine directly on...
Well, yes. While Lake City's 6-foot-4 senior is more accustomed to playing in the shadow of the more renowned Heise, Gastner is a solid player in his own right who likely would command top billing on many other teams in the state. And, against Stewartville, Gastner likely will be given the task of damage control against the 6-foot-8 Tschetter and his 35.1 points per game of production.
"Reid gives up some height to Will," said Lake City coach Greg Berge. "But Reid is so strong, smart and plays in such good position."
Lake City (14-1, 2-0) beat Stewartville (14-3, 4-0) twice last season on its way to the Hiawatha Valley and Class 2A, Section 1 championships, leading to a third-place finish at state.
Tschetter, for his part, is an improved player. "He has always possessed the gift of putting the ball in the hoop," said Stewartville coach Adam Girtman of Tschetter. "This year, he has grown into his 6-8 frame and is figuring out what he can do on a basketball court."
It will be Gastner's job to limit those opportunities on Tuesday. Stewartville's Girtman, on the other hand, might have a more difficult time figuring out how to deal with Heise, a 6-foot-5 senior guard committed to Northern Iowa who averages 29.4 points and 8.9 rebounds a game.
"[Nathan Heise] has a tremendous skill set: unlimited range, ability to drive by any defender and the ability to find the open man. He is a tough player to game plan against," Girtman said.
Tuesday's game is the only regular-season meeting of these teams, but it could be a preview of a Class 2A, Section 1 tournament matchup. Lake City enters the week sitting at No. 3 in the Class 2A Minnesota Basketball News rankings from Jan. 22, while Stewartville is No. 8-2A.