All season long, twin brothers Austin and Tyler Schwebach have been the Stanberry Bulldogs’ 1-2 punch, combining with 767 points and 508 rebounds.

The Wellsville-Middletown Tigers found out why on March 11 during a Class 1 Show-Me Showdown state semifinal game at Missouri State University’s Hammons Student Center in Springfield.

The Schwebachs combined for 33 points and 25 rebounds to lift Stanberry to a 45-40 win in overtime over the Tigers, who made their first Final Four trip in 35 years. Austin Schwebach, who is 6-foot-6, finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds, setting a school record for most double-doubles in a season. Tyler Schwebach, who is 6-4, had 15 points and six rebounds.

“They’re both really outstanding players,” W-M coach Steve Lasman said. “But they didn’t do anything that surprised us. We knew they played man-to-man defense. We knew they were going to play press. We knew what they were going to do. We were prepared to play them.”

Senior Isaac Seabaugh scored 15 points and freshman Carson Huff added 11 to lead W-M, which had its eight-game winning streak snapped.

“They work their butts off all of the time,” Lasman said. “We practice at 5:30 in the morning and run back and forth and we never complain. Our kids played good defense against a really good team. This is a team that beat Mound City, which probably should have been in the Final Four. It was a good enough team to do it. Our kids played great. We took them to overtime. I can’t complain about our kids. Sometimes the shots don’t fall. Tonight, they didn’t fall.”

One of those missed shots came with time expired in regulation. With the game tied at 34-34, Seabaugh had a chance to win the game for the Tigers with a 3-pointer, but his shot bounced off the rim.

“At the moment, I was a little upset with myself,” Seabaugh said. “But the way I look at it, everything happens for a reason. That shot didn’t go in for a reason.”

Senior Keaton Mayes finished with four points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 2:56 left in the overtime period. He said despite the loss, he was happy with the opportunity to go to Springfield and play in the state semifinals for the first time.

“Stepping on the court was a fun experience,” Mayes said. “Not many people get to play on a college court. It’s an experience that I will remember for a long time.”

Stanberry, located in the northwest part of Missouri, was back in the Final Four for the first time since 2016, when it won it all. The Bulldogs beat Green City 50-47 in a state quarterfinal game on March 5 to advance to Springfield.
Austin Schwebach, who came into the semifinal contest averaging 17 points and 14 rebounds, finished with five blocks, four of them came in the third quarter.

“He’s an excellent defensive player when he stands in the paint and swats balls,” Lasman said. “We told the kids to take it to him all night and try to get him in foul trouble.”

The Tigers would have competed in the state championship game for the fourth time in program history had they beaten Stanberry. W-M finished second in 1981, 1986 and 1987.

“We have nothing to be ashamed of,” Lasman said. “We’re just disappointed that we didn’t win. We feel like we should have won the game.”

Junior Logan Pursifull finished with eight points and nine rebounds for the Tigers.