Bruck, Nelson named third-team All-State by IPSWA

 DES MOINES (March 17) -- Harlan Community senior Connor Bruck and Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton senior Creighton Nelson both made the most of their first year as starting varsity basketball players.
 On Tuesday, Bruck and Nelson were named third-team all-staters in Class 3A and 1A, respectively, as the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association released its 2020 All-State Boys Basketball teams.
 The all-state teams were selected by a panel of sports writers Saturday with assistance from 19 coaches who also attended the meeting. In addition to naming three all-state teams in each class, the IPSWA cited Norwalk senior Bowen Born as this year’s Mr. Basketball for the state of Iowa.
 Bruck, a key reserve for last year’s Cyclone squad, flourished as the starting point guard this season, leading the team with 16.7 points per game, 37 three-pointers and shooting percentages of .524 from the field, .481 from three-point range and .825 from the free throw line, where he made 137-of-166 attempts. He also averaged 2.9 rebounds per game while totaling 44 steals and 53 assists.
 A first-team All-Hawkeye Ten Conference selection, Bruck was adept at scoring from all three levels of the half court in helping HCHS finish 18-7 overall and earn its first state tournament berth since 2014.
 Bruck’s best performance came at Glenwood in the substate semifinals when he knocked down 20-of-20 free throws and scored a career-high 41 points - all while playing with a sore hip.
 Nelson, who came off the bench for last year’s 22-3 Spartan substate finalist, quickly established himself as a double-double machine in helping this year’s team finish 11-11 overall. Nelson led the charge by averaging 20.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting a solid 58.1 percent from the field as an inside and mid-range threat.
 A first-team All-Rolling Valley Conference selection, Nelson made 100-of-150 free throws (66.7 percent) while totaling 36 steals, 34 assists and 11 blocked shots.