Fort Madison wins third in last four

OTTUMWA – One thing is becoming pretty clear in the boys' basketball program – it’s hard to stop Nolan Guzman.
The senior Hound guard put up 21 points in Thursday’s 51-45 win over Ottumwa in the regular season finale at Ottumwa.
Guzman is coming off a Fort Madison High School record 51 points in an 89-79 loss to Keokuk in the Hound Dome last Friday. The Bloodhounds will get a final crack at the Chiefs on Friday in Keokuk when the two open Class 3A, Substate 5 action Monday night.
Fort Madison (5-16) has won three of their last four and opened the road trip with a strong defensive effort holding the Bulldogs to just eight first quarter points while Jonah Tackett and Guzman were leading the offensive output.
Tackett had nine first-half points enroute to his 13 on the night. Guzman had 11 in the first half and Darius Foy had six of his nine points in the first half as the Hounds opened up a 15 point 36-21 advantage at the break.
 Ottumwa made a strong run in the 3rd quarter to get back in the game and cut the lead to six, outscoring Fort Madison 17-8, but both teams went cold in the 4th combining for just 14 points. Guzman went to the line eight times in the final eight minutes converting just three down the stretch.
The senior is averaging just over 20 points per outing now and is 22nd in the state in Class 3A with 382 points. Keokuk’s Jaxon Clark leads the state at 3A with 579. He’s fourth in the state over all classes, but his 344 rebounds is the top number in the state in all classes.