Guzman's 51 a new FMHS record

FORT MADISON - The points came from everywhere.
He hit layups, mid-range jumpers, 3-pointers.
A half-court shot that beat the third-quarter buzzer.
His final points came on a 3-pointer that beat the final buzzer.
Nolan Guzman’s Senior Night at Fort Madison High School was one for history.
Guzman scored 51 points, breaking the program’s single-game scoring record, in the Bloodhounds’ 89-79 loss to Keokuk on Friday night.
A win in his final regular-season home game, Guzman said, would have been better.
What he got instead was a memory.
The spark was simple.
“Senior Night, man,” Guzman said. “I knew if those dudes were going to beat us, it wasn’t going to be because I didn’t give everything I had. It didn’t matter who we were playing. Senior Night, I had to put it all out there, put my cards on the table.
“See what happens.”
Guzman broke the record of 44 points, shared by Kirk Listebarger (1978) and John Hellige (1988). 
“It’s fun to be on that side, to just see him go off,” Fort Madison coach Ryan Wilson said. “And we didn't really draw much up for him tonight. We ran some sets, so we tried to get him the ball and some back cuts and some things.
“To sit back and let a senior carry us on Senior Night for an opportunity to win the game, that was a lot of fun.”
It is the third highest-scoring game in Iowa this season, tying with Centerville’s Malachi Rice (December 12 vs. Albia) and Keokuk’s Jaxon Clark (December 19 vs. Fairfield).

Guzman combined with Clark in this game for a shower of points from two of the Southeast Conference’s best players. Clark finished with 36 points.
“I know every time I go against him it's going to be a battle, and that's stuff I look forward to as a competitor, just going against someone that's going to push me to my brink,” Guzman said. “I'm going to push him to his brink. Even though we might not play the same position, I know he wants to outscore me. I know I want to outscore him.”
Guzman had just seven points in the first quarter, then settled into a rhythm that Wilson could sense, a rhythm he’s seen before.
“He’s played three years of varsity,” Wilson said. “He works hard, and he’s so smart. And he reads things so well.”
“It didn't feel good at the start, really,” Guzman said. “I missed a couple layups, but once I started to get to the free-throw line a little bit, the shot felt good. And I was really able to just get to the hoop and attack. That was the recipe tonight.”
The shot to end the third quarter gave the Bloodhounds a 56-54 lead. Guzman came to the bench as the crowd celebrated and slapped his chair twice with excitement.
“It was really low, I thought,” Guzman said. “I thought that one was going to be a straight air ball. But sometimes when you're just having a night, you're having a night and stuff like that happens. So, really glad it went in. 
“That was a really cool moment.”
Wilson wasn’t sure of Guzman’s point total until he glanced at the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter.
“I saw he had 39, and I told the coaches I knew the record was 44,” Wilson said. “I knew he was having a great night.”
Fort Madison (4-16 overall, 2-8 Southeast Conference) couldn’t come away with the win. Keokuk (17-3, 10-0), the conference regular-season champion, outscored the Bloodhounds 35-23 in the fourth quarter, getting 23 of those points in the final 3 ½ minutes.
“We talk about a lot of the little stuff, how we’ve got to take care of the little things to make the big picture perfect,” Wilson said. “Rebounding, letting guys get open on transition because we forget about them. Free-throw rebounding, we let one get away that turned into an and-one. Just little things.”
The defeat is why the record was so bittersweet to Guzman.
“I’m not really one about the records and the accolades — I would have rather had the win,” he said. “I just try to go out there and win a basketball game.
“I’d say this would have been better if we could have walked away with the win.”
“Special kid,” Wilson said. “Special player.”