Published on January 21, 2026 10:38 am
Last Updated on January 21, 2026 10:38 am
#3 DIETERICH MOVIN’ MAROONS
Coach: Brent Bohnhoff
Record at Seeding: 13-4, 5-1 NTC
by DUSTIN WHITE
At the conclusion of the 2011-12 school year, Teutopolis High School set sail from the National Trail Conference waters to begin what has inarguably been a successful and fruitful exploration of the Independent Territories. Dieterich – the newest member of the league at the time after joining in 2009 – immediately won three of the next four NTC boys basketball tournaments upon T-town’s departure and seemed poised to replace the Wooden Shoes as the league’s dominant force.
Fast forward a decade and the 2016 tourney title is still the last one Dieterich has won. It’s not that the Movin’ Maroons haven’t had their shots … in fact, it’s quite the opposite. They’ve typically been a highly seeded squad and, the last two years, have advanced to championship matchups with eventual champ St. Anthony.
There’s no reason another shot can’t come at this year’s 90th annual NTC meet. Coach Brent Bohnhoff’s club is the No. 3 seed and would shock absolutely nobody to find itself right back in the limelight on Saturday night at Altamont High School.
“We are always looking toward the the NTC Tournament,” said Bohnhoff, coaching the Maroons for a fifth season. “Playing at Altamont almost feels like a second home. It is a comfortable gym to play in and gets loud in the most exciting moments.
“To this point we feel that we have yet to reach our peak,” he continued. “While there are several things that our coaches are encouraged by, we feel that we can improve on several things as we enter the second half of the season.”
Dieterich’s only conference loss was in double overtime to second-seeded St. Anthony and other defeats are at the hands of Lawrenceville (the top 1A team in the state), Teutopolis (one of the top 2A teams in the state) and North Clay all the way back in the first week of the season at the Cumberland Thanksgiving Tournament semifinals.
So there’s nothing in those rare blemishes on the Maroons’ won/loss tally for them to hang their heads about, while Dieterich’s notable wins include ousting Sullivan in the title game of its own Christmas tournament, defeating an Altamont team that has since knocked Woodlawn off its perch atop the Class 1A rankings, and buzzer-beaters over Marshall and Patoka that featured a common hero sinking the game-winning shot: junior Ezra Cook.
Cook is one of no fewer than four double-figure scorers on Dieterich’s roster, coming in at 11.2 per contest after missing about a third of his sophomore campaign – including the NTC tournament – to injury. At the time, those in the know said Cook’s absence was a significant one and his contributions this year are making them sound pretty smart.
Leading Dieterich is senior Brock Niemerg at 14.3 points per game after looking quite capable as more of a tertiary option as a junior. He’s slid into the captain’s chair as if it were made for him all along, while sophomore Bryce Bohnhoff (10.9 ppg) has built on his sixth-man role from last year to play the way Niemerg did a year ago.
Throw senior Jackson Icenogle (10.2 ppg) into the mix after scoring more than 1,000 points during his three years playing at Mulberry Grove and it becomes difficult to contain all the Dieterich scorers at the same time.
“We lost four starters from last season,” said Bohnhoff. “So we knew that we would have to be patient early. Our staff has seen overall improvements such as offensive chemistry and taking care of the ball.
“Defense will always be a staple at Dieterich. Currently we are giving up 42.7 points per game. We are fairly happy with that number and have a team goal of 43.5 and under. In the second half of the season, we believe that we will have a better feel for personnel rotations. Our bench has been much more consistent. Players are understanding their roles. We feel that if we can avoid key injuries and continue to progress with great attitudes in practice, we can be a dangerous team down the stretch.”