Illinois Valley Times

Sometimes it is just your night. And whether it came in the 1970s as it did for Dan Braun, or last Monday for Trenton Massner, one thing remains the same, when you're hot, you're hot.
 
Braun and Massner may have suited up for the Leathernecks 50 years apart, but from now on, the duo will be side-by-side in Leatherneck lore, standing atop the program record book for most points in a game as Massner passed Braun earlier this week with his 46-point effort vs. North Dakota.
 
"I'm glad if anybody would break it, it's him," Braun said. "I love the way he plays, I love to watch him play, he always gives it 100 percent, win or lose the way I did. When I was a sophomore, we lost 20 in a row, you always have to stick with it, even after seasons like that."
 
Massner also knows the benefit of sticking with your game, even if it is a struggle. Even though the numbers have been there all season, Massner will tell anyone, until Monday night, he has not been himself this year. That's when the senior from Wapello, Iowa decided to let it go and get back to being the player he knows he can be.
 
"I don't know how to explain it, I was due for it, I haven't been making a shot all year, it's like if I was making my shot all year, I'd have four or five of those," Massner said after the game. "My teammates got me the ball, that's what I appreciate about the guys, they know I had it going on, they gave me the ball and I would do the same for Alec (Rosner), Jesiah (West) and Q (Quinlan Bennett), that's what's so good about this team, we all care about each other's personal well-being but also the team because we know if we do well as an individual we'll do well as a team. And the coaches, they let me do my thing, whether I go 1-12 or 9-12."
 
And while the two are now at the top, how they got there are different stories and feature different styles of play. Massner tied the school record for made three-pointers with nine, going 9-12 from three and 16-21 from the field. Braun did the bulk of his damage in the paint, setting a program record that still stands, 17 field goals made.
 
"Those are the old days, there were no three-pointers, but I don't know, it was a strange night against Central Missouri State," Braun said of his big game. "I was in such a zone, almost a different kind of experience, I've never had anything like that, I couldn't miss. It's hard to explain, but at the end of the game, I looked up, had 44, and thought, 'how did I do that?' It was a different experience, that's the only way I can frame it.
 
"It was something to the effect, almost like an out of body experience. It's like someone else is running the show and you're the messenger there to do the work."
 
Points were not the only story of Braun's big night. The Galesburg resident also had 24 rebounds, a record that still stands and a record that might better describe the type of player he was.
 
"Rebounding was my game, it always was, my shots were mostly short, free-throw line at best," Braun said. "Rebounds were where I would get my points. A lot of times, I knew where the ball was going and I'd go after it, my sophomore year I was 17th in the nation in rebounding, so that was always my game, I guess more just came that night. The rebounding wasn't the unusual thing, it was more the scoring."
 
Braun did not know how many points or rebounds he had, Massner, on the other hand, knew he was in the zone on his big night and getting plenty of reminders late in the game. But that does not mean he also had a similar feeling that something bigger was at play.
 
"Boudy (Coach Chad Boudreau) said I needed three for the record, it was like 'OK, I can get my shot whenever I want, I'll dribble to the left wing,' " Massner said. "I knew I could get to my step-back and get it off, and I was hot, so it went in. Then it was like 'OK, somebody's helping me out.' "
 
The night was one Massner's coach, Rob Jeter hopes to see more of from his senior. And not because Massner's scoring helps the team win. It's more of a reward and recognition for the work Massner has done to improve himself and the team this season.
 
"I had no idea how many points he had, I was too locked in on our defense and trying to keep those guys in front of us," the coach said. "It's good to see guys having fun, smiling and when that happens, it was hopefully he can make those two free throws, so he can get that record, get that ovation and get that curtain-call because he deserves it. He's taken on so much responsibility and he's really embracing it. Last year, he kind of deferred but this year he's embraced the responsibility." 

Original source can be found here