CAMPBELLSBURG
Sinking five 3-pointers in the third quarter and nine for the game, the Medora boys basketball team climbed out of a 13-point deficit to get the crowd on its feet Tuesday at the West Washington Sectional.
Despite tying the game at 53 in the waning minutes, the Hornets couldn’t muster a comeback against their Jackson County rival, as Trinity Lutheran finished the game on a 14-0 run to stay alive in the postseason.
The Cougars’ offense came out of the gates strong, opening with a 14-2 run. Keegan Rebber scored the first four points, followed by a basket and a pair of free throws by Daniel Horton and back-to-back 3-pointers by Dylan Maschino.
Another 3-pointer by Maschino gave the Cougars a 17-4 advantage by the 2:40 mark.
After eight minutes of play, the Cougars led 22-9.
While the Cougars opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run behind another four points by Rebber, the Hornets responded from long range.
Trailing 29-9 with 5:10 left in the first half, Medora went on an 8-0 streak thanks to 3-pointers by Chase Booker and Jalen Beesley.
With two ticks on the clock, Medora’s Kam Flynn buried a 3-pointer from the corner, but the Hornets trailed 36-23 at intermission.
In the first half, the Cougars dominated the boards with a 21-10 margin, led by eight rebounds from Bobby Tabeling.
Tabeling would briefly leave the game but return at the end of the fourth quarter, as he was helped off three minutes into the third quarter.
Flynn and Booker each hit a pair of 3-pointer, and Brandon Moore added a trey to narrow the Hornets’ deficit to 48-42 with 41 seconds left in the third.
With one quarter left, the Cougars led 50-45 on a buzzer-beater by Chad Stuckwisch.
“Our three points were turnovers, transition defense and rebounds. They dominated us in all three of those in the first half,” Hornets coach Michael Leitzman said. “I told the guys at halftime we just had to correct those three things. I gave them the first five minutes to play man defense to go after the lead.”
The Hornets went on an 8-3 run to start the fourth quarter, tying the game on a basket by Booker with three minutes left.
In the final stretch, the Hornets turned the ball over three times, and the Cougars converted the turnovers into three straight baskets before going 6 for 8 from the free-throw line.
“We cut into it playing them straight up,” Leitzman said. “The fourth quarter, tied 53-53, we had turnovers, and they made plays when they had to. It’s a credit to Trinity. While we only won seven games this year, this team is one of the most mentally tough groups I’ve ever been around — playing or coaching.”
Cougars coach Aaron Rudzinski said his guys buckled down in the final minutes.
“We had been in the situation before,” he said. “I think our guys were a little shocked. We told them to not take (Medora) for granted. I think we let our guard down a little bit mentally. You have to give a lot of credit to Medora for hitting their shots. We just tried to take it one possession at a time and winning with our defense. Fortunately, we were able to execute down the stretch.”
Flynn and Booker both finished with 20 points to lead Medora (7-17), while Horton topped Trinity’s scoring at 21.
At 6 p.m. Friday, the Cougars (17-7) will play Borden (14-8) in the semifinals.
“We have a lot of things to do to prepare for Borden,” Rudzinski said. “As a team, we need to be sure to get our confidence back. This was one of the first times we saw some lack in confidence because we relaxed a little bit. We can’t do that against really, really good teams. In any sectional, you will see the best in whoever you play. We need to be prepared. I think getting out of this first game helped get some jitters out.”