Seymour’s boys basketball team made just enough plays in the fourth quarter to escape with a 38-32 victory over visiting Sheridan on Saturday afternoon.
Clinging to a 34-32 lead, the Owls held Sheridan scoreless during the final two minutes of the game and got free throws from Charlie Longmeier, Eli Meyer and Casey Regruth to seal the win.
As important as the foul shots, however, were Seymour’s non-scoreboard plays in the final seconds.
With 50 seconds on the clock, Longmeier tied up Sheridan’s slashing point guard, Kyle Eden, as he worked the ball into the lane, winning the ball for Seymour on the alternating possession.
Regruth and Meyer each pulled down important offensive rebounds on missed foul shots in the final 40 seconds to keep the ball in the Owls’ possession.
Finally, Meyer blocked a Sheridan 3-point attempt with less than 20 seconds left, which Landon Fritsch saved from going out of bounds to clinch the Owls’ win.
“We grinded it out,” Seymour coach Kirk Manns. “(Sheridan) had a great game plan and stuck with it. They were really deliberate. There weren’t a lot of opportunities because of how the game went, but we made enough plays.”
Saturday’s win, coupled with a 69-40 victory over Austin on Friday, gave 4A Seymour a weekend sweep and bumped its season record to 10-9, the first time the Owls have been over the .500 mark since starting the season 3-2. Sheridan, a member of Class 2A, is 11-8.
Seymour heads into the final week of the regular season as a winner of seven of its last 11 games.
“It feels awesome,” Fritsch said of his team’s upward trend. “Everyone’s on the same page, and it’s just in time for the sectional.”
Fritsch was Seymour’s hot hand early, scoring 18 of his team’s first 22 points. The sophomore made seven of 10 shots, including four 3-pointers.
“Landon had a good weekend,” Manns said. “He had a good rhythm and good patience. He didn’t get sped up. He’s going to continue to find new areas where he can score.”
When Fritsch knocked down a jumper from the foul line with four minutes left in the first half, Sheridan coach Tod Windlan switched to a box-and-one defense and had Blackhawk guard Corbin Murray face-guard the 6-foot-1 Fritsch the remainder of the contest.
“On paper, we saw him as their best outside shooter, but our defense was sleepwalking in the first half,” Windlan said. “After that, we wanted to make someone else beat us.”
The trick defense worked. Fritsch was held scoreless the remainder of the game. The Owls built their lead to 24-14 moments later, but quickly went cold without Fritsch’s production.
Seymour scored just two points during the game’s next eight minutes while Sheridan whittled the margin down to two points, 26-24, midway through the third quarter.
Marcus Brooks scored six straight points to stabilize the Owls, who never relinquished their lead.
With Sheridan controlling the game’s pace and points at a premium, Seymour relied on defense and intangibles to secure the victory.
The two teams didn’t get many shots up, but they were efficient with the opportunities they had. Seymour shot 56% from the floor (14 for 25), while Sheridan was a red-hot 85% (11 for 13) in the first half and 69% for the game.
As a result of the high-percentage shooting, Seymour ended with just nine rebounds and Sheridan grabbed only 11 boards during the contest.
Saturday’s meeting was the first between the two schools and was another product of a season churned by the effects of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Current Sheridan Athletic Director Beth DeVinney coached Seymour’s girls basketball team for 11 seasons between 2001 and 2012 and helped the two schools’ boys basketball teams connect.
A veteran basketball coach in his first season with Sheridan, Windlan jumped at the chance to play in Seymour’s gym.
“This was a great game for us, especially before the sectional,” Windlan said. “To come to a big gym and play a (Class 4A) school is good for us. I’ve coached in all of the big gyms around the state. This one is my favorite. With the wood bleachers, its got Hoosier Hysteria written all over it.”
At Seymour
Seymour 38, Sheridan 32
Sheridan;8;14;6;4;—;32
Seymour;12;14;6;6;—;38
Sheridan (11-8): Silas DeVaney 7 0-0 14, Kyle Eden 5 0-0 10, Corbin Murray 3 0-0 6, Cayden Hunter 1 0-0 2, Ethan Moistner 0 0-0 0, Cole Webel 0 0-0 0, Totals 16 0-0 32.
Seymour (10-9): Landon Fritsch 7 0-0 18, Marcus Brooks 3 2-2 8, Casey Regruth 2 1-2 5, Eli Meyer 1 2-2 4, Charlie Longmeier 1 1-3 3, Andrew Levine 0 0-0 0, Bret Perry 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 6-9 38.
3-point goals: Sheridan 0, Seymour 4 (Fritsch 4)
Rebounds: Sheridan 11 (Murray 4), Seymour 9 (Meyer 3)
Turnovers: Sheridan 12, Seymour 7
Fouls: Sheridan 12, Seymour 9
Junior varsity
Seymour 48, Sheridan 25
Seymour (6-9): Sam Rockey 3, Donovyn Thomas 17, Will Cottrill 13, Evan Smith 6, A.J. Harrell 5, Jack Pennington 4