All eyes were on Madison star Norman Wells as Friday’s regular season finale got underway between Switzerland County and Madison — but in the end it was a little-used senior who stole the show, sending the Pacers reeling to a 85-41 loss as they prepare for the Sectional tournament.
Senior Matt Johann came off of the bench to celebrate his Senior Night with a game-high 25 points, stealing the spotlight from Norman Wells, Adam Davis, and Will Jackson.
Switzerland County never seemed to get into any kind of offensive pace, but got a three-pointer from Cody Peters after Norman Wells opened the game with a short jumper and a dunk.
Madison then got baskets from Norman Wells and Will Jackson to push out to a five point lead, and Mat Deaton followed that a basket that drew the Pacers back within three.
Madison’s lead stood at six when Chancey May drilled a three-pointer to halve the score; but the Cubs closed the quarter with a basket by Adam Davis and three freethrows by Logan Jones to grab a 16-8 advantage.
The Pacers continued to battle and stay close in the second period, getting pairs of freethrows from Ben Hickman and B.J. Shelton to go with a three-pointer from Travis Webster to stay close. Switzerland County also got baskets from B.J. Shelton, two buckets from Josh Snow, and another basket from Mat Deaton; and at halftime the Cubs held a 36-23 lead.
The third quarter spelled doom for Switzerland County, as Madison outscored them 25-8 over the eight minute period. The only points of the quarter for the Pacers came on baskets by Mat Deaton, Chancey May, Ben Hickman, and B.J. Shelton.
The Pacers also found themselves in foul trouble, as Cody Peters and Mat Deaton each picked up their fourth fouls and had to head to the bench.
Madison, meanwhile, kept methodically moving the ball inside and out, finding holes in the Pacer defense to score timely baskets.
The third quarter ended with Madison holding a 30-point lead.
It didn’t get any better in the final stanza, as Madison continued to apply pressure and Switzerland County just couldn’t sustain any type of an offense. The Cubs outscored the Pacers 24-10 in the final eight minutes, making it a 49-18 half.
Switzerland County got a basket from Chancey May to open the quarter, and Ben Hickman followed that up with a leaner in the lane; but Switzerland County just couldn’t dig out of such a deep hole.
Josh Reagan made two freethrows in the period; with the Switzerland County scoring being closed out by baskets from Chancey May and Travis Webster.
Chancey May led the Pacers with nine points on the night; while Ben Hickman, Mat Deaton, and B.J. Shelton all finished with six.
Travis Webster had five points; Josh Snow had four; Cody Peters finished with three; and Josh Reagan added two.
Along with Matt Johann’s 25, Madison saw Will Jackson in double figures with 17 points; and Adam Davis finished with 12 points.
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In the junior varsity game, it was Madison defeating Switzerland County by a score of 56-48.
Josh Snow led Switzerland County with 10 points; while Cliff Meyer finished with eight and Zach Getz added seven. T.J. Sefton had six points; Aaron Moore and Bryan Levell had five points each; Jordan Pavy had four points; Kris Hetrick added two points; and Devon Ballard contributed one point.