The Switzerland County Pacers earned a big ORVC win last Friday night over the South Ripley Raiders by a score of 40-39.
The Pacers are now 12-5 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
The Pacers trailed at the end of every one of the first three quarters of the game except for the last one; but the Pacer defense was strong, keeping the Raiders close on the scoreboard while each team battled to sustain a scoring streak.
South Ripley held a 14-11 lead after one period; and even though Switzerland County outscored their hosts 8-7 in the second period, the Raiders still held the lead heading into halftime by a score of 21-19.
The third quarter saw South Ripley outscore the Pacers 11-8 to open up a five point lead with one quarter left to play; but in the final quarter Switzerland County went on a scoring run to outscore the Raiders 13-7 in the period and claim the two-point win.
The first three quarters were back and forth; but the final stanza was a nail-biting, edge-of-your seat thrill ride as the two rivals traded baskets.
Four minutes into the final period, T.J. Sefton stole the ball and passed inside to Travis Webster to give Switzerland County a 35-34 lead. The lead grew by a point, as Travis Webster was fouled on the play, and he sank the freethrow to convert the traditional three-point play.
Thomas Welch and Trent Tucker then scored for the Raiders to take back the lead, 39-36; but Cliff Meyer was fouled by Raider Kyle Patrick and converted both freethrows at the stripe, drawing the Pacers back to within one point of the Raiders lead.
South Ripley was trying to protect its think lead, but with 30-seconds left a Raider pass sailed out of bounds, giving possession back to the Pacers with a chance to take the lead.
With the clock winding down, senior Travis Webster sank a clutch shot that wrapped up the game and sent the Switzerland County fans home happy with a 40-39 victory.
The top scorer for the Pacers was Travis Webster, who finished with 18 points to go along with six steals. He was also perfect at the freethrow line.
Kyle Green had eight points and five rebounds; Cliff Meyer finished with four points and five rebounds; and Mark Sharp and Jordan Hinman both finished with four points each. Aaron Moore collected two points.
The Pacers will be in action at home against the Lawrenceburg Tigers tonight (Thursday), because of the girls basketball sectional tournament; and Switzerland County will then host Jac-Cen-Del next Friday night, February 16th, in what could be a showdown for the conference championship.
The jayvee games both nights will begin at 6 p.m.
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The jayvee team suffered its first conference loss on Friday to South Ripley by a score of 47-33.
The top scorer for the Pacers was Justin Reagan, who had 11 points and three rebounds. Brandon Otter finished with seven points, one assist and one rebound; and Devon Armstrong added four points and one rebound.
Ryan Peters also scored four points and finished with three rebounds; Daniel Welch had three points, one assist and one rebound; and Clay Meyer had two points and four rebounds. Michael Haas finished with two points, one assist and one rebound.
The junior varsity is now 4-1 in the conference and 9-7 overall.