In a game that saw Switzerland County fail to capitalize on opportunities, the Pacers fell to Lawrenceburg last Thursday night by a score of 50-47 in the opening round of the Rivertown Classic.
The loss dropped the Pacers to 2-9 on the season, and was indicative of how the season has gone to this point. Switzerland County played hard all night long, battled after loose balls and fought for rebounds, but the club was unable to capitalize on key possessions at key times in the game.
Adam Clark had an outstanding game for Switzerland County, and got things started with an inside basket. After Jalen Obertate answered that for the Tigers, Adam Clark converted a freethrow to push the Pacers back in front.
Lawrenceburg answered with a three-pointer Evan VanStien and a basket from Chad Banschbach to move out to a 7-3 lead; but Switzerland County responded with a traditional three-point play from Adam Clark to close the gap to one.
After Lawrenceburg scored again, Keegan Kincaid hit a three-pointer with two minutes to play in the quarter, tying the game at 9-9; but a basket by Max Baker in the period’s final minute pushed the Tigers in front at the first break, 11-9.
Quinn Meyer opened the second quarter scoring with a freethrow to narrow the deficit to one; but Lawrenceburg then went on a run, getting a basket from Chad Banschbach and back-to-back three-point plays from Jake Rennekamp to grab a 19-10 lead with five minutes to play.
Switzerland County responded, getting a three-pointer from Keegan Kincaid that sparked a run of 10 straight points that gave the Pacers the lead, 20-19, with 1:26 to play.
Along with the Keegan Kincaid trey, Switzerland County got another three-pointer in the run from Anthony Dennis, and Adam Clark continued his outstanding play inside, contributing two more buckets.
Clinging to a one-point lead, Switzerland County again suffered a defensive lapse as the first half closed, and a basket by Jake Rennekamp gave Lawrenceburg the halftime lead, 21-20.
The game continued to be a close one as the third quarter opened, with Jake Rennekamp scoring to open the period; but that was quickly matched by a jumper from Quinn Meyer.
Jake Rennekamp then hit a pair of freethrows and followed that with a jumper that gave Lawrenceburg a 27-22 lead; and after Quinn Meyer scored to stop that run, the Tigers got another basket to maintain its five-point bulge with 3:42 to play.
Again Switzerland County made a charge, getting pairs of freethrows from Anthony Dennis and Alex Curran and a basket by Tyler Queen, and with 1:17 to play, the Pacers were back in front by a score of 30-29.
That’s when Pacer coach B.J. McAlister turned up the heat, calling for a swarming pressure defense that double-teamed Lawrenceburg ball handlers and forced ill-advised passes.
That pressure forced Lawrenceburg coach Mike Pratt to call back-to-back timeouts in an attempt to settle his troops; and with 32-seconds to play, the Tigers’ Jalen Obertate made a three-pointer that pushed Lawrenceburg to a 32-30 lead.
Switzerland County then had the ball out of bounds under its own basket; and when the ball went to Keegan Kincaid well in front of the top of the key, the junior sharpshooter caught it and launched a long three-pointer that found the range at the buzzer, giving Switzerland County a 33-32 lead.
The final quarter saw Switzerland County make a run, getting a baskets from Keegan Kincaid and Quinn Meyer to open the quarter.
The problem was that both players were fouled in the act of shooting and went to the line for three-point plays, but neither player could convert the freethrow, leaving two points on the shelf.
Quinn Meyer did make the first of a two-shot attempt moments later that gave Switzerland County a 38-32 lead; but the Pacers were just 1-of-4 from the freethrow line.
That inaccuracy came back to bite them, as Lawrenceburg rallied and got three-pointers from Jalen Obertate and Robbie Jackson to suddenly tie the game at 38-38 with just over five minutes to play.
Switzerland County then got a pair of freethrows from Keegan Kincaid, but Robbie Jackson matched those points with a jumper that kept the game tied. Adam Clark got free inside to push the Pacers back in front, but Jalen Obertate converted a pair of freethrows to again knot the contest.
Quinn Meyer scored from the baseline to give the Pacers a two-point lead; but Lawrenceburg got a three-pointer from Jalen Obertate and a basket from Evan VanStien to move out to a 47-44 lead.
Freethrow shooting almost undid the Tigers, as well, as Evan VanStien’s bucket was also a three-point play opportunity; but he failed on that attempt; and in two consecutive trips to the line for two shot opportunities in the final minute, he was just 2-for-4 – but that was enough to give Lawrenceburg a five point cushion, 49-44, with 35-seconds to play.
Back came the Pacers, and with 21-seconds left Adam Clark moved outside and drilled a three-pointer that brought the Pacer faithful to their feet and carved the gap down to two.
The Pacers then got a break when Jake Rennekamp missed the front end of a one-and-bonus opportunity, but Switzerland County could not take advantage of the opportunity, giving the ball back to the Tigers.
Again the Pacers sent Lawrenceburg to the freethrow line in an attempt to get the ball back, and again Switzerland County caught a break, as Jalen Obertate could only manage one freethrow attempt with six seconds left that gave the Tigers a three-point lead; but the final Switzerland County push fell short, and as the buzzer sounded, the Pacers had fallen in a heartbreaker by a score of 50-47.
It was Lawrenceburg’s first victory of the season.
Adam Clark led the Pacers with 15 points; while Keegan Kincaid had 13 and Quinn Meyer was in double figures with 10.
Anthony Dennis had five points; while Tyler Queen and Alex Curran each added two.
The loss put Switzerland County into the consolation game of the tournament against Rising Sun, which fell to South Dearborn in Thursday’s other opening round contest.