A 32-minute basketball game came down to fractions of a second Saturday night in Hanover.
With Switzerland County and Southwestern tied at 54-54 with mere seconds remaining, the host Rebels maneuvered for the game’s final shot.
With eight-seconds left the shot went up, and when it bounced free, the crowd assumed overtime was in the making.
Wrong.
Austin Clark ripped down the board, got the ball to Chase Ritch, who threw a strike downcourt, hitting senior Quinn Meyer in stride. His layup left his hand just as the horn sounded and the lights surrounding the backboard lit up, but the shot rang true, and as the fans from both sides were frozen in disbelief, the Pacer players celebrated with a frenzied rush to the floor.
Final score: Switzerland County 56, Southwestern 54.
What a game.
It was the non-conference game on the schedule for the two schools, but it was still a huge game for both the Pacers – who had fallen to Class 4-A Floyd Central on Tuesday – and Southwestern, which lost on a buzzer-beater to Class 3-A Madison on Wednesday.
Both coaching staffs prepared for a tight, nip and tuck, battle on Saturday night – and that’s exactly what everyone got.
Trevor Smith opened the scoring with a runner to give Switzerland County the early lead; but the Rebels fought back with a pair of freethrows from Logan Hamilton – a Southwestern player who would make a huge impact in the game early.
Keegan Kincaid’s jumper was matched by freethrows from Jordan Perry; and Austin Clark followed that with a three-pointer ti give the Pacers a 7-4 lead.
Logan Hamilton then got hot, hitting a jumper and following that with a three-pointer. Quinn Meyer then made a three-pointer for Switzerland County to push the Pacers back in front by one; but Logan Hamilton converted his second three-pointer moments later to push the Rebels back in front.
After Keegan Kincaid converted a pair of freethrows, Logan Hamilton closed the first quarter with his third three-pointer of the quarter, and as the opening eight minutes closed, Southwestern held a 15-12 advantage.
Switzerland County opened the second quarter on a roll, getting a basket from Anthony Dennis, a jumper from Keegan Kincaid, and a rare four-point play from Anthony Dennis to jump out to a 20-15 lead.
Southwestern responded with an inside basket from Nick Wynn; and when Logan Hamilton hit another three-pointer, the game was again tied at 20-20 with 5:29 to play. Keegan Kincaid scored and Austin Clark chipped in a pair of charities to extend the lead back to four – but again Logan Hamilton got free, and his fifth three-pointer of the opening quarter crept the Rebels to within one, 24-23.
Keegan Kincaid then made two freethrows, and when Logan Hamilton matched those with a pair of charities with 4:04 to play in the half, the Rebel had 21 of his team’s 25 points.
Now most who scout Switzerland County begin with the offensive dynamo that is senior Keegan Kincaid – one of the most feared shooters in the area. What scouts might miss is that he’s also one heck of a defensive player, and after Logan Hamilton’s freethrows, Pacer head coach B.J. McAlister switched his star senior defensively onto the Rebel sharpshooter.
The results?
In 12 minutes of play, Logan Hamilton had 21 points, “BK” (Before Kincaid).
In 20 minutes of play “AK” (After Kincaid), 0 points. Zero.
Switzerland County raced to halftime on the strength of an 11-5 run, and took a 37-30 lead into the break.
That run saw Trevor Smith start things off with a layup in the lane, followed by a freethrow from Austin Clark; two straight baskets by Keegan Kincaid; a put-back bucket by Austin Clark; and a jumper from Clint Swanson.
Switzerland County’s seven-point halftime lead quickly vanished as the second half got started, with Southwestern reeling off nine straight points to grab the lead; but a traditional three-point play by Austin Clark stopped that run and gave the Pacers a one-point advantage.
Jordan Perry answered that with a basket; and after Quinn Meyer scored, Jordan Yarborough scored for the Rebels. Anthony Dennis converted a pair of freethrows as the lead see-sawed back and forth; and Southwestern seized control momentarily with Joel Smith and Jordan Perry scored to push the Rebels up by three.
Keegan Kincaid answered that with a three-pointer at the horn, and with one period to play, the teams were knotted at 47-47.
Southwestern flexed its muscle early, scoring the first six points of the period; but Quinn Meyer responded with a three-pointer that kept the Pacers in striking distance. Trace Taylor made a freethrow for Southwestern; and Quinn Meyer scored again to narrow the lead down to two, 54-52, with 1:53 to play.
A critical call with just over a minute to play crippled the Pacers, as guard Trevor Smith soared to the basket for a tying field goal, only to be called for an offensive foul that wiped away the points and gave possession back to Southwestern.
The Rebels then fumbled, as Joel Smith went to the line for the front end of a one-and-bonus, only to be whistled for crossing the freethrow line before the shot got to the rim – giving possession back to the Pacers.
With just 21-seconds to go, Austin Clark hit two clutch freethrows to tie the game at 54-54, and those charities set the stage for the frenzied final seconds, where Quinn Meyer’s layup gave the Pacers their first win of the young season.
Keegan Kincaid led Switzerland County with 17 points, followed by Quinn Meyer with 12 and Austin Clark with 11. Anthony Dennis finished with eight; Trevor Smith had four; and Clint Swanson added two.
Southwestern was led by Logan Hamilton with 21; while Jordan Perry was also in double figures with 12.
Switzerland County returns to action tomorrow (Friday) when they travel to Seymour to take on Trinity Lutheran. The jayvee game will begin at 6 p.m.
*
In Saturday night’s junior varsity game, Southwestern won by a score of 49-46.
Braden Burk led the Pacers with 14 points; while T.J. White was in double figures as well, with 10. Riley Phagan had nine points; Justus Powell added seven; and Bob Tressler, Ben Curran and Dakota Taylor had two each.