FORTVILLE — On the verge of the state tournament, Mt. Vernon and Yorktown first had to settle a conference conflict Friday.
In the regular season finale for both teams, Mt. Vernon beat the visiting Tigers 42-37. With the win, the Marauders finished in a tie for second place in the Hoosier Heritage Conference.
“It was a great win,” Mt. Vernon coach Travis Daugherty said. “It was not an easy win at all. And we weren’t quite as sharp, and just didn’t play as well as we’ve played lately. We missed some shots that we’ve made. We just had to hang in there. We held them without field goal in fourth quarter.”
Pendleton Heights (6-1) won the HHC title, followed by Greenfield-Central (5-2), Mt. Vernon (5-2), New Palestine (4-3), Yorktown (3-4), New Castle (3-4), Shelbyville (2-5) and Delta (0-7).
Yorktown (16-7 overall) led much of the way Friday, including 22-16 at halftime and 33-27 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Marauders opened the fourth quarter on a blitz, with a Michael Ertel 3-pointer equaling the game at 33-33. Ertel finished with 18 points and Erick Shepherd had 10 for Mt. Vernon, which were also keyed by a late Miles Wayer 3-pointer.
Mt. Vernon (13-8) drew a bye in Class 4A Sectional 9 at New Castle. The Marauders will play in Friday’s semifinals against the winner of Tuesday’s contest between Richmond (20-3) and New Castle (9-11). The Marauders beat New Castle 65-60 on Jan. 10, and did not face Richmond after that scheduled game was canceled due to bad weather.
Mt. Vernon will be aiming for its 13th sectional championship and first since 2013.
The Tigers will face Blackford (0-22) in Class 3A Sectional 24 at Muncie Central. Yorktown has five sectional titles in program history, the most recent in 2010.
