PENDLETON — The calendar said it was the last day of January, but the game was played like it was the first week of March.
In a game where each possession seemed to have an extra level of importance, Pendleton Heights had the last one.
Speedy junior guard Davrick Black drove the lane and was fouled with 1.9 seconds remaining. He hit the first of two free throws and the Arabians defeated Greenfield-Central 42-41 at Pendleton Heights High School, Friday.
It wasn’t a sectional game – though it could be with both teams playing in the Muncie Central Sectional to begin early next month – there was still a lot on the line.
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Greenfield-Central’s Hoosier Heritage Conference lives were in the balance. The Cougars came in one of four teams with only two league losses and one of three teams 3-2 and just one-half game behind league leaders Pendleton Heights and New Palestine, both 3-1.
The Dragons also won Friday, picking up a conference win at Yorktown.
The Cougars are now 7-8 overall and 3-3 in the HHC. Pendleton Heights improved to 8-8 and 4-1.
“It was almost like a sectional-type game,” Pendleton Heights head coach Kevin Bates said. “Low possession, low scoring and they’re a sectional opponent. (Greenfield-Central) is a really good team with a really good coach.
“We talked to the team afterwards. I told them that’s a sectional feel. It was a decent atmosphere and crowd and (Greenfield-Central) felt like they still had a chance to win the conference. They were playing with a lot at stake and we were, too. It felt like if you were down by more than one possession, you felt like you were down a lot.”
The Cougars had the ball with the score tied, 41-41, but with 22.8 seconds remaining, senior guard Jack Cochran was called for an offensive foul.
Black, who led all scorers with 20 points drove to the rim and was fouled.
"It’s heart-breaking for our kids," Greenfield-Central coach Luke Meredith said. "They battled and competed like they always do."
The Cougars came in knowing they had to shut down Pendleton Heights’ big three, 6-foot-6 Tristan Ross, three inches taller than any G-C player, sharp-shooter Jamison Dunham and Black.
Ross got in first-half foul trouble and was limited to five points and six rebounds. Dunham had six points and was 2 of 6 from 3-point range.
Black, a 5-9 junior, proved to be too much for the Cougar defense.
“We had three keys,” Meredith said. “No clean looks for (Dunham). Keep (Ross) off the boards and keep Black out of the paint. Two of the three, we were phenomenal. Black living in the paint really hurt us.
“Down the stretch, he hits the free throw and that’s the game-winning shot because he got in the paint.”
Caleb Mundell led G-C scorers with 16. Brady Mundell had 12 and Cochran scored eight. Only four Cougars scored. Tyler Antic had five points.
Cochran had a game-high 10 rebounds and a team-best four assists. The Cougars out rebounded the Arabians 29-21.
Greenfield-Central took a one-point lead, 31-30, into the fourth quarter. Caleb Mundell hit a deep 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to give the Cougars the advantage.
After Cochran, twice, and Brady Mundell scored on drives, Greenfield-Central had a 39-36 lead with 2:27 to go. Black tied it with a 3-pointer, but when the Arabians failed to get back on defense, Antic scored on an easy layup for a 41-39 Cougar lead with 1:40 to go.
Black tied it on a successful drive with 1:23 remaining.
After going two years without an HHC win, the Cougars found themselves in the hunt for a conference crown in late January.
Their turnaround has been impressive. In time, that might soften the blow of Friday’s heart-breaking loss.
“I’m a first-year coach and this is the most frustrating of all of them, because I know how much our guys wanted it and I know how hard we competed and how hard we played,” Meredith said.
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Mt. Vernon 51, Connersville 46
The Mt. Vernon Marauders rallied back to knock off Connersville on the road Friday night.
The Marauders trailed 12-4 after the first quarter and were down by six points at halftime, but they cut the deficit to two points before the fourth quarter. They outscored the host Spartans 23-16 in the fourth to win.
Mt. Vernon is now 6-8 on the season and host Hoosier Heritage Conference foe Delta tonight at 7:30 p.m.
New Palestine 61, Yorktown 33
The New Palestine boys basketball team remained in a tie for the HHC lead Friday, using a 14-point first-half run to seize control and gradually pulling away to a 61-33 victory at Yorktown.
The Dragons are now 7-10 on the season and 4-1 in the HHC, having won five of their last seven games. They are in a first-place tie with Pendleton Heights in the HHC race with two conference games remaining.
Maximus Gizzi tallied 22 points, leading a Dragons attack that had tremendous balance, with nine players scoring points.
Dawson Eastes was key, scoring 10 points. Eric Roudebush tallied nine points, and Steele Brasfield had eight.
The Dragons next play Tuesday at Beech Grove.
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