Ricky Torres
HAGERSTOWN – Signature wins are always hard to earn.
“That was a big stepping stone in our learning process to win that kind of a game at this kind of level,” Centerville Head Coach Seve Beach said after the Bulldogs defeated Hagerstown 44-40 in overtime to advance to Saturday’s sectional title contest.
The Bulldogs (7-14) face No. 4 Northeastern (21-4) for the championship of the Class 2A event in Hagerstown at 7:30 p.m. Northeastern beat Union County in Friday’s other semifinal.
“Just a heck of a ball game,” Beach said of his team’s win in its third try against the Tigers this season. “That’s what sectional time in Indiana is all about.”
A tight battle though out the affair, Hagerstown gained a 34-27 edge early in the fourth quarter before Bulldogs fought back thanks to a lot of defense and Ricky Torres.
“He stepped up and had another good fourth quarter and overtime,” Beach said. “That’s what seniors have to do down the stretch.”
Torres drilled three straight 3-pointers during a three-minute stretch to put the Bulldogs in front 36-34.
“I’ve been feeling a little confident lately,” Torres said. “I found an opening and my teammates got me the ball. I just had to take advantage of it.”
Jared Andis
Jared Andis, who led Hagerstown with 15 points, scored to tie the contest at 36-36 with 3:56 remaining in regulation. That turned out to be the last points of the period as both teams locked down defensively.
In the extra session, Matt Stamper picked up the first basket for Centerville and Andis tied it again at 40-40 with 2:31 left.
Torres put the Bulldogs in front for good when he scored his team-high 15th point of the game on a shot in the lane with 47 seconds to go.
It was then time for Alex Brandon. He made to free throws at 28.2 to give the Bulldogs their final margin. Although he missed two more chances later at the line, it didn’t matter as he grabbed the game’s final three rebounds for the Bulldogs.
“Those two (makes) were big enough,” Beach said. “That changed the whole complexion.”
The victory puts the Bulldogs at 7-14, while Hagerstown finishes at 16-9.
Alex Brandon
“They willed themselves to a win,” Hagerstown Head Coach Bobby Jones said. “They did it with solid defense and rebounding.”
“We didn’t do a very good job of attacking on offense,” Jones continued. “I think we shot 2-of-17 from 3-point range. We did not attack, and I told the guys after the game, it really started Tuesday night vs. Lincoln. I don’t want to be one of those teams that lives and dies by the three, but tonight we died by the three. We just did not attack the basket for any length of time.”
The game marked the final outing for Hagerstown seniors Mason Stitt, Bret Templin, Jordan Auker and Nate Combs.
“Four guys who have been in the program since fifth grade, and really invested a lot of time into the program and into each other and did a really good job of trying to bring this team together, and keep them together,” Jones said.
“We did have a really, really good season, overachieved in a lot of ways,” Jones added. “We’re going to miss our four seniors.”
In the other locker room, there was the optimism for at least one more day.
“This is my first sectional basketball championship game that I’ve been a part of,” said Torres, who was a part of his fourth straight soccer sectional title last fall.
“It’s going to be a great experience,” Torres added. “We’re a young team. I think we can build from this going on.”
Brandon ended with 10 points, while Stamper finished with eight.
For Hagerstown, Templin tossed in nine points and Combs added six.
Box Score
CENTERVILLE (7-14) – Ricky Torres 5 1-2 15, Matt Stamper 4 0-0 8, Alex Brandon 4 2-6 10, Justin DuPree 2 2-2 6, Michael Brewer 2 0-0 5, Myles Cunningham 0 0-0 0, Devin Christian 0 0-0 0, Dante Torres 0 0-0 0. Team – 17 5-10 44.
HAGERSTOWN (16-9) – Mason Stitt 2 0-0 5, Jared Andis 6 1-2 15, Bret Templin 3 3-7 9, Isaiah Neal 1 0-0 2, Nate Combs 3 0-0 6, Jalen Oliver 0 0-0 0, Evan Hoover 1 1-2 3, Jordan Auker 0 0-0 0. Team – 16 5-11 40.
Centerville 12 23 27 36 44
Hagerstown 10 18 32 36 40
3-pointers – Centerville 5 (R.Torres 4, Brewer 1), Hagerstown 3 (Andis 2, Stitt 1). Rebounds – Centerville 28 (DuPree 9), Hagerstown 34 (Neal 7). Turnovers – Centerville 21, Hagerstown 17. Fouls – Centerville 14, Hagerstown 16.
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