Mason Stitt
RICHMOND, Ind. – Saturday’s stat of the game for the Hagerstown boys basketball team was pretty simple.
The Tigers were 5-of-21 from the free throw line as they dropped a 65-55 decision to Class 1A No. 4 Seton on Schuckman Court in the Athletics and Wellness Center at Earlham College.
“I just didn’t feel like we were mentally focused enough, especially at the free throw line,” Hagerstown Head Coach Bobby Jones said.
“That’s the game right there,” he added. “It’s mental focus.”
Trailing 28-27 at the intermission, Hagerstown’s free throw woes began.
Bret Templin got fouled at the buzzer as the second period ended and he missed the second of two tosses and the Tigers were behind by a point.
The Tigers grabbed a 29-28 lead as Isaiah Neal scored the first basket of the second half. After Trent Reichley hit a trey to put the Cardinals back on top, Jared Andis tied the affair at 31-31 with 5:17 remaining in the third.
However from that time, Hagerstown would miss all seven of its attempts in the third frame as Seton put together a 45-38 advantage when Desmond Bane nailed a 3-pointer as time expired.
“You’ve got to be able to hit free throws,” Jones said. “That’s just unacceptable.”
Bane finished with 37 points and a dozen rebounds.
“Desmond Bane is good player,” Jones said. “He’s going to score and get his points.”
Billie Webster tossed in 20 points for the Cardinals (12-2).
Mason Stitt led Hagerstown with 22 points, while Templin added 17. Andis added 13 points.
Neal eventually fouled out early in the final period, which hampered the Tigers that they battled to keep the game close.
“Isaiah does a lot of good things for us and you can see by not having him on the floor late in the game how much that hurt us,” Jones said/
Neal had just three points, but he topped the squad with seven rebounds.
Hagerstown (8-3) is scheduled to meet Centerville on Friday as the Tigers host the Wayne County Tournament.
Box Score
HAGERSTOWN (8-3) – Mason Stitt 9 0-0 22, Jared Andis 5 0-1 13, Bret Templin 6 4-9 17, Isaiah Neal 1 1-7 3, Nate Combs 0 0-0 0, Evan Hoover 0 0-4 0, Jordan Auker 0 0-0 0, Drew Pyle 0 0-0 0, Trent Weiss 0 0-0 0. Team – 21 5-21 55.
SETON (12-2) – Billie Webster III 5 8-10 20, Desmond Bane 11 11-12 37, Nick Mathews 1 0-0 3, Colten Pipenger 0 0-2 0, Trent Reichley 2 0-0 5, Sam Brenneke 0 0-0 0, Carlitos Harlan 0 0-0 0, Jacob Berger 0 0-0 0. Team – 19 19-24 65.
Hagerstown 18 27 38 55
Seton 24 28 45 65
3-pointers – Hagerstown 8 (Stitt 4, Andis 3, Templin 1), Seton 8 (Bane 4, Webster III 2, Mathews 1, Reichley 1). Rebounds – Hagerstown 17 (Neal 7), Seton 21 (Bane 12). Turnovers – Hagerstown 9, Seton 16. Fouls – Hagerstown 20, Seton 19.
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