HAGERSTOWN, Ind. – Northeastern’s boys basketball team earned a ticket to the championship game of the Wayne County Basketball Tournament on Thursday as the Knights defeated Centerville 59-49.
Northeastern’s boys play Friday’s Hagerstown-Lincoln winner in the finale on Saturday.
“You have games like this in tournaments and you have to survive them,” Northeastern coach Brent Ross said. “It’s a different pressure. That’s why I love the county tourney here. It’s because this is where the sectional is.”
The Knights held a 32-22 halftime lead, but lost it all in the third period. Centerville’s Justin DuPree scored at the 4:14 mark of the third to give the Bulldogs a 35-34 advantage.
“We handled pressure, we attacked the rim and we were finishing,” Centerville coach Seve Beach said.
However, Northeastern (9-3) was able to stay on top 40-39 at the end of the frame.
“We started covering the middle better on our press,” Ross said. “We got to the rim and we quit settling for 3s.”
In the final stanza the Knights were able to hang on to their lead.
“There was a stretch in the fourth quarter where were got a little loose with our handle and some passes and they converted them into points,” Beach said. “We did better than the first time, so we’ve improved. We’ve got to keep doing it.”
Tyler Smith led the Knights with 35 points. Freeman Brou and Harrison Rice each tossed in eight points for Northeastern.
DuPree led the Bulldogs (5-5) with 18 points, while Alex Brandon finished with 12. Matt Stamper added 11.
Box Score
CENTERVILLE (5-5) – Matt Stamper 4 3-4 11, Alex Brandon 4 4-6 12, Justin DuPree 8 1-4 18, Michael Brewer 0 2-2 2, Kody Witham 3 0-0 6, Dante Torres 0 0-0 0, Myles Cunningham 0 0-0 0, Nolan Witte 0 0-0 0, Blake Shook 0 0-0 0. Team – 19 6-10 49.
NORTHEASTERN (9-3) – Tyler Smith 15 4-4 35, Freeman Brou 3 1-2 8, Nate Reynolds 1 2-2 5, Harrison Rice 4 0-0 8, Jordan Stolle 1 0-0 3, Jalen Hillard 0 0-0 0, Alex Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Kaleb Mikesell 0 0-0 0. Team – 24 7-8 59.
Centerville 8 22 39 49
Northeastern 16 32 40 59
3-pointers – Centerville 1 (DuPree); Northeastern 4 (Smith, Brou, N. Reynolds, Stolle). Rebounds – Centerville 32 (Witham 8, Brandon 8); Northeastern 18 (N. Reynolds 4). Turnovers – Centerville 21, Northeastern 10. Fouls – Centerville 12, Northeastern 17. Fouled out – None.