Winchester’s Boo Enis is guarded by Northeastern’s Jalen Hillard.
WINCHESTER, Ind. – The Winchester boys basketball team celebrated Senior Night with a 50-45 victory over Northeastern.
“Our seniors got it done,” Winchester Head Coach Dustin Baldwin said. “They stepped up and played a tremendous game.”
“It was a solid overall performance,” Baldwin continued. “We did a really good job of putting 32 minutes together.”
For the Knights, the Tri-Eastern Conference contest was about 30-19 rebounding deficit and missed free throws.
“They just out rebounded us and you’re not going to win many basketball games going 6-for-16 from the free throw line,” Northeastern Head Coach Brent Ross said. “There was one stretch where we missed five in a row in the third quarter and that allowed them to get a lead.
The Golden Falcons jumped out to an early 12-4 lead before the Knights rallied to close the gap to 12-10 by the end of the opening period.
By the intermission, Northeastern held a 24-23 advantage.
The game remained tight in the third quarter, but Winchester gained an edge as Boo Enis and Trey Graft both drilled 3-pointers in the final minute of the frame to put the Golden Falcons on top 38-34.
“Give then all of the credit,” Ross said. “It was their senior night and it’s a tough place to play.”
The Golden Falcons were able to hang on through the fourth quarter as they converted enough free throws for the win.
“All year we have been in these close games and we’ve come up on the short end,” Baldwin said. “These guys dug deep and made the plays and made the free throws toward the end.”
By hitting 5-of-6 from the free throw line in the fourth period, Enis led Winchester with 14 points.
Graft finished with 13 points as Lukas Mills finished with 12. Isaiah Jordan-Miller added five points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Friday marked the final home game for Enis, Graft, Mills, Jordan-Miller, Justin McAllister, Jordan Key and Josh Lowe.
For the Knights, Freeman Brou led the way with 17 points.
Carter Lumpkin tossed in 12 points, while Jalen Hillard had nine.
Winchester won the JV contest 45-40 as Levi Slusher score 11 points.
Nathaniel Dunica had nine points and Ross Culy had eight.
Quantrell Gammon led Northeastern with 12 points.
Michael White finished with 10 and Wes Mull had eight.
Both teams are back in action on Tuesday.
Northeastern (13-8, 5-2) is at Connersville (18-4), while the Golden Falcons (6-13, 4-4) visit South Adams (5-14).