Golden Eagles win thriller in OT

By Chris Miles

Sports Editor

It was a rivalry game with all of the drama you’d expect from two heated rivals.

There was seemingly suspense at every turn Tuesday night, and when the SCOL tilt between host London and Madison-Plains ended after an exciting overtime session, it was the visiting Golden Eagles who had come away with a 67-64 victory.

“I think we just finally broke through and it was just out of shear hustle and hard play,” MPHS coach Jeff Spradlin said. “We made some real nice passes and hit a couple big shots, but the most important thing tonight was we hit our free throws.

“That’s what killed us at Washington Court House and what won us the game tonight, I think we were 13 of 16.”

Plains hit 8 of 9 free throws in the overtime session, including a pair by Brooks Carter (15 points) with just 1.8 seconds to go in the extra session to give the Golden Eagles a 67-64 lead.

A desperation three-pointer at the buzzer came up just short.

London (5-10, 3-6) trailed by seven points early in the fourth quarter, but rallied behind the play of senior Kyle Fisher (21 points). The home team eventually took the lead 48-47 on a Zach Anderson 3-pointer with 3:20 to play in regulation.

MPHS (8-6, 6-3) pushed back in the lead in the final minute, but a drive and dish by Brok Bennett (12 points) which resulted in a layup by Zac Carey (17) in the closing second sent the game into overtime.

“We didn’t come out with a win, but our thing is we don’t ever want to leave anything out on the court and I don’t think we left anything out there.

“A loss is a loss. No one likes losing to their rival, but we gave it our all tonight.”

MPHS senior forward Alex Williams led all scorers with 24 points. His coach said it was a matter of him taking his time and making the right plays.

“Alex posted up well, he was sealing his man off well and just wanted the basketball. The one thing he didn’t do today, he didn’t rush his shot.

“He didn’t just grab it and throw it up, he took his time and made some nice moves. That was probably one of his better games.”

In addition to Williams’ big night, Carter had 15 points, while Stephen Lemieux and Ryne Davis each finished with eight.

“We knew that they’re going to play us tough no matter what,” Spradlin said. “That’s what rivalry games are all about.”