By Don McDermott – Sports Editor Daily Advocate
DAYTON – Tri-Village went on a 27-7 rampage in the second quarter, then rode near-perfect free throw shooting in the final period to hold off Mississsinawa Valley 68-64 in a Dayton Division IV Sectional Tournament boys basketball showdown Thursday night.
The Patriots, 23-0 will play Houston at 9 p.m. Monday in one of three District championship games to be contested in the Ervin J. Nutter Center on the Wright State University campus.
But Mississinawa Valley’s Blackhawks, 8-15, can retire from the 1990-91 high school season knowing they gave the Patriots the biggest scare they’ve experienced this season. Not since their 77-74 tournament loss in the 1990 sectional tourney opener have the Patriots been in such jeopardy to losing a game.
The Blackhawks, who scored 31 points in the fourth quarter of their 72-57-comeback victory against Ansonia last week, roared to a 19-5 advantage in the first period Thursday, sending their fans in hysterics and stunning Patriot fans into stony silence.
“But our kids held their composure,” said Lee Falknor, the Tri-Village coach. “I was disappointed with the way we started the game…we didn’t show up with any enthusiasm.”
“We did about everything right,” said Matt Ford, the Blackhawks’ standout junior forward. “We were playing with confidence.”
But the Patriots, noted throughout the season for their sudden offensive eruptions, used full-court pressure and a 1-2-2 zone to befuddle the Hawks in the second quarter.
Tri-Village scored 20 consecutive points to take a 25-19 lead with 2:18 left in the first half. Dirk Lewis, a 5-11 senior guard, was the chief culprit for the Patriots, scoring 10 of his 22 points in that 20-0 run and adding two point later in the quarter.
“Dirk…he’s a player,” said Falknor. “He gives you everything he’s got. Yes, there are things he does that aren’t right, but you can never fault Dirk on his hustle.”
Falknor started to list the accomplishment of other Patriots, but the bottom line was: Everybody contributed to their second-quarter blitz. Including Nate Lindamood, who fired in a 42 foot shot at the buzzer to give Tri-Village a 32-26-halftime lead.
The second half was a battle of wills, with Tri-Village leading by 10 points several times, including a 50-40 advantage at the third-quarter break.
In the final period, Mississinawa Valley, penetrating the Patriots’ baseline defense for several uncontested layups and grabbing offensive rebounds, closed to 58-52 on Curtis Enis’s basket with 2:45 left.
That’s when Tri-Village’s free throw shooting settled the issue. Down the stretch the Patriots were 8-for-9 from the line.
Lewis hit two at 2:32, Tri-Village 60-52. Shane Bietry sank a pair at 2:02 Patriots, 62-52.
In the next 1:17, “hawks sophomore guard Nick Hanes, freshman center Curtis Enis, and Ford scored field goals around a Lewis drive down the lane.
Bietry popped in two foul shots at 0:45, T-V, 66-60.
Matt Townsend, a junior forward, used a Nick Hanes pass to score and with 33 seconds left, the Hawks trailed just 66-62.
With 29.6 seconds left, Bietry missed a free throw; Townsend, working off a Ford pass, scored and it was 66-64 at 0:16.
With 11 seconds left, Lewis iced it fro the Patriots, swishing two free throws.
“Except for that second quarter, we would have won,” said Mike Leone, the Blackhawks’ first-year coach. “The zone Tri-Village played in that period took us away from what we wanted to do, and that was to rotate to get the jump shot, or run some high-low stuff.
“And,” said Leone, “Tri-Village started to feed off the emotion. Their crowd stated getting into it…and the pressure defense rattled us.
“I loved the effort, though,” said Leone. “I’m sorry it had to end this way. In the second quarter, we hesitated…we blinked.”
The Blackhawks, however, will make people pay attention next season with everybody except Norm may, Ismael Anguiano, and Chris Hanes returning.
Curtis Enis, playing under control despite foul trouble, finished with 17 points. Ford had 11 and Victory Enis 10, with Townsend and Nick Hanes adding eight and seven, respectively.
Bietry and Lindamood had 10 points each for Tri-Village, which was 17-for-20 from the foul line, compared to 8-for-15 for the ‘Hawks.
Falknor was concerned with how easily the Hawks penetrated his club’s baseline defenses for layups and offensive rebounds. “That’s not normal for us,” said the coach. “We weren’t getting down and covering that. So guess what we’re going to be working on in practice tomorrow…”
Scoring by Quarters
Tri-Village 5 27 18 18 – 68
Miss-Valley 19 7 14 24 – 64
Tri-Village
Lindamood - 10
Brandon - 8
Ward - 6
Cook - 6
Bietry - 10
Lewis - 22
Fisherback - 6
Totals - 68
Miss-Valley
Ford - 11
May - 3
VEnis - 10
Hanes - 6
Anguiano - 2
NHanes - 7
CHanes - 6
CEnis - 17
Totals - 64
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