Adrian lost freshman Hunter Steen early in the contest but had capable players off the bench in Adam Cochran, Dylan Novovesky and Connor Pruitt to fill the void
The second half the Indians got their act together and played the second half like they should have played the first half. They scratched, clawed and, like a bull in a china cabinet, banged their way back into contention. They eventually took the lead late in regulation before winning in overtime.
Adrian did not just hand the game over to Osceola. It was a dog fight the whole way. Despite surrendering the lead as time wound down the team put together one final play in the hopes of winning in regulation. With little more than a few seconds on the clock the Blackhawks pushed the ball down the court and into the hands of Logan Harris for the potential game winning shot. Rather than allow the Blackhawks the winning bucket Osceola fouled Logan and forced him to tie, or win, the game at the free throw line. With immense pressure and the game on the line Logan Harris sank one of two free throws to force the game into overtime.
In the extra period the two teams battled toe to toe. Each team held two possession leads only to see it dwindle to a tie and even fall behind. In the end Adrian came up one point short losing 62-63.
You could see the dejection on the players faces and hear the groan of the fans as time ran out. It stung to be up by so much yet lose the game in overtime. But, if you look at where the team started the year and how they played against a very talented Osceola Indians team you can see there was so much to feel good about even in defeat. "We played the best and worst halves of our season" said head coach Tyson Basore. "We have to learn how to finish games."
Adrian came out unafraid of their big guy in the middle. They drove the lane, they made shots and drew fouls. At one point the Osceola big guy was so frustrated he fouled a couple of Blackhawk players harder than what was necessary. Clearly, he was taking out his frustrations in the heat of battle. The Blackhawks also forced some of the Indian's players to the bench early in the first half due to foul trouble and because they had them so discombobulated that their play was affected by it.
Sure, it's a loss in the standings but this game was a major victory to teamwork, chemistry and hustle. Adrian had shown signs every game of how good they can be when they put it all together and for one half during homecoming they maximised their resources.
Even thought the game ended in defeat it sets the team up to handle any pressure that comes their way the rest of the season.
Total Points: Logan Harris 21, Trenton Tallman 12, Dylan Novovesky 10
3-Pointers: Trenton Tallman 4
Free Throws/Attempts: 11/18 as a team
Field Goals/Attempts: 17/42
Rebounds: Dylan Novovesky 7
Steals: Logan Harris 2
Assists: Logan Harris 5
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