Adrian shrugged off a sluggish first half to put away the Liberal Bulldogs 68-60 in the first round of District action. The Blackhawks appeared to be a bit jet-lagged from the emotionally draining end of the WEMO conference season game against Rich Hill. Early mistakes and buckets that just weren't falling got Adrian down 7 points early in the first quarter.
Adrian trailed 14-7 before a burst of points found them up by two. The Bulldogs and Blackhawks traded leads for the remainder of the first half. Despite all the ups and downs Adrian held the lead by one going into half time.
Head Coach Tyson Basore and assistant Colter Schacher took advantage of the break to get the team refocused and fundamentally straight. Adrian took fire to start the second half going on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to ten points. Liberal with a 6-0 run of their own before Adrian negated it with a 7-0 run. Liberal battled to bring the lead within three but Adrian pulled away to a more comfortable lead.
Down the stretch Liberal was forced to foul the Blackhawks. Adrian was aware of the Bulldogs strategy and put the ball in Gage Steen's hands. The seasoned senior was sent to the line on two straight possessions--advantage: Adrian. Steen sunk his free throws.
Wrapped around Gage's free throws was two three point shots by Liberal to narrow the gap to 64-60 with 19.8 seconds to play. This time the ball ended up in the hands of Logan Harris. Harris, a junior, has really come on strong for the Blackhawks this year. With each passing game his confidence, matched with his athletic ability, has produced a valuable weapon for when teams try to key in on Gage Steen. Logan was fouled with 12.3 seconds to play. Harris sank both free throws to all but seal the victory. A late rebound and fast break led to the ball in Logan's hands as he hit the final basket in the 68-60 win.
For such a sluggish start the team ended with great momentum as they head into the semi-final round of the district tournament. Adrian will face the Lockwood Tigers who defeated Archie 60-36 in their opening round game tonight. Game time is set for Thursday night at 7:30pm.
Adrian trailed 14-7 before a burst of points found them up by two. The Bulldogs and Blackhawks traded leads for the remainder of the first half. Despite all the ups and downs Adrian held the lead by one going into half time.
Head Coach Tyson Basore and assistant Colter Schacher took advantage of the break to get the team refocused and fundamentally straight. Adrian took fire to start the second half going on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to ten points. Liberal with a 6-0 run of their own before Adrian negated it with a 7-0 run. Liberal battled to bring the lead within three but Adrian pulled away to a more comfortable lead.
Down the stretch Liberal was forced to foul the Blackhawks. Adrian was aware of the Bulldogs strategy and put the ball in Gage Steen's hands. The seasoned senior was sent to the line on two straight possessions--advantage: Adrian. Steen sunk his free throws.
Wrapped around Gage's free throws was two three point shots by Liberal to narrow the gap to 64-60 with 19.8 seconds to play. This time the ball ended up in the hands of Logan Harris. Harris, a junior, has really come on strong for the Blackhawks this year. With each passing game his confidence, matched with his athletic ability, has produced a valuable weapon for when teams try to key in on Gage Steen. Logan was fouled with 12.3 seconds to play. Harris sank both free throws to all but seal the victory. A late rebound and fast break led to the ball in Logan's hands as he hit the final basket in the 68-60 win.
For such a sluggish start the team ended with great momentum as they head into the semi-final round of the district tournament. Adrian will face the Lockwood Tigers who defeated Archie 60-36 in their opening round game tonight. Game time is set for Thursday night at 7:30pm.
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