DOVER – The last six minutes proved to be the undoing for Southmont’s boys basketball team as they fell to Western Boone 58-45 in boys basketball Sagamore Conference action.
The Mounties had just scored a bucket. It was the last of a 9-0 run from the end of the third into the start of the fourth quarter.
There was 5:55 left on the clock and South was up 40-34.
There wasn’t another visitor’s point for three-plus minutes, and not another field goal for five-plus.
In the meantime, WeBo scored 14 straight and the lead changed hands for the fifth, and final time.
The loss drops South to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the league, while the Stars move to 2-5 and 1-2 in the Sagamore.
"It hinges on our defense,” South coach Michael Byrum said. “When we play good defense, we play good offense. Some shots didn’t fall, and our frustration there led to our not focusing on defense. We have to stay together for 32 minutes, and we can’t let the game be dictated by made or missed shots. Shots are going to go in sometimes, and not go in sometimes. It all starts with the defense.”
The Stars did hit a couple more shots, but won the game at the free-throw line with a 17-of-19 showing, hitting their first 15.
"We made some things happen in the fourth quarter,” Stars coach Dustin Oakley said. “We played under control and stayed patient. We held a good Southmont team to 45 points, and if we can hold teams to 45, I feel we can win some games. They overplayed our wings a bit, and we made a couple adjustments. We are a young team, doing a lot of learning, and tonight we played good WeBo basketball and came up with a complete team effort. This is a big confidence boost for these young guys who have faced some hard times.”
The Stars also got a career-best 28 points from point guard Marcus Fortner.
The junior simply missed almost nothing, as he was 9-of-13 from the field and added a 10-of-11 performance from the line.
“Our guys rallied around him,” Oakley said. “He got hurt in the Covington game and it was great to see him come back like this.”
Fortner hit all six of his shots in the fourth quarter and 6-of-7 from the line to lead the effort.
The Mounties were doing everything pretty much right until the last six minutes.
They were shooting 45 percent from the field, they owned a 10-rebound margin, they were plus-10 on second chance points and had only eight turnovers.
“It takes 32 minutes,” Coach Byrum said when those stats were mentioned. “We played well at times, but we played a little frustrated at times. They guys work so hard in practice. We just need to translate that to the games a little more and a little better.”
Carter Hubble led the scoring for the Mounties, as the senior finished with 17 points. He completed his double-double with a dozen rebounds. His four blocked shots were game-best.
Hayden Hess was also in double figures, as the senior had 10 points. His six steals led to a couple of his field goals. His five boards were also second-high for South.
The Mounties were 18-of-58 from the field, 3-of-17 from long range and 6-of-10 from the line. They won the rebound battle 38-30 and had only 10 turnovers.
The Stars were 18-of-40 shooting, 5-of-11 from three range, and the 17-of-19 from the line. They finished with 11 turnovers.
The Mounties are back in action on Dec 22 with a home game against South Vermillion.
The Stars are back in action Saturday when Fountain Central comes to Dover.
