Published: November 25, 2009 08:33 am      

BASKETBALL: Sturgeon’s clutch shot lifts Dragons past rival Hornets, 60-58

HENRYVILLE — Justin Sturgeon’s baseline jumper with 1.6 seconds left in the game gave the Silver Creek Dragons a two-point win over rival Henryville on Tuesday night at Furnish Gymnasium to open the boys’ basketball season, 60-58.

Sturgeon had missed two free throws on Silver Creek’s prior possession with the matchup knotted at 58. But with time running down on the clock, Dragon guard Michael Bradley drew the Henryville defense to him and found a wide-open Sturgeon for the game-winning shot.

“I’d say we did win this game, but we also survived it,” said Silver Creek coach John Bradley, who teaches health and physical education at Henryville. “I thought we didn’t play with any heart and purpose in the first half, and we finally got some seniors to step up in the second half.

“I teach here, and I kept hearing from people that this was going to be the year that we get you. I’m so excited for these guys and that we were able to get this first win.”

The Hornets led throughout the first 28 minutes of the matchup. But forward Jack Eckert made a steal near midcourt and converted two foul shots to give Silver Creek a 44-42 lead with 5:33 left in the game, and the Dragons never trailed after that point.

Henryville, which travels to Loogootee to play in a tournament Saturday, were plagued by two problems which made all the difference, according to coach Perry Hunter.

The Hornets only converted 19-of-30 foul shots and committed 24 turnovers.

“We wanted to hold onto the ball to start the fourth quarter, and we wanted to score, too. But we wanted to control the basketball,” Hunter said. “I think we turned the ball over on four of our first five possessions to start the fourth quarter. That, combined with our free throws, really did us in.”

Furnish Gymnasium was rocking early in the contest, as the hosts rolled out to a 10-0 lead following treys from Steven Mayfield and Taylor Stone, a 17-footer from Taylor Weeks and two successful free-throw attempts from Mayfield during the first two minutes.

The Dragons slowly whittled away at the lead, cutting it to 20-19 following a strong inside bucket by center Anthony Everage with two minutes left in the half. But the Hornets were able to increase the advantage to five, 26-21, at halftime.

The Hornets gained their largest second-half lead of the night, 35-27, following a 3-pointer from reserve guard D.J. Carlson. Silver Creek’s Cody Jackson immediately answered by nailing a wide-open 16-footer, and the Dragons began eating away at the lead behind Everage and Eckert.

It was 42-36 Henryville when Eckert sank a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to cut the margin to three heading into the final eight minutes. All of Eckert’s 12 points came in the second half, and Everage scored 11 of his 15 points after intermission.

Both began attacking the basket off dribble drives and that aggression paid off. However, the Dragons struggled at the line as well, making 6-of-12 free throws during the fourth quarter.

“I think in the fourth quarter what Silver Creek was going to do was drive towards the rim and either score or get fouled,” Hunter said. “It was a good adjustment on their part. I was really happy with how we handled Michael Bradley though. I think he’s getting more respect, but I’m not sure he gets enough respect. Our game plan was to try and take the ball out of his hands.”

The Dragons clung to a short lead throughout the fourth quarter. But Henryville’s Dylan Wolf found himself open under the basket with 12 seconds left and converted a layup to tie the game at 60.

Wolf, a junior, led all scorers with 18 points and “really dominated the matchup, I thought,” Coach Bradley said.

But Michael Bradley — Coach Bradley’s son — was able to deliver the ball to Sturgeon for the game-winning shot on Silver Creek’s next possession.

“We’ve got to give our guys credit. They made some mistakes, missed some free throws, but their intensity level was high throughout. And they held their own down the stretch,” Bradley said.

Bradley chipped in with 11 points and seven assists for Silver Creek, which hosts Charlestown Saturday night. Mayfield contributed 15 points for Henryville.



SILVER CREEK 8 13 18 21—60

HENRYVILLE 12 14 16 16—58

Silver Creek (1-0) — Everage 15, Eckert 12, Bradley 11, Jackson 6, Sturgeon 9, Meyer 3, Schroeder 2, Sprigler 2, White 0, Brooks 0, Ricketts 0, Hawn 0.

Henryville (0-1) — Wolf 18, Stone 12, Mayfield 15, Weeks 7, Robertson 3, Carlson 3, Boyd 0, Wallace 0, Gardner 0, Everage 0.

3-point field goals — Silver Creek 4 (Bradley, Eckert, Sturgeon, Meyer); Henryville 5 (Stone 2, Weeks, Mayfield, Carlson).

Rebounds — Silver Creek 28 (Everage 7); Henryville 29 (Weeks, Mayfield 6).

Turnovers — Silver Creek 18, Henryville 24.

JUNIOR VARSITY: Silver Creek 44 (10-6-16-12) — McCall 12, Ricketts 11, Brooks 8, Sprigler 6, Armstrong 2, Kemmer 2, Kinzer 2, Hawn 1; Henryville 17 (4-5-6-2) — Pyke 8, Robertson 3, Embry 2, Reister 2, Everage 2.