DIVISION IV BOYS: Eagles pass free-throw test, win in overtime

The Eagles again passed with flying colors.

Word of Life made 7 of 10 shots from the line in overtime, including three front ends on one-and-one attempts, to slip by Mineral County 59-54 in a Division IV state semifinal at Reed High on Friday.

Word of Life (18-3) will meet Whittell (26-2) in the state final at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Lawlor Events Center.

“I’m just happy to get another (win),” Word of Life coach Percy Lockett said. “This game was arguably worse than the Adelson School game in the (Southern Region final). But I’m pretty sure we’ll come back tomorrow night and have a better showing. There’s no way we can have a showing like that against a team like Whittell.”

Word of Life, which beat Adelson School 54-50 with late free throws on Feb. 20, shot only 30.9 percent from the field against the Serpents and trailed 41-30 with 2:46 seconds to go in the third quarter.

But the Eagles never folded, and closed the quarter on an 11-0 run to tie the score going into the fourth.

Senior Jarrett Fisher scored six of his 16 points in the third quarter. He stole an inbounds pass and hit the tying bucket with one second remaining in the third quarter to give the Eagles momentum late. Lockett had just called a timeout before the run.

“I just called them in and let them know, ‘Hey fellas, this is it right here,'” Lockett said. “We needed to come out and play Word of Life basketball. I told them we would not get a second chance.”

Fisher also hit a pair of free throws to begin overtime, giving the Eagles a 50-48 lead, and finished with 10 rebounds and four steals.

“Fisher has been consistent all season long,” Lockett said. “I’ve always been on him since the beginning of the season. Hats off to him.”

Elijah Hoye, who finished with nine points and eight rebounds, gave Word of Life a 56-54 lead with 16.3 seconds remaining in overtime by making 1 of 2 free throws. Hoye missed the second attempt, but Malik Moore — who had 14 rebounds — pulled down the critical rebound and passed to teammate Trent McCall in the paint.

McCall was fouled and made both of his free throws to make it 58-54 with 9.1 seconds, essentially sealing the game. Mineral County turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and the Eagles avoided a foul to secure the victory.

“We put time in free-throw shooting,” said Lockett, whose team finished 13 of 18 at the line. “When it comes down to it, it can decide a game. We work really hard at that. It was huge tonight. To be honest, it decided the game.”

McCall had 15 points, and Paul Kelker added 13 points and four assists for Word of Life.

Taylen Wachsmuth led Mineral County with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Robert McFalls and Isaiah Crowl each had 12 points, and Davis scored 11 for the Serpents.

Whittell 56, Adelson School 41 — The strength of Adelson School’s basketball team this season has come from its formidable inside presence.

The Lions found their roadblock in the state semifinals.

Whittell’s aggressive low-post play on both sides of the floor sparked the Warriors by the Lions (12-10) in the other semifinal.

“You have to give credit to Whittell,” Adelson School coach Rob Blackwell said. “They’re a well-coached team. They have some great talent individually and they know how to play with that talent.”

Whittell, the Northern Region champ, outrebounded the Lions 32-23 and used a 20-6 third-quarter run to take control.

The Warriors led 22-20 at halftime, but went on a 13-1 run to start the third quarter and never looked back.

Palmer Chaplin scored nine of his 20 points in the quarter for Whittell, which forced seven third-quarter turnovers to take a 42-26 lead heading into the fourth.

Adelson School pulled within 47-36 with 3:25 to go in the fourth, but would get no closer. The Lions finished 16-for-45 (35.6 percent) from the field.

Brandon Pappas scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. Pappas also had seven rebounds for the Lions, who got nine points from Jake Buchman.

“I just spoke to 14 young men, who genuinely care about each other, and fought for the betterment of our basketball team,” Blackwell said. “I’m happy about the prospects of the future. Next year is going to be an exciting year for these guys.”

Quinn Kixmiller had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and teammate Colin Buchholz scored 10 for Whittell.