No. 20 Mount Gilead shot well and gave No. 2 North Union a run for their money, but the Wildcats did a good job capitalizing off turnovers, and the Indians took a 65-61 loss in the Division III Central 2 Sectional Finals on Feb. 27.
“The game vs North Union was our best game of the year,” said Coach Nathan Davis said of his squad, which finished 6-17. “We had a lot of confidence going into the game. Our players got out to a fast start with our shooting, and never gave up.”
After North Union made the game’s first basket, the Indians took a 3-2 lead when Hayden Somerlot drained a shot from deep. He quickly followed with another three from the same spot on the next possession for the Indians, putting them up 6-2 early. Later in the quarter down 10-6, Somerlot made it three from downtown, and put Mount Gilead gilead within one on a shot from the corner. The three ball continued for Somerlot, and he tied the game at 14-14 on his fourth make from beyond the arc.
It was a 17-16 game in favor of North Union to open the second quarter, but Rowan Fitzpatrick changed that quickly with a three of his own to go up by two with 7:50 on the clock. About a minute later, Somerlot sank a fallaway three to put the Indians up 22-17. The fast break play came off a steal and sweet assist on a downcourt pass by Fitzpatrick. With 5:20 left, Gage Baker made a great play near the basket to block a shot and keep the lead at 22-19. The game was tied 24-24 with 3:30 left when senior Mitchell Sayers came away with a steal. North Union outscored the Indians 15-13 in the second quarter, and the Wildcats had a 32-29 lead at halftime.
“Somerlot came out shooting hot the first half,” Davis said. “He had a lot of confidence going into the game. He never hesitated when he shot the basketball at North Union. He is very capable of hitting shots at that rate on any given night. It was a great confidence booster for him.”
Mount Gilead went into the locker room with a real chance at an upset, and it stayed tight in the third quarter with the Wildcats outscoring the Indians 17-16. Both teams scored 16 points in the final quarter, and while the Indians made it interesting by hanging tough the whole game, the Wildcats took the win to move onto the Sectional Finals.
The Indians went 9-for-18 from three and shot 55.3% as a team, while holding the Wildcats to 4-for-17 and 41.1%. However, Mount Gilead had 24 turnovers, and North Union had 19 points off of them. The Indians also only got to the line twice, making one shot. On the other hand, North Union went 15-for-23 from the charity stripe.
The Indians led 32-21 in rebounds and 16-12 in assists, but the Wildcats had a 14-5 steals advantage and 5-2 in blocks.
The Indians couldn’t stop Max Phenicie, who led all scorers with 31 points in the game. He also had five steals, six boards, two assists and two blocks in a fantastic all-around performance for North Union.
Somerlot led the Indians with 17 points, one block, one assist and one rebound. Fitzpatrick had 15 points, six assists, two steals and a rebound. Gage Baker put up 14 points, nine boards, three assists, a steal and a block. Carson Trainer had six points, seven boards, one steal and one assist. Sayers tallied five points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal, and Cam Vickers had four points, six boards and two assists. Jacob Wilt had an assist in the game.
Coach Davis was pleased with the quality of play his team put forth.
“The keys were to try to get out with a fast start, match them with energy, and be physical on defense,” Davis said. “The kids played hard and they stepped up vs the No. 2 seeded team in the district.”
Davis thinks the team will have confidence coming from the game going into next season for a couple reasons. The now team believes that they can beat anyone, and they also trust each other and have a “never quit attitude.”
“I believe the players will be hungry for next season with another year older and experience,” Davis said.
The team will return Fitzpatrick for his senior year, and Davis called him a “great player” who learned to be a leader and run the point. He was second team All-KMAC and had averaged 9.5 points, and just under three assists and three rebounds. Gage Baker was named honorable mention in his sophomore season and also returns to the team as a key member. He led the team in scoring at 9.8 ppg. Davis said he is strong and athletic, and continues to learn the game.
“The team improved each week during the season,” Davis said. “With the team only having a little varsity experience coming into this year, the players improved each game and gained valuable varsity experience. I felt the players continue to learn about the game of basketball this year.”
Davis said that the team will have its core back for next year with more experience, but they are losing one senior in Sayers, and Davis knows he will be a tough one to replace. Sayers was a force down in the low post area with his athleticism and height.
“Mitch brought a competitive edge to the program,” Davis said. “Mitch will be missed on the court and in the locker room. His senior leadership will be missed, but will continue years to come.”
