Chase Legacy , left, powered the Eagles come from behind thriller over Hilltop. North Central’s Josh Sawyer nailed the go ahead 3 with 13 ticks on the clock.
WEST UNITY: January 31, 2014 – If any fans left at the half thinking this contest was out of hand, they missed one of the biggest come from behind victories recorded this year in BBC action, with the Eagles storming back to grab a thrilling 55-53 victory.
For the Hilltop Cadets in the first half, all cylinders were clicking and teammates Quinn Smith and Miklo Abner were dropping in threes, building what seemed to be an insurmountable lead going into the locker room at the half up by 19, 35-16. The dynamic Cadet teammates combined for 8 three pointers early in the game. But after the intermission, North Central hit the court determined to close the gap, and in dramatic fashion, they did!
Chase Legacy was the fuel in the Eagles engine that shut down the high powered Cadet attack, dominating both ends of the court and recording a game high 16 points on the night, while teammates Dylan Hutchinson and Branden Turner turned up the heat with 10 each in the game. But the hero of the night for the visiting North Central Eagles was 5’ 10” Junior Josh Sawyer. Trailing by 2, 51-53 with 13 ticks remaining on the game clock in the face of a ferocious Cadet defensive effort, Sawyer found an small opening in Hilltop’s pressure front and took the pass, slightly inside the three ring; taking a calm step back into three range, and nailing the go ahead shot. Following Sawyer’s 3, the Cadets took the ball down court but a costly turnover put the ball back in the Eagles hands with 8 remaining. The Eagle’s Hutchison then was fouled on the inbound pass, and he hit 1 of 2 to bring the final to 55-53.
For North Central on the night, Legacy’s 16 led the way, while Turner and Hutchison’s 10 were clutch for the comeback. Sawyer had 7 in the game, going 1 for 1 from the three range, while Clayton Ferguson added 7 as well. Also on the board for North Central, Jordan Reeves had 3 and Ethan Douglas chipped in 2.
For Hilltop, Quinn Smith led the way with 15, knocking down 3 from outside the line while Abner joined Smith in double figures with 13, also hitting on 3 from outside the line. Tim Maneval also was in double figures with 13; Jalen Towers hit for 4 while Kelby Grime and Ryan Brooker each had 3. Xavier Lowery and Will McKinney rounded out the Hilltop scoring with 1 each.
SCORING BY QUARTER:
Hilltop 11 24 8 10 – 53
North Central 9 7 15 24 – 55