TERRE HAUTE —
Threatening to interfere with Thanksgiving lunches throughout southern Indiana, Terre Haute North needed four overtimes —yes, four — to edge visiting Evansville Central 84-83 in one of the wildest season-opening boys high school basketball games in recent memory late Wednesday night.
“It’s definitely the longest game I’ve ever played in,” North starting forward Austin Lewis told the Tribune-Star afterward. “It was fun. It was a good way to start off the season. Our team battled through a lot of adversity throughout the game and we came out with a win.”
“I think this is a group that understands what it takes to win,” North coach Todd Woelfle said of his players. “They know how to win. They’ve been in a lot of big games and I think our experience paid off at times tonight. They didn’t get rattled at the end.”
This marathon slugfest was a scorebook keeper’s nightmare and a fan’s delight, although it started fairly normal after the visiting Bears won the junior varsity contest (in overtime).
North trailed 16-15 after the first quarter, 30-28 at halftime and 48-42 after three quarters.
Here’s where it starts to get interesting.
Evansville Central opened the fourth period with a 3-pointer by Jalen Bender and a pair of free throws by John Powers to create its largest margin of the night — 11 — at 53-42 with 7:10 remaining in regulation.
After the Patriots cut their deficit to 60-53, Lewis converted a layup following a steal by teammate Casey Vickers.
Lewis quickly got into the thievery act himself, pilfering the ball at midcourt and driving for another layup to pull North within 60-57 with 1:54 left.
Much to the disbelief of the Evansville Central coaching staff, Lewis was able to repeat his steal-layup combination a mere 15 seconds later to make the score 60-59.
North’s Steven Davis then pulled off the same combination — from a slightly different spot on the court — but the result was the same and North seized a 61-60 advantage with 1:22 to go.
“We had been having a very hard time containing their point guard, [Kourtlandt] Martin,” Woelfle explained. “He hurt us a lot, so we went to a little halfcourt trap [on defense] and we were active in it. The steals happened right after we went to the trap.”
Powers countered with an inside bucket and Bender later added a steal that led to his own field goal to give the Bears a 64-61 lead with 2.3 seconds left on the scoreboard.
After two timeouts, North’s Nathan Jahn inbounded from near the Evansville Central basket to midcourt, where teammate Calvin Blank caught it and fired a quick pass to Davis on the right wing.
Davis put up a running, right-handed 30-footer that swished through the net, tying the score at 64-64, sending the home fans into a frenzy and forcing the first extra period.
“He’s a good shooter,” Woelfle said of Davis. “I had no problem going back to him [after a few misses by Davis earlier].”
With 49 seconds left in the first OT, Jahn sank a trey from the left corner to knot the score at 70-70 and that’s where it remained heading into the second OT.
The only points occurring during that four-minute frame were an inside fielder by Blank and a steal/layup by Bender, triggering a third OT with the score sitting at 72-72.
A three-point play and a rebound bucket by Blank catapulted North ahead 77-74 with 2:02 showing on the scoreboard. But Bender put an end to anyone’s hopes that this game might end soon by nailing a 3 with 33 seconds remaining.
Shocked that a fourth overtime was approaching, fans throughout the gym could be seen on their cell phones — no doubt calling relatives to tell them they might be late for Thanksgiving meals.
OK, that might be a slight exaggeration. But 11 p.m. was getting near.
Two pairs of free throws by Blank put North on top 81-77 to open the fourth OT. Evansville Central’s Beau Dedmond answered with a trey from the right corner, cutting the Patriots’ lead to 81-80 with 2:12 to go, but a Lewis bunny pushed the margin to three at 83-80.
Then two free throws by Bender followed by a 1-for-2 effort from the foul line by Bender tied the score at 83-83 with 36 ticks left on the clock.
Could an incredible fifth overtime become reality?
If this were New Year’s Eve instead of Thanksgiving eve, would fans begin a countdown to midnight?
Not this time.
In the final seconds, the Patriots worked for a final shot and Lewis was fouled while attempting one with 2.9 seconds left.
Lewis rimmed out the first charity toss, probably causing spectators to think: “Here we go again.”
But he swished the second attempt for the one-point lead and North called timeout to set up its defense.
“It was definitely nerve-racking after that first one was so close to going in,” Lewis admitted with a chuckle.
When action resumed, Martin — who had torched the home team for 22 points in regulation — launched a midcourt bomb right before the buzzer that would have won the game for his team. But it bounced off the back of the rim and Woelfle’s squad breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Martin ended up leading Evansville Central with 26 points and seven steals, while Bender added 24 points, nine rebounds and four steals and Dedmond contributed 15 points.
For North, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Blank put up monster numbers — 36 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot. Lewis added 19 points, four steals and three blocks and regulation-hero Davis finished with 13 points and nine boards.
“I thought both teams really battled,” Evansville Central coach Scott Hudson assessed. “It was a great way to open the season.”
Hudson admitted that he had lost track of how many overtimes had taken place near the end.
“Both teams, at different times, had the game,” he noted. “Both teams had a lot of players who made a lot of big plays. … This was almost two games in one.”
EVANSVILLE CENTRAL (83) — Dedmond 7-13 0-0 15, Bender 7-18 7-10 24, Ferguson 1-6 0-0 2, Coffman 2-4 0-0 6, Martin 12-21 2-2 26, Powers 1-3 2-2 4, Sherman 3-4 0-0 6, Walker-Glenn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-68 FG, 11-14 FT, 83 TP.
TERRE HAUTE NORTH (84) — Lewis 8-14 3-6 19, Blank 14-21 7-8 36, Grady 1-1 0-0 2, Davis 4-14 2-2 13, Jahn 1-4 0-0 3, Vickers 2-8 0-0 6, Hart 1-2 0-0 2, Low 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 32-66, 12-16 FT, 84 TP.
Evansville Central 16 14 18 16 6 2 5 6 — 83
Terre Haute North 15 13 14 22 6 2 5 7 — 84
3-point shooting — EC 6-13 (Bender 3-5, Coffman 2-4, Dedmond 1-2, Martin 0-2), THN 8-25 (Davis 3-11, Vickers 2-6, Jahn 1-2, Low 1-2, Blank 1-3, Lewis 0-1). FG Pct. — EC .478, THN .485. FT Pct. — EC .786, THN .750. 3-pt. FG Pct. — EC .462, THN .320. Total fouls — EC 15, THN 16. Fouled out — none. Rebounds — EC 37 (Bender 9, Dedmond 6, Powers and Sherman 4, Martin 3, Ferguson and Coffman 2, team 7), THN 37 (Blank 15, Davis 9, Jahn 3, Lewis and Grady 2, Vickers and Low 1, team 4). Steals — EC 16 (Martin 7, Bender 4, Coffman 2, Dedmond, Ferguson and Sherman), THN 9 (Lewis 4, Blank and Davis 2, Vickers). Blocks — EC 1 (Dedmond), THN 6 (Lewis 3, Blank, Davis and Low). Turnovers — EC 13, THN 19.
JV — Evansville Central 48 (Raesheide Bell 12, Jalen Pemberton 11), North 41 (C.J. Brown 12, Charlie Aimone 10) in OT.
Next — North (1-0) will play Saturday at Fishers. Evansville Central (0-1) will be at home Nov. 30 to face Washington.
High School
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Not here: Terre Haute North guard Nathan Jahn blocks the way of Evansville Central's Andrew Coffman in second quarter action Wednesday night on the Patriot's gym.
-
SPT112112THNBBB lewis3.jpg
-
SPT112112THNBBB davis 1.jpg
-
SPT112112THNBBB davis2.jpg
-
SPT112112THNBBBblank1.jpg
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Downtown: Terre Haute North's Casey Vickers looks for 3 in the Patriots' four-overtime game with Evansville Central.
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Contested: Terre Haute North's Austin Lewis shoots over an Evansville Central defender in first-half action. North ended up winning 84-83 in four overtimes.
Discussion
Patriots win pre-Thanksgiving marathon
North boys need 4 OTs to get past Evansville Central
- High School
-
-
Freshman Hambrock, THS seek semistate tennis title
Having already claimed Terre Haute North Sectional and Greencastle Regional championships in girls high school tennis, Terre Haute South will try to add a semistate title to its 2013 list of accomplishments today as the Braves battle No. 25-ranked Greenwood.
-
Prep roundup: South Vermillion reaches baseball sectional final
South Vermillion built an early 7-0 lead late Thursday night, then held off Owen Valley by a 10-4 score to advance to the championship game of the Class 3A West Vigo Sectional for high school baseball.
-
West Vigo advances to sectional championship with walk-off win in ninth
High school baseball sectional games between West Vigo and Edgewood have had a tendency to be unpredictable over the years, but the Vikings and Mustangs outdid themselves in that area Thursday evening — and Thursday night.
-
BOYS TRACK REGIONAL: North gets three winners, South two at Evansville
Terre Haute North had three winners, Terre Haute South two, and the Patriots and Braves finished second and third respectively at the Evansville Regional for boys track on Thursday at Evansville Central.
Hurdlers Cam Stewart and Cole Seward and discus thrower Lee Davis were the winners for North, enabling the Patriots to finish with 60 points to 59 for the Braves. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Martinsville adavances in Class 4A THS Sectional
Martinsville slipped past Mooresville 4-2 in the only game played Thursday in the Class 4A Terre Haute South Sectional for high school baseball.
-
South Vermillion pitches team to sectional title, wins for her dad
South Vermillion snapped one streak and extended another Thursday night to win Class 3A Sectional 28 8-5 over Brown County at Edgewood High School.
-
Green's grand slam helps Shakamak to sectional win
Patrick Green pitched the first four innings for his seventh win of the year and made things easier for himself with a second-inning grand slam as Shakamak opened the Class A Shakamak Sectional with a 9-1 win over Clay City on Thursday.
-
Rockville, Attica winners in Class A sectional baseball action
Host Rockville defeated North Vermillion and Attica came from behind to overhaul defending champion Turkey Run on Thursday in the first round of the Class A Rockville Sectional for high school baseball.
-
North baseball pulls away from South in sectional opener
In high school baseball little things mean a lot, and the crack in the door doesn’t have to be open very wide.
Terre Haute North burst through that crack in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday evening at Terre Haute South, scoring seven two-out runs and going on to a surprisingly easy 12-2 victory over the host Braves. -
Blank, Mundy named McMillan Award winners
Posing side-by-side for photos following Terre Haute North High School’s Senior Awards ceremony, seniors Calvin Blank and Chanli Mundy couldn’t look more different.
-
West Vigo baseball advances with 10-0 win behind Stewart's two-hitter
West Vigo got off to a good start in Class 3A high school sectional baseball action Wednesday evening at Dick Ballinger Field.
The Vikings scored four runs in the first inning of the first sectional game and went on to defeat Brown County 10-0 in five innings with Kevin Stewart hurling a two-hitter. -
Terre Haute South tennis claims regional crown
It was a lot tougher than some thought it would be, but the Terre Haute South girls tennis team won the Greencastle regional for the second year in a row Wednesday evening at DePauw University Tennis and Track Center.
-
Big group of Wabash Valley boys head to Evansville looking for state berths
The top four finishers in each event from last week’s Terre Haute North, Evansville Central, Jasper and Princeton boys high school track and field sectionals will converge on Evansville Central today for regional competition.
-
West Vigo comes up short against 19-9 Brown County softball
West Vigo got off to a good start but Brown County finished better in Class 3A high school softball sectional semifinal action Tuesday night at Edgewood.
The Eagles bested the Vikings 7-5 and will meet South Vermillion, a 12-7 winner over Owen Valley, for the sectional championship on Thursday starting at 6 p.m.
-
Valley baseball teams have been keeping busy heading into sectionals
When high school baseball sectionals begin around the Wabash Valley today, one complaint that’s not expected to be heard from any coach is that his team has had too much time off.
-
Northview powers way past Terre Haute South in sectional semifinal
Northview unleashed power rarely seen in high school girls softball Tuesday night to eliminate Terre Haute South 8-1 in the Class 4A Sectional at Martinsville High School.
The Knights hit three home runs in an eight-run third inning to reach the championship game. -
Terre Haute North dominates field at regional
Keirra Porter took first place in two individual events and helped Terre Haute North win one of its relays as the Patriots captured the Evansville Central Regional team championship in girls high school track and field Tuesday night.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: South tennis cruises into regional final
Terre Haute South didn’t lose a game en route to blanking Seeger 5-0 in girls high school tennis Tuesday to advance to today’s championship match against Crawfordsville in the Greencastle Regional.
-
Terry enjoys strong year with Wildcats, and still enjoying suiting up to play
South Vermillion’s Tim Terry is the longest tenured coach in Wabash Valley high school baseball as his Wildcats are set to begin sectional play Thursday against Owen Valley.
But on the Yankees, a 35-and-over team in the Terre Haute Men’s Senior Baseball League, Terry is “just a youngster” if you ask Larry Roesch, his 68-year-old teammate on the Volkers Group Yankees. -
West Vigo softball holds off nemesis Edgewood in softball sectional
Ice cream was enough of a reward Monday night after the West Vigo Vikings beat eight-time defending champion Edgewood 6-2 in extra innings in the opening game of the Class 3A softball sectional at Edgewood High School. But that’s not what Vikings want.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Shakamak's Green hits two homers in win over West Vigo
Shakamak improved to 22-3 on the season behind a complete-game effort from Brett Yeryar, and Patrick Green hit two solo home runs in a high school baseball game Monday.
-
Terre Haute North offense unable to get going in loss to Mooresville
Jack Kirchner chose to give credit Monday night to Mooresville pitcher Taylor Chitwood, not to the Greg Maddux-size strike zone she seemed to enjoy.
But if there were no excuses forthcoming from Kirchner and his Terre Haute North High School softball team, it wouldn’t have been hard to find a spectator or two to come up with extenuating circumstances about the Patriots’ 4-1 loss at the Class 4A Martinsville Sectional. -
Terre Haute North looking strong going into girls track regional
Terre Haute North might need an off night for anyone to catch them in the girls track regional at Evansville Central.
The Patriots are as well-rounded as they’ve ever been, and two relay teams are state contenders with times ranking No. 2 in Indiana among times recorded all spring.
Terre Haute South, Northview and Sullivan have athletes among the contenders in multiple events as well. -
South tennis ready for potential challenge in regional
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
-
Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
-
Terre Haute South, Northview vie for tennis regional title
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
Coach Bill Blankenbaker’s Braves will play Seeger at 4:30 p.m., while coach Emily Goff’s Knights will take on Crawfordsville about 6 p.m. -
Vikings win in extra innings at Rockville
West Vigo scored six runs in its first two innings Saturday, then needed a ninth-inning single by Lucas Fagg to escape with a 7-6 extra-inning win in nonconference high school baseball at Rockville.
-
TH South beats Northview in Big Four makeup baseball game
Terre Haute South wrapped up a share of the MIC baseball title and finished up the Big Four Classic with an 8-1 victory over Northview in less than 24 hours on Saturday morning.
-
Olds pitches South to share of MIC baseball title
Friday night, winning the second game 5-0 and earning a share of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title.
Damon Olds was dominant on the mound for the Braves, striking out 14 and walking just one while pitching a three-hit shutout. -
South wins first half of doubleheader against Lawrence North
Host Terre Haute South kept its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title hopes alive — and clinched no worse than second place in the process — by downing Lawrence North 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday night.
The second game, which started after Senior Night festivities between games, ended past the Tribune-Star deadline. - More High School Headlines
-
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Suspect in Killing of Officer Found Dead in Cell
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
High Wire Spectacle Thrills Crowd in Austria
Today in History May 25
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Britain Braces for Possible Copycat Attacks
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Today in History May 24
Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
ShowBiz Minute: Shelton, King, Lopez
Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: Pakistan Election Results Protested
Young protestor goes viral on Youtube
Toronto Mayor says he's not a crack head
Maine island offers lighthouse getaway
Should We Prepare for Quakes?
Lynn Kindergarten Class Rescues Ducklings
Congressional gold medal awarded to civil rights heroes
Charles Ramsey visits Kentucky
Unique Display Greets Guests At Revel Casino
Cape Cod Train Service Worries Residents
BASE jumper rides snowmobile off cliff to honor dead friend
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
SHOCKING: School Guard Throws Girl Down Stairs
Star Wars X-Wing Star Fighter Made of Legos
Actress Amanda Bynes Arrested in New York
Singer Psy Has An Imposter
President Obama Heckled at National Security Speech
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
More lewd photos may soon come out: Weiner
