Late 8-0 run enough as Western Grove holds on

Saturday, March 1, 2014

LEAD HILL - Western Grove trailed all but the last 44 seconds, but the Warriors came through with an 8-0 run in the final minute to slip past County Line 49-47 Friday evening in the semifinals of the Class 1A Region 1 tournament.

With 1:08 left in the game,Andrew Smith made two free throws to pull the Warriors even at 45-45 for the second tie of the game. After a County Line turnover, Ben Grice hit two free throws to give Western Grove (35-6) its first lead of the night, 47-45, with 44.7 seconds left.

Evan Franklin then missed two free throws for County Line, but Grice left the door open for the Indians as he missed the front end of a 1-and-1 attempt with 22 seconds left. However, County Line missed a three-point attempt that Grice rebounded and was fouled. Grice made both free throws to give the Warriors a 49-45 lead before County Line scored before the final buzzer.

“We never gave up and showed a lot of heart,” said Western Grove Coach Josh Manes. “We were behind most of the game and for the most part did not have a lot of things go our way. A lot of teams would have folded and laid down. But instead of quitting, we just dug deep, kept our composure and that’s what good teams do.”

County Line (28-7) senior guard Trent Gattis helped the Indians stay ahead for as long as they did. On Thursday, he hurt first-round foe Deer with several three-pointers, but Friday he was most effective driving to the hoop, even giving the Indians a seven-point lead twice in the third quarter.

Western Grove closed the gap to 37-35 on a three-pointer by Grice at the end of the third quarter. Smith tied the score for the first time at 41-41 on a steal and layup with 3:15 left.

After a timeout, Gattis hit a three-pointer then made 1 of 2 free throws to give County Line a 45-41 lead with 2:18 left in the game. Gattis then fouled out when Western Grove’s Jeremiah Smith drove to the lane. Smith’s two free throws started the 8-0 run and the momentum switch for the Warriors.

“We really thought [Gattis] was more of a shooter but he really hurt us taking it to the hole,” Manes said.

Sports, Pages 24 on 03/01/2014