Sullivan escapes South Putnam, keeps unblemished WIC record intact

South Putnam's Fisher Jones provided a spark off the bench alongside Zack Dorsett as the pair combined for an 11-2 run that helped the Eagles to a 33-29 halftime lead in the 65-61 loss to Sullivan Friday night.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

With 20 days having passed since a four-point loss against Parke Heritage, South Putnam needed a quarter to get up to speed against a Sullivan side looking to stay atop the WIC boys’ basketball standings.

A 23-10 second quarter put the Eagles in front of the visitors until the midway point of the fourth quarter at which point the two teams went blow-for-blow until the final moments where the Golden Arrows edged out a 65-61 win.

“We did get off to a slow start but I was proud of the way we bounced back,” South Putnam head coach Kyle Swafford said. “An 11-point lead can turn into a 20-point lead for Sullivan very easily, something we’ve seen on film, so I was glad we were able to keep our composure to play with poise and purpose.

“We needed a few shots to go through, too. Defensively we were good all night; we built a lead and played well with it but Sullivan is really good and when it comes down to winning time, they hit some big shots and you have to give them credit.”

South Putnam (4-4, 4-2 WIC) knocked down the opening basket of the game through Jeremiah Hibbeln but two threes from Eli Gettinger and a third from Luke Adams gave Sullivan (10-3, 5-0 WIC) a 9-4 lead.

A three-point play from Drew Hill kept the gap at five at 15-10 but six-straight points from Adams increased the lead to 21-10 just inside the second quarter.

An 11-2 run from Zach Dorsett and Fisher Jones off the bench brought the Eagles to within two at 23-21 with a pair of Hibbeln jumpers allowing Austen Branam to tie the game at 26-26 at the line and take the lead at 28-26 with a jumper.

Hill added a three and jumper to make it 33-26 before Seth Pirtle hit a three at the horn to pull Sullivan to within four at 33-29.

“We were out of position a few times defensively and (Sullivan) made us pay,” Swafford said about the opening quarter. “Once we got our second wind and settled down, we were putting ourselves in better spots to get stops and to rebound the basketball.

“We rebounded the well extremely well throughout the night but especially in the second quarter. We limited them to one shot or turned them over in some good spots and our great defense led to great offense.”

Griffin Garner started the second half with a hook shot and an assist on a Cameron Bozell three that made it 38-29 South Putnam.

The lead wouldn’t reach double digits but would stay around seven points the rest of the quarter as a late three from Hibbeln gave the hosts a 48-41 advantage after three quarters of play.

Aside from Pirtle’s connection, the Golden Arrows has missed 9-of-10 threes stemming from the end of the first quarter but caught fire as the fourth quarter began.

Javyn Woordard opened the period with a hit, followed by a Gettinger steal and score to make it 48-46.

Wyatt Mullin had a three answered by Gettinger, who added a second to cut the gap to 53-52 before Adams nailed a fourth in-a-row to put the Golden Arrows in front 55-53 with four minutes to play.

Hill and Adams traded off jumpers before Hibbeln buried two-straight shots to take a 59-57 lead.

Gettinger hit a shot on the other end to tie the game at 59-59 with Hill answered on the end to move the hosts back in front 61-59.

Woodard was fouled and hit the front end of the one-and-one with the miss being rebounded by Cooper Bock, who grabbed a second offensive board and the ball eventually ended up with Adams, who drained a three with 51 seconds left for a 63-61 lead.

Branam missed on the other end but Gettinger missed the front end of the one-and-one, giving the Eagles a chance to tie or take the lead with 21 seconds left.

Hill went for the lead with a three but missed and Adams, on a night where the Golden Arrows were 4-of-13 from the stripe, hit both shots to seal the win.

“Sullivan has a lot of veterans who are very successful and there’s a reason they’re successful,” Swafford noted. “They’ve got some great players who aren’t afraid to make big plays at big times.

“Jeremiah made some fantastic plays to keep the game tied or in the lead in crunch time as well. We came up a little short but we don’t hang our heads and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves because we have to move on to Edgewood (Saturday) night.”

Scoring

Sullivan (17-27 2FG; 9-23 3FG; 4-13 FT) — Adams 27, Gettinger 20, Woodard 6, Bock 6, Pirtle 4, Roshel 2

South Putnam (18-41 2FG; 5-14 3FG; 10-13 FT) — Hill 19, Hibbeln 17, Jones 7, Branam 5, Dorsett 4, Mullin 3, Bozell 3, Garner 2, Switzer 1

Statistics