PUTNAM COUNTY CLASSIC: Cougars break Tiger Cub hearts in final seconds

North Putnam's Brady Barber gets by a Greencastle defender on the way to the rim during Thursday night's second game of the Putnam County Classic. Barber had nine points to help the Cougar offense stay afloat early on before defeating the Tiger Cubs for a second time 37-34 to advance to the Classic final Friday night.

Banner Graphic/TRENT SCOTT

In what was a far more methodical pace to the first meeting at McAnally Center on Jan. 13, Greencastle and North Putnam tested each other all 32 minutes of the second game of the Putnam County Classic Thursday night.

The teams were never further apart than two points in the final quarter until the last five seconds where a pair of late free throws forced a last-ditch three attempt from the Tiger Cubs that was short, allowing the Cougars to advance to the final with a 37-34 win.

“We just couldn’t hit shots,” North Putnam head coach Vince Brooks said after the game. “I don’t know what we shot from three but it was rough yet we found other ways to make an impact.

“The guys have great composure down the stretch, made really good decisions and made the big shots even when we weren’t hitting them earlier.”

“We’ve put ourselves in a position to win a game for the 10th time or so this year and didn’t, so that’s frustrating as a coach,” Greencastle head coach Bryce Rector said. “Good teams can get stops in man-to-man defense and knock down free throws as the game progresses on.

“We’re incapable of doing that right now and that puts us in a really difficult spot at the end of games. I look at those two things as issues that we have to correct moving forward.”

Brayden Monnett opened the game with a steal and layup as North Putnam (11-9) tried to bring out the same press that caught Greencastle (3-16) flat in the closing moments of the first meeting.

The Tiger Cubs were able to handle it better the second time around as baskets from Sam Gooch and Cole Hutcheson gave the hosts a 6-4 lead.

Brady Barber tied the game at 6-6 and the teams finished the first quarter tied at 9-9 after threes from Kaden Helderman and Anthony Adams at the end of the period.

Scoring slowed to a crawl in the second quarter as the pace slowed as Hutcheson and Barber traded early baskets.

Jacob Simmerman hit a free throw while Gooch scored the final two baskets of the half to give the Tiger Cubs a 16-11 halftime lead.

“North Putnam came out came out with the intention of carrying over the fourth quarter of the last game,” Rector said about the opening minutes. “We didn’t allow that to happen.

“We executed against their press and they got out of it pretty quickly. The pace never got up-and-down and it was about two teams, late in the season, that know each other well and it’s difficult to take advantage of what the other team is doing defensively, so credit both sides for executing their gameplans tonight.”

“Any time teams play zone, you have to have patience to move the ball and see what the other team is willing to give up,” Brooks said about the slowed pace compared to the first meeting. “It takes a little more time and it leads to a slower-paced game.”

Gooch hit a free throw to start the second half to give Greencastle the game’s largest lead, one that lasted just a couple of minutes as Barber hit a three, Monnett scored off a steal and Matt Farrington scored on a drive to make it 18-17 North Putnam.

The lead changed hands three more times as Gooch scored at the rim, Farrington answered with two drives before Cody Evans hit a three and Hutcheson added two free throws as the Tiger Cubs led 24-22 after three periods of play.

Helderman opened the fourth quarter with a three with each subsequent score moving the needle back and forth for each side.

The seventh lead change came after a Hutcheson three with 1:42 left that gave the hosts a 33-32 lead with Gooch adding a free throw to make it 34-32 with 30 seconds remaining.

North Putnam only needed 10 seconds to take the lead as Helderman hit from the corner to make it 35-34 and followed it up with a steal on the inbounds play, knocking down two free throws to make it 37-34 with a last-gasp three hitting the front of the rim as the Cougars advanced to the final Friday night.

Scoring

Greencastle (9-19 2FG; 3-9 3FG; 7-12 FT) — Gooch 15, Hutcheson 8, Evans 7, Adams 3, Simmerman 1

North Putnam (7-17 2FG; 5-24 3FG; 7-16 FT) — Helderman 11, Monnett 9, Barber 9, Farrington 6, Hackleman 2

Statistics