Miners make history with unforgettable sectional win

GCDW photo by Terry Schwinghammer Pierce Jackson follows through on his game-winning 3-pointer against South Knox. Jackson's shot at the end of the fifth overtime handed the Miners a 43-40 win and a fourth straight sectional title.

This game will go down as an instant classic - one that will be remembered for ages in Linton.

Pierce Jackson delivered the winning dagger, burying a 3-pointer with time running out in the fifth overtime, handing the Linton-Stockton Miners a 43-40 over the South Knox Spartans - and a fourth consecutive title, unprecedented in school history.

The game may have had fans on the edge of their seats but it was far from a masterpiece.

As Miner coach Joey Hart said, "It's never a thing of beauty when we win. We just find a way to win. We've got guys who can close games."

***

Class 2A Sectional 47 at North Knox was widely considered one of the most, if not the most, competitive 2A sectionals in the state. Any one of the top four teams had a realistic shot at winning.

Nobody entered sectional week with more momentum than South Knox. In the last week of the regular season, the Spartans upended 3A 20-5 Pike Central by 12, 63-51. Pike Central had lost by just four points to Class 3A second-ranked Park Tudor in late December. Then South Knox took care of business dispatching Wood Memorial 47-35 in its regular season finale.

Linton-Stockton was riding a 10-game winning streak coming in. But the Miners hadn't been seriously tested since a 35-30 loss at Bloomfield in mid-January.

Eastern Greene suffered a disappointing 45-36 loss to North Daviess on Senior Night and Barr-Reeve also closed with a loss, 44-35 at home to Class A No. 2 Bloomfield.

South Knox had lost to Eastern Greene, Linton-Stockton and Barr-Reeve during the regular season. But the Spartans fired the shot heard 'round Indiana, upsetting the 2A top-ranked sectional favorite Barr-Reeve Vikings 43-40 in Friday's semifinal.

***

In a game with as many twists and turns as this one had, both teams had numerous opportunities to win - or lose.

***

South Knox began to assert itself in the second eight minutes and seemed on the verge of taking control of the game.

Isiah Stafford's blocked shot and coast-to-coast drive followed by Brandon Fickling's driving bucket broke a 6-all deadlock. Stafford knocked down a step-back jumper then chased down an offensive rebound turned and fired for another score. Nate Harper stepped up and swished a midrange jumper to put the Spartans ahead 19-12 with 1:21 left in the half.

Tyler Meurer's late free throw pulled the Miners within six at intermission.

I tweeted at halftime, "It's not looking good for the Miners right now."

Oh ye of little faith...

***

It didn't take Linton-Stockton long to fight back into contention. On the first possession of the second half, Jacob Clothier kicked it out to Pierce Jackson for a triple to cut the deficit in half.

The Miners took the lead for the first time since they led 4-3 early. Josh Dieball buried a trey from the top of the circle for a 24-23 edge.

Gannon Bobe would answer for the Spartans with a buzzer-beating three to knot the affair at 26 headed into the last eight minutes of the season for someone - or so we thought.

***

Josh Dieball made good on the front end of a one-and-one with 6:02 to play in regulation to tie it a 30.

It was the last point either team would score for over 12 minutes.

In the regular-season meeting, South Knox's 11 and-a-half minute scoring drought was too much for the Spartans to overcome. Tonight both teams would have to find a way to survive lengthy dry spells.

***

After Linton-Stockton misfired on three attempts at the stripe, the last with 1:11 on the clock, South Knox was holding for one final shot. Joe Dieball knocked the ball free and was tied up in the ensuing scrum with the possession arrow favoring the Miners. But Jacob Clothier's turnaround jumper in the lane was off the mark.

And unbeknownst to anyone in the house, there were still 20 minutes of basketball to play.

***

Turnovers - a traveling violation and a five-second count - thwarted both South Knox possessions in the first extra session.

After both teams had gone nearly 12 minutes without scoring, a Miner turnover at the 2:11 mark led to an inside bucket by Sam Downen and a 32-30 Spartan lead.

Clothier's two charity tosses at 1:05 at 1:05 ended a 12:57 scoreless stretch for the Miners.

Another missed opportunity came when Stafford missed the front end of the bonus with 37.7 seconds. And the clock reset to 4:00, again.

Another huge defensive play - this time by Josh Dieball - kept the Miners' hopes alive. Dieball swiped the ball at midcourt and raced in for the tying layup with 1:28 left in the third extra session. Stafford's contested 3-pointer came up short. And we headed to a fourth overtime.

***

There were plenty of misses opportunities to go around in the next four minutes. Three Miner misses from beyond the arc were answered by Stafford's driving left-hander in the lane and 1-2 free throws each from Downen and Nathan Jones.

Jones hit the first of two with 32.4 seconds on the clock to give the Spartans a 40-36 cushion. And things were looking bleak for the Miners.

Jones missed the second. Josh Dieball grabbed the carom, raced the length of the floor and drew a foul. He sank both with 28.1 seconds to go. On the ensuing inbounds, Meurer's lightning-quick strip steal and layup again evened the score.

"Our defense bailed us out all game," Meurer said. "I knew we had to have a steal there at the end and get a bucket."

His coach said, "Tyler Meurer's as athletic a high school kid as I've coached. You saw him with 28 seconds left just basically engulf that kid and go lay it up."

***

Again it was Linton-Stockton's ball-hawking defense that came up huge in the fifth overtime session. Steals by Jackson and Clothier kept South Knox from getting a look at the basket.

"Defense - that's who we are," Hart said. "We get after it defensively."

Clothier's theft at the 2:51 mark culminated in Jackson's heroics.

"Joe makes a great play, finds Pierce open and Pierce hits a huge shot. No doubt in my mind if there's five seconds left South Knox would probably make a three.

"Joe was the guy who showed the composure at the end. That's why he's the school's single-season assist leader and career assist leader."

With South Knox in serious foul trouble the Miners just wanted to drive the ball. Joe Dieball penetrated and made an outstanding read, finding Jackson open.

"We did a good job holding the ball spreading them out. They couldn't guard us man-to-man. We knew that so we just spread them out. We drove the ball and got them in foul trouble," Jackson said.

"It means everything. I'm not much of a shooter anyway and to hit a game-winner like that it's pretty mind-blowing."

It wasn't the designed play to go to Jackson beyond the arc, but it worked.

As Joe Dieball said, "I saw him open. If he makes it he makes it. If he misses, we go to another overtime."

And we might still be playing.

***

In a game filled with missed opportunities, neither team did itself any favors at the free throw line.

One night after going 21 of 26 against Eastern Greene, the Miners reverted to form. Linton-Stockton entered sectional play shooting 59 percent from the stripe and hit on 61 percent Saturday.

The Miners managed just 7-for-14 in regulation. They made them when it counted making good on all four attempts in the extra sessions.

The Spartan fared no better, hitting 8 of 15 (53 percent). Stafford missing the front end in the second overtime kept the score tied. And if Downen and Jones had cashed in on both their attempts in the fourth overtime it would have given the Spartans a 6-point edge - which might have been insurmountable.

***

Hart knew this meeting with South Knox would bear little resemblance to the regular season matchup.

Downen missed the first game with a minor wrist injury but returned. And the ball going to the Downen post created space for the Spartans' shooters Stafford, Jones and Bobe.

Hart also knew it was unlikely his defense - no matter how good it was - would hold Stafford to three points this time around. Stafford led all scorers with 17 Saturday.

"First things first what can you say about South Knox? They're awesome and they competed so hard. They took care of their defensive glass. Everything was contested. There were no easy baskets. Coach Rohrer and his staff do a great job."

Hart added, "Isiah Stafford - I feel like he's made me a better coach and he's made us a better team. I've had a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out how to guard that kid. He scored 37 on us last year. The last two times we held him to five and three.

"And he wasn't going to be denied tonight. He was great."

***

No, it wasn't a thing of beauty. Overtime games rarely are. But it was unforgettable.

Terry Schwinghammer is a sports writer for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at (812) 847-4487, ext. 27. He can also be reached via email at tschwing32@yahoo.com.