12/17/2021
BY JACK BULLOCK
WAYNE CITY - The saying “All Hands On Deck” has its origins from the Navy but on Friday night the adage came into play for head coach Jake Talbert and his Wayne City Indians.

The Tribe found themselves in a real 'dog fight' with rival Edwards County and the host school of the 67th annual Conrad Allen Wayne City Holiday Tournament needed to dig deep to come out with a win.

Coach Talbert got some key minutes from reserves on the night and his top guns responded with big games.

Six-six junior forward Justin Durham was a 'beast' inside for the Indians.

Durham scored 26-points and dragged down 12-rebounds while 6-0 senior guard Taj McKinney tallied 15-points in the Indians 67-58 come-from-behind victory.

Five-ten junior guard Jonny Durham canned four important 3-pointers for 12-points while 5-6 junior guard Risten Kell added eight-points on two 3-pointers and a pair of important free throws.

Going deep into the pine Coach Talbert, whose team was playing in its fourth contest in the week, needed some help and he got it.

All that being said the unsung heroes for Wayne City on this night turned out to be couple of key kids; one who doesn't score much and one who doesn't play much.

Starter Lucas Noe, a 6-3 senior, 5-11 junior Diego Diaz and 6-5 junior reserve forward Grayson Habermass, each contributed needed points.

Noe hit a pair of huge fourth quarter free throws and Habermass beat the buzzer with his only shot attempt of the night to end the third quarter.

Diaz hit a big shot in the second quarter for his only points.

It was just the kind of spark that the Indians needed heading into the fourth quarter.

“We gutted out a win and it took everyone that came into the game to win it. Even Grayson (Habermass) came in and hit the buzzer beater. Some unlikely people keep stepping up for us in this tournament,” said Coach Talbert. “Defenses have been keying in on (Durham and McKinney) double and triple teaming them.”

Wayne City had some major issues that they overcame to stay undefeated (4-0) in Pool A as they improved to 7-4 overall.

Normally a pretty good free throw shooting team, the Indians were throwing up some serious 'bricks' on Friday night.

WC hit just 10-of-23 for the game with McKinney having an off-night from the line as he connected on just 4-of-14.

However Noe (2-of-2) and Kell (2-of-2) made important trips to the line in the second half to pay off and help send the hosts into the title game.

Coach Kevin Schnicker had his Lions ready to play on Friday night and they played well for most of the game.

Five-ten senior point-guard Alex Calverley paced Edwards County with 22-points while teammates 6-2 senior Dylan Rhodes added 13-points and 6-2 senior Mitch Mcfall tossed in 12.

Six-foot junior Ryder Bell scored eight-points and grabbed eight-rebounds for Edwards County

Rhodes also hit the glass for the Lions, grabbing six-rebounds.

Contrary to the first two ballgames of the night at the WCHT, there were three lead changes and four tie scores in the first quarter that ended deadlocked at 17-17.

Justin Durham got WC going early, scoring 14 of his points in the first eight minutes.

All in the paint Durham was dominant in the opening frame and his twin brother Jonny canned a 3-pointer for the Indians for their other points.

However Edwards County, as they were for most of the game, up to the challenge.

Mcfall also scored a couple of times in the lane while Rhodes notched nine of his points on three in close scores and a 3-pointer.

His trey from the top of the arc gave Edwards County its first lead at 9-8 at the 4:06 mark.

Calverley added two baskets in the quarter and when Rhodes scored in transition on a pass from Calverley, the Lions had the lead at 15-11.

It took nearly the entire second quarter before the Indians got some breathing room.

Trailing 28-26, Wayne City scored the final seven points of the half for a 33-28 lead.

Jonny Durham hit his second 3-pointer and scores by Diaz and McKinney sent the teams to intermission with the Tribe on top.

After committing nine first half turnovers Edwards County played their 'cleanest' quarter of the game in the third as they came back and took the lead.

Buckets by Mcfall and Calverley opened the second half and seven points in the quarter by Bell sparked the club.

Bell nailed down a pair of long range shots in the quarter and Calverley continued to make things happen driving in the lane.

Calverley started and finished a 12-2 run and Edwards County had the Indians in trouble at 47-40 with just over a minute left in the third.

However the hosts got a lay in by Justin Durham from a Kell steal and Habermass stuck home a shot in the lane at the buzzer as the Indians trailed just 47-44.

Wayne City advanced to the title game by taking control in the fourth quarter.

An 11-0 run, with a trio of 3-pointers from Kell, Jonny Durham and McKinney flipped the script on the Lions.

When McKinney closed the run with his trey from the right wing, Wayne City has assumed command at 61-54 with 2:32 remaining.

Edwards County committed 16 total turnovers and five of them came in the final eight minutes which sent them into the fifth place game.

Having to foul in the final minutes, the Lions put Noe on the line at the 1:01 mark and senior calmly nailed down both attempts.

Kell would added two more free throws with :30.9 left and McKinney iced the cake with a steal and fast break score in the final seconds.

“Risten Kell hit a big three for us and Jonny Durham hit some big threes. Lucas Noe hit the two big free throws. I can go on down the list,” said Coach Talbert. “And we need them to step up and they did.”

Wayne City ended up 25-of-53 overall, but 7-of-21 from the arc.

The Lions were 26-of-48 and 6-of-17 from long range.

Edwards County held a slight 27-26 rebounding edge but the 16-miscues were too tough to overcome.

“The talk in the lockerroom was 'this is our time, this is our tournament' and if you want to be in the championship game you will have to win this game,” said Coach Talbert. “We don't want to leave it up to the tie-breakers. We want to take care of business.”

Coach Talbert's club will face rival Webber Township in the title game Saturday night.

Coach Brad Beaty has his team playing well at the right time.

The Trojans are 6-3 and won Pool B with a 3-0 mark.

This will be the second meeting of the two schools this season with the Indians winning 61-54 in the semifinals of the Christopher Turkey Tournament three weeks ago.

In the now 67th edition of the WCHT, the hosts will play in its 26th title game, having won 15 championships.

Webber Township has won eight titles, beating Wayne City in 2017 for their latest win.

“They (Webber) are playing well. Danberry is playing well and Hamerski is a great point-guard. We will have our hands full again,” said Coach Talbert.

Edwards County (58) – Calvery 8 2 0-0 22, Bell 1 2 0-2 8, Correll 0 1 0-0 3, Rhodes 5 1 0-2 13, Mcfall 6 0 0-2 12, Cowling 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-20, 3FG-6, FT-0-6, PF-14.
Wayne City (67) – McKinney 4 1 4-14 15, Ju. Durham 12 0 2-5 26, Jo. Durham 0 4 0-0 12, Noe 0 0 2-2 2, Calderon 0 0 0-0 0, Habermass 1 0 0-0 2.
2FG-18, 3FG-7, FT-10-23, PF-11.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.

CRAB ORCHARD 75, NORTH CLAY 58
Traditionally when head coach Jon Brown's Crab Orchard Trojans are hitting shots from the 3-point arc they are difficult to beat.

The North Clay Cardinals found that out first hand on Friday night at the Conrad Allen Wayne City Holiday Tournament.

Crab Orchard lit up the scoreboard by cashing in on 14-of-28 bombs as the Trojans hit their first 3-pointer of the game and never looked back as they rolled to a 75-58 victory.

With the win, the Trojans will face Cisne on Saturday night in the third place game.

Five-ten junior Robbie Rooker nailed down six of the trifectas in leading his team with 24-points while 5-10 junior Colten Throgmorton hit five shots from long range and ended up with 19-points.

Crab Orchard (8-1 overall, 2-1 in Pool B) also got 16-points from 5-10 junior Brinnen Norris and 11-points from 5-10 junior Ian Dawes.

Hayden Ray, a 6-0 senior, scored just one basket for two-points but led the Trojans with seven rebounds.

Crab Orchard out-rebounded North Clay 33-25 and held the Cardinals to just six offensive boards in the win.

North Clay mentor Josh Zink and his club have battled some injuries and a pretty tough schedule and now find themselves in the fifth place game on Saturday against Edwards County.

The Cardinals were led by 6-2 senior Bryton Griffy with 26-points and five-rebounds and 6-3 junior Alex Boose with 10-points and five boards.

Five-nine senior Collyn Ballard added nine-points for Coach Zink's squadron.

Three of the Trojans' first four made field goals were from long range.

Norris and Rooker (2) nailed shots from the arc and Dawes drove in the lane for a bucket as North Clay needed a timeout down 11-2 with 5:30 left in the opening quarter.

The Cardinals did battle back in the first quarter, cutting into the lead with points coming from Boose and Ballard.

Two free throws by Boose got it to just 17-13 Trojans with a little over two minutes to go.

But another 3-points from Rooker and a drive for a score by Dawes closed the quarter tat 23-15 Crab Orchard.

Norris scored seven more points in the second quarter for the Trojans and Throgmorton added second 3-pointer of the night as along with a late rebound bucket by Ray to close the half at 40-27 Crab Orchard.

Coach Brown's club bombed away in the third quarter, pushing the lead to its largest.

Rooker nailed down two more 3's in a 9-2 run to open the second half, forcing Coach Zink to burn another timeout at the 5:46 mark down 49-29.

The Cardinals best run of the game followed.

An 11-2 scoring move, with points coming from Griffy (three baskets) a 3-pointer from Ballard and a drive for a score by senior Layton Dawkins got North Clay back to just 51-40.

The Trojans put the game on ice in the early part of the fourth.

Rooker added another 3-pointer and a driving score after picking up a loose ball in the lane while Throgmorton got going again with two more 3-pointers and a driving lay in.

Add 4-of-4 free throws by Norris and the second trey by Throgmorton and Crab Orchard led 73-50.

The Cardinals ended up 22-of-54 overall but just 2-of-11 from the arc.

The Trojans overall were 25-of-55 and they forced North Clay into 19-turnovers.

North Clay is now 3-8 on the season while Crab Orchard is now 8-1 overall.

Crab Orchard (75) – Rooker 2 6 2-2 24, I. Dawes 2 1 4-6 11, Ray 1 0 0-0 2, Throgmorton 2 5 0-0 19, Norris 3 2 4-4 16, N. Dawes 0 0 0-0 0, Williams 0 0 1-2 1, Richardson 0 0 0-0 0, Robbins 0 0 0-0 0, Marrow 0 0 0-0 0, Watts 1 0 0-0 2, C. Dawes 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-11, 3FG-14, FT-11-14, PF-15.
North Clay (57) – Ballard 0 1 6-6 9, Br. Griffy 11 0 4-6 26, Weidner 2 0 0-0 4, Ingram 2 0 0-0 4, Van Dyke 0 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0 0-0 0, Wells 0 0 0-0 0, Boose 3 1 1-3 10.
2FG-20, 3FG-2, FT-11-15, PF-15.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.

CISNE 65, SANDOVAL 52
The Cisne Lions rebounded from a lost to rival Wayne City on Wednesday night to beat Sandoval and improve to 10-2 on the season.

Coach Kevin Bowen's mostly young squad jumped out to an early lead and survived a few runs by the Blackhawks to move into the third place game on Saturday.

The lone senior starter, 6-3 forward Gavin Fetherling, led the Lions' with 23-points and 11-rebounds while sophomore Anden Atwood added 21.

Cisne (3-1 in Pool A) also got 10-points from 5-11 freshman Landon Keck.

Sandoval and head coach Tyler Mitchell dropped into the seventh place game on Saturday despite 28-points from 6-2 senior guard Kaleb Calhoun and 15-points from 6-2 senior Drew Hill.

The Blackhawks, 1-3 in Pool A, will play Grayville on Saturday afternoon.

Cisne won the battle on the boards (29-24) and committed just eight-turnovers in the victory.

Sandoval committed 16-turnovers in the loss, including five early ones that helped Cisne sprint out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter.

Five-six freshman Gavyn Harrell chipped in six-points in the win, four of the points came in the first quarter as Harrell, Atwood, Fetherling and Keck each scored four-points in the opening frame.

Both of Harrell's hoops came on fast break scores and Atwood canned a couple of shots late in the quarter for a 16-4 advantage.

Sandoval, however, got a pair of late 3-point bombs by Hill in the final :39 of the quarter to cut the Cisne lead to just 16-10 at the end of one.

A run to begin the second quarter got the Lions back up to a double-digit lead.

Atwood score three consecutive baskets for Cisne and 5-10 freshman Cooper Bowen made it 24-13 with 4:56 left before halftime.

Sandoval, as they did in the first quarter, closed the second quarter with more 3-pointers.

Calhoun hit three 3-pointers in the quarter, two late in the frame, while 6-5 sophomore Armoni Dempsey nailed down a trey win under a minute left to close the half at 29-26 Lions.

As they did in the first two quarters Coach Bowen's bunch got off to a good start in the third stanza.

A 10-2 scoring burst pushed the Lions' advantage back to double-digits.

Fetherling scored six of his 10 third quarter points in the run, all on the inside.

Calhoun scored five-points in the third quarter, but the Blackhawks were out gunned 16-9 and trailed 45-35 heading into the fourth.

Sandoval made one final scoring move, cutting the Lions' lead to four-points.

A 3-pointer by Hill, and a drive by Calhoun followed by a pair of free throws by 6-3 junior Trenton Dempsey got the run started and a drive in the lane by freshman Drew Gore got the Blackhawks 50-46 with 3:45 remaining.

That, however, was the end of the run as Coach Bowen saw his club parade to the foul line.

Atwood canned six-consecutive free throws and added one basket on a drive in the lane.

Fetherling, Harrell and Keck each added 2-of-2 chances (six total) at the line while Bowen hit 1-of-2.

For the entire fourth quarter, Cisne was 14-of-16 from the foul line, 16-of-20 for the game, which turned out to be the difference in the contest.

Sandoval was only 4-of-5 from the foul line.

Cisne will face Crab Orchard in the third place game Saturday.

Cisne (65) – Harrell 2 0 2-2 6, Atwood 6 1 6-6 21, Keck 3 0 4-4 10, Bowen 1 0 1-2 3, Fetherling 10 0 3-6 23, Harris 0 0 0-0 0, Martinez 0 0 0-0 0, Best 1 0 0-0 2.
2FG-23, 3FG-1, FT-16-20, PF-11.
Sandoval (52) – Calhoun 7 4 2-3 28, Hill 3 3 0-0 15, T. Dempsey 0 0 2-2 2, A. Dempsey 0 1 0-0 3. Gore 1 0 0-0 2, Shaffer 1 0 0-0 2.
2FG-12, 3FG-8, FT-4-5, PF-13.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.