01-21-12
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARMI – For the better part of three quarters of the final game of the Carmi-White County Invitational Tournament the Olney East Richland Tigers dominated the Harrisburg Bulldogs.

Coach Rob Flanagan's team held a comfortable 38-29 lead heading into the final frame and got a basket by Brook Pampe just :30 into the fourth quarter.

It appeared that the Tigers were ready to coast home with a championship win in their final game in the event.

Since Olney is leaving the tournament because of its commitment to enter the Little Illini Conference next season and its league tourney in January, the Tigers were looking at riding into the basketball sunset with a tourney title in tow.

However the next five minutes of play were nightmarish for Olney.

Five turnovers against Harrisburg full-court pressure and three missed free throw opportunities allowed Coach Randy Smithpeters' club to rally with a 13-1 run to take a 42-41 lead with 2:39 remaining.

But the Tigers showed resolve, turning the momentum around on the defensive end and finally managing to string some made free throws together to outlast Harrisburg, 48-45 to win the 33rd annual event.

Despite missing ten free throws in the game as a team (15-of-25) and those miscues in the the fourth quarter, the Tigers managed to pull out the victory to take home the championship with a 5-0 mark.

“We usually shoot them (free throws) pretty well but this was our sixth game in nine days and we are just happy to have survived,” said Olney head coach Rob Flanagan. “That's a great team over there (Harrisburg) and they had us a little rattled. I think we can grow from this.”

As for the Bulldogs, the opportunities were there at the end but the big shot never fell after making the offensive push to take the lead.

Harrisburg was led by Capel Henshaw and Eli Taborn-Scott with 11-points each while high scoring guard Tyler Smithpeters, saddled with foul trouble, was held in check for most of the game with just eight total points.

Olney turned to Pampe and he responded with a team-high 22-points for Coach Flanagan.

Tournament MVP Michael Fehrenbacher and Joel Eagleson added eight and seven points respectively for Olney.

Pampe secured the win with a pair of free throws with :07.6 remaining.

Henshaw's desperation 3-point shot that would have tied the game fell just short before the buzzer.

“We had two or three shots there at the end that rolled out that if we make them then we have the lead,” added Coach Smithpeters. “We played behind all night. We never had the opportunity to put Olney behind the eight-ball. It is good for us to play a team like Olney It showed us some of the little things that we have to do better. I'm happy with our effort. We had a chance to win in the last two minutes.”

Harrisburg's run was nearly championship worthy.

Henshaw was the spark that ignited the rally.

This 6-foot-3 junior lefty stunned Olney with three scores in the scoring march.

His steal and fast break lay in triggered the sprint and his 15-footer from just left of the foul line forced a Olney timeout at 40-39 with 4:49 remaining.

Smithpeters, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, finished the run with a fast break lay in down the middle of the floor and suddenly the Bulldogs had the lead at 42-41.

That would be the final field goal of the contest as the outcome would be decided at the foul line.

Olney spread the floor on offense and forced the Bulldogs to foul.

But the Tigers struggled from the stripe, missing six free throws in the fourth quarter.

However Fehrenbacher nailed two consecutive foul shots to give back the lead to the Tigers for good at 2:00 left and then Pampe, a 6-foot senior guard, hit 4-of-6 in the last 1:38.

“Harrisburg is not going to go away. They have too much pride and too many good players,” Flanagan explained. “We knew that they were going to make a run. He (Tyler Smithpeters) is really good and we were fortunate that we held him in check the first three quarters.”

Olney was in control for much of the game after a very close first quarter.

Joel Eagleson closed the opening stanza with six points.

He converted a drive to the basket into a conventional three-point play after being fouled by Smithpeters at the 4:12 mark.

That foul was significant as it was the Bulldog playmakers' second personal which sent him to the bench.

Eagleson's 3-pointer from the left wing closed the quarter at 12-9 Tigers.

Following a pair of free throws by Harrisburg reserve Dakota Upchurch to begin the second quarter, Olney went on a 14-1 run.

Pampe delivered seven of those points with a drive to the basket, a pair of free throws and yet another long range bomb.

When the Tigers' Mason Phillips scored on a move in the lane, Olney had its biggest lead of the contest at 26-12 with 3:50 to go.

Fifteen seconds later, Smithpeters picked up his third foul and went back to the bench for Harrisburg, who appeared to be on the verge of being blown out of the title tilt.

“We had a very poor first half because we didn't defend as well as we needed to,” said Coach Smithpeters. “We gave them way too many points at the line. I'm happy for our crew that can dig out of a 14-point deficit against a team like Olney. I think it shows what we can do. I think in that stretch (run) we played with a lot different energy than we did in the first half.”

The Bulldogs made a dent into the Olney lead just before the half with Kashmere Barners hitting one of his two 3-pointers in the game and Henshaw scoring again on a drive.

Olney held a 26-18 lead at the break.

A 6-0 sprint in the early stages of the second half put Olney back up by double-digits.

Alec St. Pierre grabbed an offensive rebound of an Eagleson missed 3-pointer and his stick-back made it 32-20.

Harrisburg set up its final rally by closing the quarter with Barners again dialing long distance and Taborn-Scott scoring on a drive to the basket to close the frame at 38-29.

The Bulldogs didn't shoot the ball well as they were just 16-of-40 overall while hitting only 3-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Olney was much better from the field but poor from the charity stripe.

The Tigers hit 12-of-15 two-point shots and 3-of-10 from downtown, 15-of-25 overall.

Harrisburg outrebounded Olney 21-16 with Henshaw snaring nine boards with Taborn-Scott added seven.

A better showing at the foul line and this game could have been decided early in the fourth quarter.

Hitting just 15-of-25 free throw attempts, including six missed chances in the final eight minutes, Olney nearly coughed up the championship.

“We knew that they were going to come with that (full-court pressure) but we've got to do a better job of handling it,” added Coach Flanagan. “And we will, we will grow from this. We have a lot of respect for Randy (Smithpeters) and their guys. They will continue to have a great season.”

Harrisburg (45) – Barners 0 2 0-0 6, Smithpeters 1 0 6-8 8, Henshaw 5 0 1-3 11, Roper 1 1 0-0 5, Taborn-Scott 5 0 1-2 11, Younger 0 0 0-0 0, Goldman 0 0 0-0 0, Upchurch 1 0 2-2 4.
2FG-13, 3FG-3, FT-10-15, PF-20.
Olney East Richland (48) – J. Eagleson 1 1 2-3 7, Pampe 5 1 9-14 22, St. Pierre 2 1 0-0 7, Fehrenbacher 2 0 4-8 8, Epperheimer 0 0 0-0 0, Madden 1 0 0-0 2, Phillips 1 0 0-0 2, R. Eagleson 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-12, 3FG-3, FT-15-25, PF-19.
Fouled Out – Roper, Harrisburg; J. Eagleson, Olney East Richland.
Technical Fouls – None

“We finished it (the game) out. They beat us here last Friday in the conference for the lead in the league and the kids were pretty down about that,” said Fairfield head coach Scott McElravy. “We still struggle some on offense but our defense carried us tonight.” 

Fairfield (55) – Slover 0 1 0-0 3, Bailey 5 0 2-2 12, Hucheson 5 2 4-6 20, Ferrari 2 1 3-7 10, McMeen 2 0 2-3 6. Griffith 0 0 2-2 2, Fry 0 0 1-2 1, Rodgers 0 0 1-2 1.
2FG-14, 3FG-4, FT-15-24, PF-18.
Carmi-White County (47) – Veach 1 0 2-4 4, Sailer 0 2 8-8 14, Vaughan 1 1 0-0 5, McKenzie 5 0 6-11 16, Hayse 3 0 0-1 6, Bartley 1 0 0-0 2, Brown 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-11, 3FG-3, FT-16-24, PF-18.
Fouled Out – McMeen, Fairfield.
Technical Fouls – None.

MC (2-3 in the tournament) got 24-points from Levi Laws and 22-points from Metcalf in the win.

Brian Koch finished with 21-points for Mt. Vernon (1-4 in the CWCIT).

Mt. Vernon (IN.) (64) – Varner 3 0 2-2 8, Newman 2 0 1-4 5, Goebel 4 0 0-2 8, Koch 6 0 9-11 21, Ritzert 1 0 1-2 3, Redman 0 0 0-0 0, Paris 6 0 3-4 15, VanZant 2 0 0-0 4, McNamara 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-24, 3FG-0, FT-16-25, PF-22.
Mount Carmel (66) – Laws 5 4 2-5 24, Wagner 0 1 1-2 4, Metcalf 8 1 3-3 22, Thompson 3 0 2-2 8, Diel 0 0 3-4 3, Hannah 0 0 4-6 4, Molstad 0 0 0-2 0, Allen 0 0 1-2 1, Goldman 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-16, 3FG-6, FT-16-26, PF-20.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – Hannah, Mount Carmel.