02-26-16
BY JACK BULLOCK
ST. ELMO - The 2015-16 edition of Patoka Warriors' basketball hasn't been exactly a storybook read.

For head coach Joe Eddy there have been many “head scratching” moments.

But after winning the program's third consecutive regional championship on Friday night, all the unexpected troubles have been forgotten.

Once again, 6-foot-1 junior guard Jered Cain provided a nearly unstoppable offensive performance (27-points) and 6-foot-5 junior classmate Garrett Belcher scored 18-points and grabbed 15-rebounds.

For the most part, those numbers are a given, as these two catalyst's normally carry the load.

However the Warriors success this season has came about by the role players, who on Friday night stepped up big in their own way in leading Patoka to a stunning 65-63 triumph over ABV and state-ranked Altamont in front of a large crowd at St. Elmo.

“This is a huge win. We played the close at Vandalia (Holiday Tournament) and then they blew us out at their place. But this team showed a lot of resiliency, I think it shows that we have been there,” said Joe Eddy. “They have battled the last three years, they have fought hard. They got the big stops that they needed to, they got the rebounds that they needed to and they hit the big shots when they needed to.”

With the win Patoka advances to its third straight sectional, due in part to the play late in the contest by senior Dylan Back and Shane Cain.

Just like in Las Vegas, the dice rolled for the Warriors came up “7's” by these two veteran players that made winner out of Patoka on this night.

Each of the players accounted for seven points.

Back netted his in the fourth quarter, nailing a pair of 3-pointers while S. Cain got all of his points in the second half, which included four of the biggest points in his prep career.

The senior Cain, while the Warriors were clinging to a 61-59 lead and spreading the floor running clock, found a seam in the defense and drove the lane for a floater that found the mark for a four-point advantage with just under a minute remaining.

His two free throws at the :18.4 mark put Patoka up 65-60.
“Those two seniors don't want their seasons to end. Back came up big for us rebounding and hitting shots and Shane is our little “energizer bunny” out there,” said Coach Eddy. “They showed it tonight, they came up big in they end.”

As for the Altamont Indians and head coach John Niebrugge, unfortunately the promising season ends on a sour note.

After having beaten Patoka twice during the regular season, including an 80-43 shellacking of the Warriors back on January 22, the Tribe bow out at 23-6.

The Indians were led by senior forward Adam Mayhaus with 20-points while junior Sam Childerson added 11-points.

The balanced scoring was there with two other players, senior Branden Hosick adding 10-points and sophomore Mitchell Stevenson tossing in nine.

“He (J. Cain) is a good player and we know he is going to get his points. Our job was to limit the others. Belcher hit a few early and Back hit a few in the fourth. We didn't shoot well tonight and the last time we played them we came out and hit our first five-of-six 3's but tonight it wasn't the same,” said Coach Niebrugge.

One of the names missing from the leading scorers on the night was Ryan Armstrong, the leader of the Tribe in most categories.

This junior guard went to the floor hard in the second quarter and left the game with a sprained left ankle after scoring eight-points in the first quarter.

He managed to return to the floor hobbling late in the third quarter but wasn't effective, as he didn't add any additional offensive numbers to the cause.

Speaking of numbers, the Indians can point to their overall shooting figures as part of their demise.

Altamont, normally a good shooting team, hit just 21-of-54 overall (38.8 percent) and committed 12 costly turnovers, including five in the final frame.

The Indians held a slight 31-29 rebounding edge, but they managed just two offensive rebounds in the second half while misfiring.

After a first quarter which saw Patoka looking shaky, these Warriors settled down in the final three quarters.

Coach Eddy's club coughed up six-turnovers in the opening quarter, which helped Altamont to an early lead.

With Armstrong leading the charge, Altamont took its largest lead in the early going.

Back-to-back scores from the 5-foot-11 guard on a 3-pointer from the right wing and a steal and fast break lay in where he took the ball nearly the length of the floor left handed for a lay in for a 15-8 spread with 1:39 remaining.

But while Armstrong was getting warmed up, so too was J. Cain.

Cain netted 10 of his points in the first quarter, with back-to-back scores closing out the quarter at 17-12 Altamont.

Armstrong suffered his injury going to a loose ball rebound with 6:24 left in the second quarter and had to be helped to the lockerroom.

Belcher netted eight of his points in the second quarter on a pair of 3-pointers and a nice lob pass from J. Cain that he converted into a lay in that cut the Patoka disadvantage to just 19-17.

Despite Armstrong being MIA, the Indians managed to take a lead at halftime.

The Indians got inside baskets by Childerson and senior Klaiton Wolff and a 3-pointer from Hosick that beat the second quarter buzzer for a 33-26 lead at the break.

J. Cain and Belcher got the Warriors back in the game in the third quarter, combining for 17-points.

Belcher hit a pair of 3-point bombs in a 10-2 run that gave Patoka its first lead of the contest.

When J. Cain scored on a driving lay up off the glass, the Warriors were up 41-39.

Hosick hit a 3-pointer for Altamont in the quarter and his 2-of-3 made free throws with just :01.8 left in the third gave Altamont a 49-48 lead heading into the fourth.

As he has done for most of his prep career, Dylan Back provided a spark, this time early in the fourth quarter for his team.

After another J. Cain to Belcher assist, Back stepped forward and nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing to give Patoka a 53-49 lead.

He also started a 6-0 run with a 1-of-2 from the line and then another long range bomb.

When J. Cain added another drive down the middle, the Warriors were smelling upset at 59-52 with just 3:19 left.

Altamont made one more run at the Warriors, getting a basket by Mayhaus and a conventional three-point play from Stevenson while being fouled by by Back.

His conversion cut the Patoka lead to just 61-59.

At this point, S. Cain came up big with his basket and clutch foul shooting.

A Mayhaus 3-pointer beat the horn to cut the final margin to two-points.

The officials ruled that the Indians got a time out before the final horn went off, so :00.7 was put back on the clock.

However a Belcher to Back inbounds pass sealed the regional title game victory.

The Warriors were 27-of-55 overall (49 percent) while hitting 7-of-17 from the 3-point line.

They committed 12-turnovers, but just six in the last three quarters.

With this victory, the Warriors will now head to the Red Hill 1A Sectional where they will face Edwards County on Tuesday night.

“It started the last couple of weeks, but when we get some other kids scoring, and they don't have to score a lot, we are tough to guard,” added Coach Eddy. “We were down at one point in each of the last two regional championship games so the kids were able to stay calm and make the plays.”

While the Warriors celebrated their win, the Indians went back to the lockerroom with yet another regional title game loss to lament.

In fact the Tribe have now lost five-consecutive regional title games dating back to 2011-12.

“These seven seniors have had me for four seasons now, and it is pretty tough right now. This wasn't the way we wanted it to end obviously,” said Coach Niebrugge. “We accomplished what we wanted in getting the top seed in the sub-sectional, but we had bigger aspirations.”