NEW WASHINGTON — Getting off to a great start and refusing to let the momentum shift in the late going, New Washington brought Henryville’s six-game winning streak to a screeching halt Friday, as the Mustangs defeated the Hornets 61-54 at James Matthews Gymnasium.
“Our kids really stepped up tonight,” New Washington coach Jonathan May said. “Between my coaches and I, we had watched them play five or six games, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes. They’ve got a good group of seniors, and they don’t get rattled.”
As they hit the ground running and came out firing, New Washington built a 10-3 early lead. Kyle Robertson pulled the Hornets to within 15-10 late in the period with a 3-pointer, but back-to-back 3s by Devin Freels and Drake Krohn put the Mustangs on top 21-10 at the end of the quarter.
“We’ve had quite a few games this season where we’ve came out and knocked down shots, or just looked relaxed,” May said.
One could understand the “deer in the headlights” look of the Hornets, as the Mustangs hit 8-of-10 shots in that first quarter, including 5-of-7 threes.
But Henryville continued to fight back, pulling to within 28-22 at halftime. But as the visitors continued to chip away at the lead, the Mustangs still were showing no signs of a letdown. Steven Mayfield gave Henryville their first lead of the night at 40-39 with a 3-pointer with 1:05 left in the period. Freels then missed the front end of the bonus, but fed Jesse Wiggam for a basket on their next possession for a 1-point lead. Taylor Stone then hit a three shortly before the buzzer to give the Hornets a 43-41 advantage.
The game was tied at 47, then at 50 as Krohn and Henryville’s D.J. Carlson traded 3-pointers.
Then the Hornets struggled to hit shots, and the Mustangs kept going to the line, where they eventually won the game, hitting 11 of 18 for the quarter.
The Hornets had one last gasp as Mayfield scored to pull the Hornets to within 56-54 with 28 seconds left. Following a timeout, Krohn hit 2-of-2 at the line to build the lead back to four. After Henryville then turned the ball over, Dustin Bowman hit 1-of-2 at the stripe for the final margin.
Both teams sport senior dominated lineups, but for the Mustangs it was two juniors that led the way, with Krohn and Freels getting 22 and 21 points, respectively.
“We try to puy the ball in their hands, and they’re comftorable,” May said. “For Drake, I think this was his best game.”
Bowman added 10 points for the Mustangs.
“Give New Washington all of the credit,” Henryville coach Perry Hunter saud. “We were outplayed in all aspects of the game, and I was out coached.
“This was an all around thorough butt-kicking. We won six games in a row, and my team thought it was due to their superior basketball ability. They didn’t realize we had won those games because we were competitive. They thought all they had to do was show up. I’ve seen that in the last couple of games from them. We showed some hustle in the late going, but it was too late.”
Robertson led Henryville with 12 points. Carlson added 11 points.
New Washington won’t have long to enjoy the victory as they travel to Madison Shawe tonight. Henryville travels to Providence next Friday for its next contest.
“I’m not worried about a letdown,” May said. “This is a great group of seniors — on and off the court. They know their roles and have adapted to them. They’re willing to make great sacrifices for the team.”
“Some coaches say that a loss during a winning streak can be a good thing,” Hunter said. “I don’t believe that. But, I think that I have their attention now.”
HENRYVILLE 10 12 21 11—54
NEW WASHINGTON 21 7 13 20—61
Henryville (8-5, 1-1 SAC) — Wolf 6, Mayfield 9, Robertson 12, Weeks 4, Stone 7, Carleson 11, Gardner 5.
New Washington (5-5, 2-0 SAC) — Bowman 10, Radford 4, Wiggam 3, Krohn 22, Freels 21, Bower 1.
3-point field goals — Henryville 5 (Robertson 2, Carlson, Mayfield, Stone); New Washington 8 (Bowman 3, Krohn 2, Freels).
Rebounds — Henryville 32 (Gardner 8); New Washington 28 (Krohn 7).
Turnovers—Henryville 17, New Washington 13.
Junior Varsity—Henryville 54, New Washington 26.
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