As time began to wind down in the fourth quarter, the Chetopa High players began to look worried; what was once a commanding lead for the Hornets, was now a fourth-quarter deficit to the Crest High Lancers.
The Lancers won the Class 1A, Divison II substate title Saturday evening, in a heated 43-34 victory over Chetopa. If you had asked any Crest fan in the bleachers, the game was stressful to say the least.
The Lancers earned a 28-24 lead going into the fourth quarter. That lead had not come easily.
The Hornets came out hot. Derrick Cassell and Austen Sanders immediately hit 3-pointers to start the game. Brock Ellis hit a foul shot for Crest, but the Hornets were not done yet. Ellis’ foul shot was followed by two more threes from Breylan Berrios and Sherrick Rogers.
Head coach Travis Hermreck called a timeout with just over two minutes left in the quarter, in an effort to halt the momentum.
“All I thought was, holy crap, I hope they miss a shot tonight,” he said.
Kyle Hammond hit a layup with two seconds in the quarter, to cut the deficit to 12-3.
The Lancers were not ready to roll over and die.
Hammond started the second quarter with a floater on a drive, followed by another 2-pointer from Ellis. Austin Green blocked a Hornet shot on the opposite end of the court, stole the ball and made a pass to Ellis — he capitalized on a jumper from outside. Sanders hit an outside shot for the Hornets, followed by another 2-pointer from Hammond. Crest had cut Chetopa’s lead to 16-13 going into the half.
“We could see them tightening up, they were starting to get nervous,” Hermreck said.
Berrios opened the half for the Hornets with a 3-pointer, but Hammond responded immediately with a jumper from inside. Ellis hit two foul shots, followed by back-to-back field goals from Jesse Boone to tie the game 21-21 with three minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Crest bleachers began to buzz with excitement.
Austin Green hit a long 2-pointer to give the Lancers the lead, and put what seemed to be the majority of Colony on their feet. The Hornets took a timeout with 2:23 remaining in the third — all of the momentum was against them.
Jordan Morton hit a 3-pointer to end the quarter, giving the Lancers a 28-24 lead.
Cassell hit early for the Hornets, followed by two more field goals from Hammond. Green hit a layup on an impressive pass from Ellis to give the Lancers a 34-28 lead — their biggest of the night.
With three minutes remaining, the Hornets were facing a 37-30 deficit. Sanders hit two foul shots for Chetopa, on a controversial call that had the Crest fans on their feet in protest. They edged the deficit to 37-34 with 1:30 remaining.
The Lancers were quick, however, and kept the ball out of the Hornets’ grasp until they were forced to start fouling. Hammond hit four foul shots in a row to end the game, the last swishing through the hoop with :00.2 seconds remaining in the game — the Crest bleachers were on their feet.
“I’m as proud as I’ve evern been of a win,” Hermreck said after the victory.
He said his team has worked hard to this point, and deserves a chance in the state tournament.
Hammond led the team in scoring with a strong, but average for him, 23-point performance. Ellis had seven points, and Boone had six.
“When it came down to it, I knew Kyle would be the guy who stepped up,” Hermreck said. “Kyle and Jordan both proved their mettle as leaders tonight.”
The Lancers face off against the fourth seed in the state tournament, Wallace County High. The action begins at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, Crest is ranked number five.
Chetopa (12-4-8-10—34)
Crest (3-10-15-15—43)
Chetopa (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Cassell 2/1-0-2-7, Berrios 1/3-0-4-11, Riddle 2-2-4-6, Rogers 0/1-0-1-3, Sanders 0/1-2-3-5, Dvorak 1-0-3-2. TOTALS: 6/6-4-17-34.
Crest (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Boone 3-0-1-6, Green 2-0-2-4, Morton 0/1-0-2-3, Hammond 7-9-2-23, Ellis 2-3-2-7. TOTALS: 14/1-12-9-43.
Lancers win comeback classic
