By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Tuesday night's Washburn Rural boys basketball performance against Emporia wasn't particularly pretty. In fact, things got downright ugly at times, particularly in a scoreless fourth quarter.
Washburn Rural's bench celebrates Tuesday's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia Tuesday night at Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
But all that mattered to Rural coach Alex Hutchins was that his Junior Blues somehow found a way to escape with a 46-44 overtime home Centennial League decision over the Spartans.
"Find a way to win,'' Hutchins said. "We've been talking about it, even before the last couple of games, about how we've got to be gritty and we've got to find ways even when it's not pretty to get it done.
"Friday against Junction we had three points at the end of the first quarter and tonight we don't score in the fourth quarter but find a way to win both. Yeah, would I prefer it look a little different? Sure, but I'd rather it be that way than a pretty loss.''
Washburn Rural, now 11-8 overall and 4-3 in the Centennial League, looked to be on cruise control after taking a 39-26 lead into the fourth quarter.
But Emporia (15-5, 4-3) pitched a 13-0 shutout over the final eight minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 39.
Junior Zach Wright scored the game-winning basket for his only points of the game in Washburn Rural's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The Junior Blues trailed 42-41 in the four-minute extra session and there were ties at 42 and 44 before junior Zach Wright emerged as the hero, scoring his only basket of the game on a driving layup with 19 seconds remaining for what proved to be the game-winner.
"I saw a guy help and I was like, 'I'm just going to take it, I want to win the game,' '' Wright said. "I saw a little opening, I Euroed into the guy and made the layup.
"Coach always talks about finding a way no matter how it is, and that's what we did.''
Emporia called a timeout with 11.6 seconds left to set up a final play, but junior Harrison Trelc, who had burned Rural for a game-high 19 points, missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key as time ran out.
Sophomore Brooks Ballard led Washburn Rural with 18 points in Tuesday's 46-44 overtime Centennial League win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Junior Cooper Schmidt had seven points and 14 rebounds in Washburn Rural's 46-44 overtime win over Emporia. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Brooks Ballard led Washburn Rural with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, while senior John Hoytal added eight points and eight rebounds and junior Cooper Schmidt had seven points and 14 rebounds as Rural avenged an earlier 52-46 loss to the Spartans in Emporia.
Senior Rylan Crowell joined Trelc in double figures for Emporia with 14 points, including four 3-pointers.
Washburn Rural will go on the road Friday for a Centennial League game with Hayden.
WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 46, EMPORIA 44
Emporia 15 6 5 13 5 -- 44
Washburn Rural 12 12 15 0 7 -- 46
Emporia (15-5, 4-3) – Trelc 7-12 2-3 19, Seidl 0-2 0-0 0, Bloomquist 0-1 0-0 0, Crowell 5-17 0-1 14, Franklin 2-9 1-3 5, Shivley 3-4 0-0 6, Harrington 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-47 3-7 44.
Washburn Rural (11-8, 4-3) – Rowley 1-13 1-2 3, Nimz 1-1 0-0 3, Ballard 7-13 0-0 18, Hoytal 2-8 3-4 8, Schmidt 3-7 1-2 7, Wright 1-3 0-2 2, O'Connor 0-0 2-2 2, Chooncharoen 1-5 0-0 3, Bradley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-50 7-12 46.
3-point goals – Emporia 7 (Crowell 4, Trelc 3), Washburn Rural 7 (Ballard 4, Nimz, Hoytal, Chooncharoen). Total fouls – Emporia 16, Washburn Rural 8. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls -- none.
