Lincolnview wins thriller over Miller City

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Jake Bowersock’s layup at the buzzer gave Lincolnview a thrilling 49-47 victory over Miller City in the Division IV sectional semifinals at Van Wert High School on Wednesday.

The win puts the No. 5 seed Lancers (12-11) in the sectional championship game against No. 4 seed Kalida at 8 p.m. Friday. The Wildcats advanced with a 51-27 victory over Patrick Henry in the first game of the night.

The game was tied 47-47 and after a Lincolnview timeout, the Lancers worked the ball down low on the right to Bowersock, who powered his way to the game winning bucket as the buzzer sounded. The 6-3 junior finished with six points.

“They were playing man before we called timeout, so we told them this is the play we want to run if they come back out in man and if they come out in their box-and-one, which they did, that we wanted to run the play that we did,” Lincolnview head coach Brett Hammons explained. “We knew we wanted to take the last second shot and I told our guys either we make it or it’s going into overtime. I didn’t want to give Miller City a chance to make any shots whatsover.”

“We executed the play that we’ve run since I’ve been here at Lincolnview,” Hammons added. “I actually got it from Larry Clark, my former varsity assistant – it’s a play he always ran. We actually started the game with the same play and Jake scored the first basket and scored the last one.”

Miller City (11-12) hit three triples in the first quarter and led 11-8 entering the second period, but Creed Jessee went to work, scoring nine of his game high 19 points in the quarter, including a pair of treys of his own to help the Lancers post a 24-17 halftime lead.

“That’s what he can do for us,” Hammons said of Jessee. “He’s a huge boost for us and he’s one of the guys we want to get the basketball to in certain situations, especially the way he was shooting it tonight.”

Clayton Leeth scored all six of his points in the third quarter and at one point the Lancers enjoyed a 32-23 lead, but Miller City stormed back. Jon Burgei scored six points in the period and Austin Ruhe added four to help the Wildcats trim the deficit to four, 36-32 at the end of the period.

“He’s one of the kids who’s very active on defense,” Hammons said of Leeth. “He was able to get in the passing lanes a couple of times and he did a great job of getting out and running and finishing transition.”

In the fourth quarter Nick Gable, who missed most of the second period with foul trouble, scored eight of his 12 points as the two teams went back and forth for much of the quarter.

“We knew they were going to make a run and we took their best shot and it was just kind of back and forth, with shot for shot being made,” Hammons said. “Luckily for us we made the last one.”

Scoring summary

Lincolnview 8 16 12 13 – 49
Miller City 11 6 15 15 – 47

Lincolnview: Landon Price 1-0-2; Clayton Leeth 3-0-6; Aaron Cavinder 2-0-5; Collin Overholt 2-3-7; Daegan Hatfield 2-0-4; Jake Bowersock 3-0-6; Creed Jessee 6-5-19

Miller City: Austin Ruhe 5-0-11; Nick Gable 5-2-12; Jake Koenig 5-0-13; TJ Michel 1-1-3; Jon Burgei 4-0-8