Every time Crystal City center Brady DeGeare was fouled by Herculaneum in Friday night’s boys basketball game, fans for both teams howled with delight or derision.
DeGeare’s height (6-8) makes him a lightning rod for opposing defenders. In a see-saw game where the lead changed numerous times, DeGeare brought down the thunder with a game-high 21 points game as the Hornets climbed out of a eight-point hole at the end of the third quarter to beat the host Blackcats 57-49.
“I took so many hits, punches, elbows and pushes,” DeGeare said. “It did feel like I was playing football.”
The Hornets improved to 7-15 and 2-3 in the Jefferson County Activities Association small-schools. Herky fell to 10-11 and 3-2.
The reason Crystal is so far below .500 is because it took it the better part of the season for someone other than DeGeare to produce offense.
Junior Noah Hutton was the perfect outside compliment for the Hornets, scoring 13 points, including seven in the fourth quarter.
“In the first half, we couldn’t hit anything,” DeGeare said. “In the second half, we came together and started playing defense, then we started hitting shots. Noah Hutton came through tremendously.”
The game turned in the Hornets’ favor in the fourth when the Blackcats were issued a technical foul for a push on DeGeare, who made two of four free throws to cut Herky’s lead to 43-39.
DeGeare was fouled on the next trip down the floor, sank a foul shot and cut the deficit to three.
A 3-pointer by Hutton with 4:10 left in the game made the score 44-42 Blackcats. The Hornets scored the next seven points to reclaim the lead 49-44.
Blackcats beat Hornets second time this season
Before the boys played, the Herculaneum girls raced out to a 36-10 lead over Crystal by halftime and cruised to a 60-45 victory Friday. The Blackcats (12-5, 3-1) beat the Hornets (8-15, 0-4) 51-23 Dec. 7.
Junior RaeAnn Fuller was a force at both ends of the court for the Blackcats and finished with a team-high 14 points. Junior Ashley Lodike (13 points) and freshman Taylor Metcalf (12) also scored in double figures for the Blackcats, who won their fourth straight game.
“Most of the time I’m playing, I’m thinking about playing for my teammates,” Fuller said. “I don’t see a purpose in playing for myself. Tonight, I was playing for the people that couldn’t. We played with a lot of heart and hunger and we showed a lot of humility at the end of the game.”
The entire crowd Friday night at Herky showed its compassion and generosity in support of Herculaneum student Trevor Forshee and his family during Cystic Fibrosis Awareness night. A huge ovation filled the gym when Forshee and his family were introduced. All of the funds raised were given to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.