With the nonconference game tied 47-47, Herculaneum High School senior Tanner Duncan took an inbound pass past midcourt, drove toward the De Soto High goal and was fouled with :00.7 seconds left.
Duncan made his two free-throw attempts in the first quarter but hadn’t been back to the line since. After he made the first free throw, he purposely missed the second, but his shot didn’t hit the rim. The Dragons inbounded the ball from their end line but didn’t have time to set a play, a desperation shot missed, and the visiting Blackcats held on for a 48-47 victory Jan. 16.
“I was trying to hit the rim and force them to take a shot (from De Soto’s end of the floor),” said Duncan, who led all scorers with 22 points. “But I got unlucky and missed the rim. I hadn’t shot a free throw (for awhile) and honestly, I was like, I hope this goes in. Lucky, I guess.”
“With :00.7 seconds, I didn’t think they’d call a timeout if they touched a deflection, I thought it would have been too quick, but live and learn,” Herculaneum head coach Logan Kelley-Wolff said. “If we make the free throw, they call the timeout and get the set. Miss, and it’s 50-50. So, you live and learn.”
De Soto head coach Brendon Hardy said the Dragons had the same slim chance at a catch-and-heave whether Duncan missed the second free throw or not.
“If (Duncan) would have missed it when he hit the rim, the clock would run and we wouldn’t be able to set anything up,” Hardy said. “But he didn’t hit the rim and we took it out of bounds.”
A returning first-team selection in the Jefferson County Activities Association small-schools division, Duncan is averaging 21 points per game and is a top candidate for player of the year in the conference.
“We knew they’d draw something up for (Duncan),” Hardy said. “They did exactly what we thought. I don’t agree with the call necessarily, but there’s nothing you can do about calls. You have to figure it out from there.”
The Blackcats had lost four of their last five games and two in a row before improving to 6-7 this season. They led the Dragons, who lost their fifth game in a row and are 3-11, 14-12 after the first quarter and 25-22 at halftime. Duncan made two 3-point baskets and freshman Jack Asinger hit one in the second quarter.
De Soto opened the second half with a 9-0 run. Junior Andy Roland (6-4) had two defensive rebounds, senior Andy Horton connected from downtown and junior Dylan Hendricks sank two free throws as the Dragons surged ahead 31-25 in the third.
“We talked about their sets and motion principles,” Hardy said. “We came out firing and hit a couple of shots, got some easy layups. I’m proud of how our guys responded. The last two nights sting.” The Dragons lost at home 46-42 to Sullivan the night before.
“All we can do is learn and grow.”
Junior Mason Martin made a 3 to grow the Dragons’ lead to 34-27 with 4:10 left in the third. Martin led De Soto with 15 points. Horton scored 10 and Hendricks had eight.
“Mason played really well tonight,” Hardy said. He had a great night offensively and defensively. Really, all of our guys contributed in some way. They supplied something when their number was called.”
Duncan cut into the seven-point deficit with a 3, but Martin forced a turnover and drilled a trey at the other end to make it 38-30. Senior Jackson LaPlante and junior Kellan Waxman made field goals for the Blackcats, and Duncan kissed a shot off the glass and in with 10 seconds left in the third to trim the Herky lead to 38-37.
“The 3 was feeling good. A couple rimmed out though,” Duncan said.
“(Waxman’s) grown and looks comfortable, making reads and kicking it out to open shooters,” Kelley-Wolff said. “We don’t win this game without him.”
Sophomore Ben McLaughlin’s 3-point basket in the fourth were the only points he scored for the Blackcats, but they tied the game 40-40. The two teams traded baskets until the game seemed headed to overtime.
It was the first game of the season for 6-2 Herculaneum senior Alex Getman, whose only points were a basket that tied the game 45-45 in the fourth.
“I wasn’t ever worried about the game. I knew eventually that we’d start hitting shots,” Kelley-Wolff said. “Alex is a force down low. All my bigs and guards did enough to win.”
Herky hosts Jefferson High in a conference game Friday. De Soto hosts Hillsboro High on Friday.