TV's Tyler Greer helps spark a second half comeback victory for the Patriots

It took the hopeful 3’ of a freshman at the end of regulation and the gutsy leadership of the upper classmen down the stretch in double overtime, but the Tri-Village Patriots pulled off a huge victory over the #2 ranked Division III team, Dixie Greyhounds, 63 – 62.

What a game! The Battleground has seen some great games over the past 18 years, but few will rank higher than this one.

Especially after you consider the start of the Patriots in the first half and the play of the Greyhounds against the Pats 2/3 zone.

The team from Dixie lived up to their #2 State ranking and then some.

The play of #12 Jared Moore and the remaining starters of the Dixie team, sliced and diced the Pats zone like a cheap knife in a late night infomercial. Dixie busted 2 treys off the Pats and then finished off the quarter with some nice passes down on the block to Moore and Matt Risner.

“That’s a nice basketball team” commented TV’s Josh Sagester when describing the night’s opponents. “They’re so athletic. They have guards that can make shots; guards that can break you down; I don’t care who you are, if you’ve won 14 games in a row you are doing something right.”

Ryan Buck hit two free throws late in the first quarter to get the Pats back within 8, but it was evident early; if the Pats didn’t play better the remainder of the game the Greyhounds were going to hand them their lunch.

The first part of the second quarter didn’t go any better for the Patriots. Dixie built a 12 point lead twice in the quarter and played some of the Pats own medicine back in their face.

With the lead the Greyhounds slowed the ball down and drew the Pats out of their zone and worked their way in for an easy score to take a 17 – 29 lead.

TV made a run late in the quarter and after Buck drained two free throws to get the Pats within 10, Drew Moore connected on a 3 ball with 1:23 left in the half to draw them within 7 points. Dixie quickly countered to squelch the momentum when Nick Miller drained a trey for the Greyhounds. Dixie ended up outscoring the Pats 13 – 11 for the quarter to take a 10 point lead into the break.

In the second half the bigger, slower Patriots started with a man defense against a quicker and more athletic Dixie team. It was just enough man defense up front with the help defense in behind with the bigs’ to slow down the Greyhounds. Logan Brubaker did a great job on stopping Ethan Blankenship’s penetration and Tyler Greer did a good job on Dixie’s Moore to hold him to 3 points for the quarter and Dixie scored only 7 points in the quarter.

It was just what the doctor ordered. Or in this case, desperate means sometimes yield great results.

“Zone has been our bread and butter and we give up 21 points in the first quarter? I said ‘You got to be kidding!” noted Sagester in his post game comments. “We couldn’t do worse playing man to man!”

Another factor for the Pats playing man is that they had several players get into foul trouble. The good news was the Greyhounds couldn’t make a free throw to save their life. Dixie missed the front end of all the one and bonus’ in the quarter. The double bonus didn’t help them either. They ended up shooting 14 for 30 from the line for the game.

Playing the great D must have been what made Greer kick it into high gear on offense. Greer scored 7 of the Pats 13 points in the 3rd quarter. His coast to coast layup with 3:16 to go in the quarter got TV within 3. His two free throws near the end of the quarter got the Pats within 1, 37 – 38. Moore’s only 3 for the quarter for the Greyhounds gave them a 4 point lead at the end of three.

Greer nailed a 3 ball at the beginning of the 4th that got the Patriots off to a great start. Ryan Buck tied the game at 41 with a free throw with 6:01 on the clock. The next 6 minutes resembled a slug match in a prize fight as the teams traded punches. Fortunately for the Pats the Greyhounds couldn’t score the knock out punch on the free throw line. Dixie shot 5 for 14 at the line in the last two quarters of regulation.

What it did do was set the drama that put both stands on the edge of their seats.

TV ended up taking a 3 point lead on two Buck free throws with just under 3 minutes to play. Unfortunately, TV missed the front end of a 1 and bonus, turned the ball over and missed two free throws in the double bonus over the next 2 and half minutes.

With under a minute to play Jared Moore made a deuce in the lane to put Dixie up one. After missed free throw opportunities for both teams, Moore put Dixie up three with 2 free throws with less than 20 second on the clock.

Somewhere in the ensuing melee for TV, Greer was able to draw a foul and he calmly drained both throws to put TV within one with 13.2 seconds to play. TV immediately fouled Dixie to put them on the line. In the exchange between free throws, Sagester puts freshman Drew Moore back into the game. After the Dixie player hits the second free throw to put them up three, 49 – 52 it sets the big play of the game if you’re a Patriots fan.

The Patriots get the ball into Moore’s hand with 8 seconds to play. He’s covered and spins away from the pressure, steps back to launch a 3 ball, five feet from the arc on the right elbow near the Patriots bench. The ball takes a huge rainbow route to the bucket and hits nothing but the bottom of the net with 2 seconds left. Dixie is unable to get a good shot off and pandemonium rocked the Battleground. Moore sent the game into OT, 52 – 52.

“Drew Moore’s big 3 was just unbelievable” Sagester beamed afterwards. “He can shoot the ball. He’s as skilled kid at that age as there is around in my opinion. Defensively sometime we need to go with a different line up, but when we need somebody to make a shot… it is hard to believe that a 14 year old kid can make a shot in this kind situation and environment.”

In the first overtime both teams didn’t have success shooting from the floor as the defenses took over and the teams didn’t want to make crucial errors. Each team scored two points. TV held the ball the last 37 second of the first OT but was unable to get a good shot off. The second OT began with the scored knotted at 54.

The second OT TV struck blood first when David Barger drew a foul and sunk one free throw to put TV up one.

After a Dixie miss, TV set up the offense that put Buck on the high post. Typically it is Barger feeding Buck on the Hi – Lo feed, but Buck found Barger on the left Block and Barger finished strong to put TV up 3, 57 – 54.

After a Dixie free throw the Pats worked at taking the air out of the ball. Logan Brubaker and Kendall Stutz were on the bench with 5 fouls a piece and Greer, Moore and Heath West worked the ball out front. Moore was fouled with 1:37 left and sank his second free throw to put TV back up 3.

West drew the assignment of covering Moore the next time down the floor and Moore drew a foul sank one free throw to narrow the gap to 2 again. After Barger drained two free throw for this 5th point of the overtime, Moore again nailed a deuce to make the score 60 – 58 with 48.4 seconds remaining.

With 43 seconds remaining West hit a free throw to make the lead 3 again for the Pats. Again, Moore drew the foul for Dixie and sank both charity tosses to narrow the gap to one, 61 – 60.

Ryan Buck is fouled with 25.4 second left and failed to connect on either toss. Moore again struck pay dirt for the Greyhound when he nailed a jumper with 15.7 seconds left and Dixie appeared ready to hold on to their perfect record, going up one, 61-62.

TV worked the ball down to Buck again in the lane and Dixie fouled him with 7.7 seconds remaining. After missing his two previous throws, Dixie called timeout to give Buck some time to think about it. Dixie also needed to regroup. Mr. Everything in the second OT, Jared Moore, just fouled out of the game.

Buck retuned to the line and in the words of Stewart Scott, he was as ‘cool as the other side of the pillow.’ Buck nailed both free throws to put TV up one.

Dixie made it down to their end of the floor to attempt two shots, but none fell as the buzzer rang in the Battleground. The student section emptied onto the floor and TV celebrated their victory over a State Ranked opponent.

“They are just Gutty Kids. The kids have worked hard preparing for this year. The kids just have a refuse to lose attitude and they find a way a win. Unbelievable!” noted Sagester after the game.

“Ryan Buck was just relentless and didn’t quit and didn’t feel sorry for himself. Missing two free throws and coming back and hitting two to win the game. That is huge. What a gutty performance” Sagester noted of his leading scorer for the season.

“Total team effort tonight with two starters on the bench during the two overtimes. Heath West has to be exhausted after playing two JV quarters tonight.”

Sagester noted the effort of Buck and Barger in the middle especially in the second overtime. “The hi lo pass has been our bread and butter all season and we flipped it in the second overtime and Ryan got the pass to David and he finished strong. Give credit to those two, they work hard on that play everyday.”

“I couldn’t be happier for this group of kids. We’re not the most talented, the strongest or the biggest but the heart these kids have is huge.” “We were down 10 and I’m in here ranting and raving and the kids just look at me with an attitude of ‘its OK Coach we’re going to get it back.’ And they did.”

Scoring by quarters

Dixie…21..34…41…52…54…62
TV…..13…24…37…52…54…63

Dixie
Bates – 2
Moore – 25
Bellman – 2
Miller – 6
Worley – 4
Blankenship – 10
Risner – 13

TV
Greer – 17
Brubaker – 3
Buck – 22
Barger – 11
Moore – 7
Fisherback – 2
West 1

Three Point Goals

Dixie 4 (Miller 2, Blakenship, Moore)
TV 3 (Moore 2, Greer)