Cardiac Cats: Another comeback keeps New Lex's season alive
NEW LEXINGTON — The moment of truth arrived early for New Lexington.
Down 10 points entering the fourth quarter against visiting Ironton, the Panthers sat in the huddle with a clear message from head coach Jeremy Duerr.
"He said that this is why we've put in all that work, and to just keep on going and finish," senior Issac Dick said.
The players heeded his words. In a near-replay of its comeback win against Jackson three days prior, Lukas Ratliff and Bentley Hanson triggered another comeback with 3-pointers to start the fateful final frame.
After staving off two last-second shots in regulation, the host Panthers controlled the extra session and sealed a 49-43 win at the line in a Division II sectional final on Saturday.
"We were calm the whole time," Dick said, even as many Panther faithful in attendance were not.
Unheralded senior Ryan Hobbs turned in 14 points with six rebounds and Ratliff had 13 with four rebounds and two assists, as New Lex earned a third sectional title in four years.
"Everything was just back and forth, back and forth," Ratliff said. "They made a run and we made a run. We knew it was going to come down to the fourth."
Stephens arrives just in time
After being held scoreless and without a field goal for three quarters, top scorer Isaiah Stephens, being hounded throughout by Tiger stopper Landen Wilson, hit 6 of 6 free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime.
His final tosses, with 45 seconds left, pushed a two-point lead after Shaun Terry turned a steal into a layup, to 45-41. Ironton never got closer, as Hobbs got a key steal and hit 3 of 4 at the line. New Lex was 8-of-11 on free throws in overtime and 14-of-17 overall, while Ironton was just 3-of-7.
Stephens stayed in the game mentally, despite his frustration by not getting foul calls in the lane. Instead, he turned into a facilitator — his four assists led the team.
His free throws proved critical. Ratliff was so confident he would make them that he stood well behind the rest of the team in the backcourt to prevent a Tiger breakaway.
"I had a perfect view of them," Ratliff said. "They were straight in. It was awesome."
It's not the first time he's salted a game away. He is one of three New Lex players shooting at least 80 percent at the line, and he has done so while shooting more than 100 times.
"I think about it all of the time," Stephens said of clutch foul shots. "It's what I want to do."
New Lex stayed the course
Those expecting a tightly contested affair were not disappointed.
The teams traded counterpunches in the first half, with Hobbs carrying the load with two 3s among his 11 points to go with assists on two other baskets.
Terry, who scored a game-high 20 points, had nine for the Tigers, including six in the second that sent his team up 18-15. But New Lex closed on a 9-2 run, as Dick and Hobbs hit back-to-back 3s and Hanson slipped inside for a three-point play just before the half expired.
New Lexington's 24-20 lead at the break was short lived, however.
Terry took over on both ends in the third, picking up two steals in a 16-2 run that also saw Braden Schreck score six straight. New Lex went without points for 6:29.
Duerr, though, didn't let his team unravel.
"One of the big things he talks about is staying neutral and not getting high or too low, just stay right there in the middle," Stephens said. "Things will take care of themselves."
Ratliff answers the call again
A 6-4 senior who also served the team's star quarterback, Ratliff connected on consecutive 3s to start the fourth quarter around a missed layup from the Tigers. Hanson, a sophomore, ripped the ropes one possession later following a turnover.
It cut a 36-26 deficit to 36-35 with 4:52 left, and suddenly the fight was on.
"You get down 10 in the fourth quarter and you've got a choice to make," Duerr said. "You're either going to go home, or you're going to step up and show your heart and charisma — and guts — and fight back. We chose to fight back. And it started with Lukas and his willingness to step up and say that he wasn't willing to go home tonight by knocking down those shots."
Ironton opened up a 39-35 lead after Terry, a quick and explosive sophomore who also stars as a receiver, split two free throws. It came after the Panthers were whistled for an intentional foul with just more than three minutes left.
It proved to be a big missed opportunity. Ironton managed only one point out the possession, despite grabbing the offensive rebound off of Terry's miss at the line.
It was the Tigers' last point of regulation. Ratliff and Stephens hit two free throws each, the latter two coming after a big offensive rebound on a missed 3-pointer with 2:18 to play.
New Lex had a chance for the last shot inside of two minutes, but it turned the ball over with 1:28 left. Tied at 39, the Tigers elected to run the clock down to the final seconds.
The ball wound up in the hands of strongman Schreck, whose contested 15-footer from the elbow was off the mark. Wilson grabbed the rebound in the lane and got up a last-second shot, but Ratliff got a hand in his face to force the miss.
It was Ironton's last hurrah.
'Regional-caliber' Panthers ready for next assignment
Tigers coach Chris Barnes, whose team finished 17-7, called New Lex "a regional-caliber team" and one of the best defenses his team has faced. He was happy with the final shot in regulation, as Schreck hit a similar shot in the opener against Sheridan in the fourth.
Schreck scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half after getting 26 on Wednesday against Sheridan at home.
"These are more like district games than sectional," Ironton coach Chris Barnes said. "You're playing teams that are district level, and I told our guys that. We knew it was going to be tough, but we felt at home with the orange and black (in the gymnasium). Our kids are tough. These kids have been in the (Division V) state championship in three of the last four years. Nothing fazes them."
After taking the brunt of the blows in the third, Duerr felt his team won the toughness battle down the stretch. No Panther displayed that more than Hobbs, the team's versatile role player who was in the middle of a handful of rebounds and loose balls in addition to his welcomed scoring.
"I had a fan come up and say that Ryan always seems to find a gear that he didn't know he had," Duerr said. "He did that in the Jackson game. You can tell that Ryan doesn't want this to end. When you're crying tears of joy when you're cutting down the net, you left your heart on the floor."
The fourth-seeded Panthers (20-4) now have district date at 6 p.m. on Wednesday with top-seeded Washington Court House (20-4) at Chillicothe Southeastern. The Blue Lions pulled away late for an 83-73 win against Vincent Warren in the other sectional final.
The Panthers, who struggled in a district semifinal loss to Warren last year, are looking forward to their shot at redemption.
"Hopefully this is going to be a confidence builder," Duerr said. "Court House is a really good team, just as athletic and even bigger than (Ironton). Hopefully defense travels to Chillicothe and we can keep fighting."
sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Cardiac Cats: Another comeback keeps New Lex's season alive
