'We found a way': Warriors win sectional title in quadruple overtime

Mar. 4—ALTAMONT — Amid a cacophony inside Altamont High School's gymnasium on Friday night, one particular chant rang loud and clear.

"I believe that we will win."

It was delivered in a boisterous, belief-filled tone from both the Tuscola and Altamont student sections all evening long as they soaked up a Class 1A boys' basketball sectional championship game.

They took turns shouting it through 32 minutes of regulation play. They did the same prior to a first overtime period.

Then a second.

And a third.

And finally a fourth.

More than two hours after opening tip-off, it was Tuscola that broke through to prove its supporters correct. The Warriors overcame a 15-point deficit early in the second half and a six-point disadvantage in the third overtime to stun host Altamont 72-68 and secure the program its first sectional plaque since 2005.

The celebration before the celebration for the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/q4rk0fcCqM

— Colin Likas (@clikasNG) March 4, 2023

"Unbelievable," Tuscola coach Justin Bozarth said. "I looked over at our assistant coaches at some point and said, 'What overtime are we actually in?'

"We took every punch. We had so many times when we were down, and our guys just competed their tails off. They refused to lose, and I'm so thankful and proud to be their basketball coach."

The Warriors (29-6) also made ancient history of last year's heartbreaking sectional final loss to Meridian.

That was an 82-79 double-overtime thriller in which the Hawks hit multiple buzzer-beating shots to shock Tuscola.

"We talked about it before the game," said Tuscola senior Colton Musgrave, who is competing on a bum left ankle. "History's not rewriting itself. We were going to lock in. We're smarter. We're older. Everybody played as a collective group. And we just told ourselves, 'We're not going to give ourselves that opportunity for (Altamont) to do that.'"

The Indians (29-5) possessed several chances to end this instant classic much sooner than it wound up concluding.

Operating inside a gym that had Altamont coach John Niebrugge stomping his feet on the hardwood to get his players' attention, the Indians came out fully motivated and with all of the momentum.

They held leads of 9-2 and 17-6 before entering halftime with a 27-13 edge. That extended to 31-16 early in the third quarter.

"The adversity we faced in this game is unlike any other," Tuscola junior Jordan Quinn said. "We might've been down sometimes, but I'm glad we rallied back. I'm proud of my teammates, and we knew we were capable of coming back."

A 16-0 Tuscola run across the remainder of the third quarter erased all of Altamont's lead.

Junior Josiah Hortin opened it with a three-pointer. Then Quinn hit one. Followed by senior big man Chris Boyd.

Two free throws from Boyd capped the Warriors' surge, though they still entered the fourth quarter trailing 33-32 after a couple free throws from Indians senior Mason Robinson. It appeared Tuscola may have run out of gas as the fourth quarter rolled along.

Bozarth's squad committed six turnovers in that period, Boyd fouled out with more than two minutes remaining and the Warriors eventually trailed 46-41 with 1 minute, 38 seconds on the clock.

Enter Quinn, who turned 17 years old on Friday.

A lengthy catch-and-shoot two-point jumper from Quinn pulled the Warriors within 46-43 at the 1:05 mark.

It is a full house in Altamont, where @TuscolaAD will attempt to win a Class 1A boys' basketball sectional title in a battle with the host Indians. Follow along for updates. pic.twitter.com/ewQldtuRYD

— Colin Likas (@clikasNG) March 4, 2023

Then Quinn struck again with 39 seconds to play in regulation, draining a three-pointer for the tie at 46.

Except, the arena scorekeeper initially counted it as a two.

The Indians proceeded to drain time and obtain the final shot. But sophomore Parker James committed a foul, believing his team needed to stop the clock just after the scoreboard was updated. Perhaps some divine intervention occurred in the immediate aftermath of this strange play, as junior Dillan Elam missed both of the ensuing free throws.

The first overtime was upon these teams. Little did they know how much basketball was left to be played.

"Every time we got down six, four, whatever ... we just found a way to make a play and get a stop," Bozarth said. "Colton came over every single time ... and he said, 'We're not going out. It's not our time to go out yet.'"

It sure appeared it might have been that time on a few occasions during the four extra stanzas that lasted four minutes apiece.

Altamont led 50-46 in the first overtime. Until a combination of one Quinn free throw, two Elam free throw misses and a Quinn three-pointer knotted the score at 50 and ultimately forced a second overtime. The two sides traded baskets throughout that frame. A pair of free throws from Warriors sophomore Kam Sweetnam tied things at 57 with about 11/2 minutes to play, and neither team scored the rest of the way.

Robinson executed a crafty drive to the paint as the final seconds wound down in the second overtime, but his up-and-under attempt rolled off the rim.

Robinson slammed his hand down on a sideline chair after the miss, then opened the third overtime like a player possessed.

He delivered Altamont three consecutive two-point conversions to propel the Indians ahead 63-57 with 1:57 left.

Tuscola again found some late magic.

Sweetnam drilled a three-pointer to halve the Warriors' deficit. Then Quinn sidestepped a defender and calmly sank a three-pointer of his own with 20 seconds remaining to create a tie at 63.

"I had the hot hand, and my teammates trusted in me," Quinn said. "I knew if I had an open shot, I was going to take it with no hesitation."

The Indians, oddly enough, were partially done in by their own facility during the fourth overtime.

Robinson slipped on three different occasions trying to get to the basket. He was whistled for a travel all three times. Those turnovers dearly cost Altamont.

Tuscola went ahead for good at 68-66 when Hortin rebounded his own missed layup try and fed Quinn for a short bucket.

Sweetnam knocked down two free throws to make it 70-66 with 39.5 seconds left, and Quinn split a pair of free throws shortly afterward.

A quick layup from Altamont senior Eric Kollmann accounted for his team's final points when making the score 71-68. Quinn split two more free throws, and the Indians were unable to make anything happen during the last 12.8 seconds. Quinn finished with 33 points for Tuscola to go with 15 points from Sweetnam and 12 points from Hortin. The Indians garnered 26 points from Robinson and 15 points from Elam.

No Warriors backers who watched Friday night's action will remember it for their team struggling to create offense for nearly half of regulation time. Yet that adds to what Tuscola accomplished.

"We didn't look very good in the first half, did we?" Bozarth said with a grin. "But it's our resiliency. We talk about when you get down you've got to keep battling. We just found a way."

The Warriors' next foe is Mounds Meridian (24-12), which fended off Bluford Webber 74-69 in another of Friday night's sectional finals.

Tuscola and Mounds Meridian will meet in Monday's Class 1A Carbondale Super-Sectional, scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at the Banterra Center on the Southern Illinois campus. Bozarth estimates it's a healthy three-hour drive by bus.

"No place I'd rather be," Quinn said.

Quinn wasn't thinking too much about that in the immediate aftermath of Friday night's victory.

Instead, he was enveloped by teammates and fellow students. Serenaded with a rendition of "Happy Birthday to You."

Quinn filmed it while on a FaceTime call with his older brother, 2022 Warriors graduate and current Loyola Chicago guard Jalen Quinn.

Pretty good birthday, right, for the younger Quinn?

"Best I could ask for," Jordan Quinn said.