Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

For the second-straight game, the Western Boone boys basketball team found themselves in a position to beat a sectional for at the end of the game. But an attempt to win the game at the end of regulation after a furious fourth-quarter rally didn't fall, and visiting Delphi made a few more plays than the Stars in overtime to come away with a 75-74 win. "Delphi started the game really well and they closed well," Western Boone head coach Dustin Oakley said. "They hit some outside shots that we hadn't seen on film. We gave up some runs, but we still find a way to put ourselves in a position to win a ball game. We did it against Seeger and we did it again tonight. Delphi just made a play or two more than us, and credit to them they got the win." The teams traded big scoring runs throughout the game, with Delphi taking a double-digit lead in the first quarter, before the Stars battled back to get themselves back in the game. After the Stars closed a deficit to 44-43 late in the third, Delphi went on a 10-1 run to go up 10 and led 59-49 with 5:25 to play. But the Stars held the Oracles to two points in the final stretch, and after tying the game with 51.2 seconds left, had a chance to win the game when Gavin Hawkins got a good look from the elbow with four seconds left, but the shot was long. Western Boone took a 66-63 lead with 1:54 left in overtime on a 3-pointer by Tristyn Faulk, but Delphi responded with two 3-pointers in a span of 25 seconds to retake the lead. Western Boone tied the game with a minute left, but Delphi scored inside and was fouled 15 seconds later. They missed the free throw, but were able to get a jump ball on the rebound to maintain possession, and ultimately hit two free throws to make it a four-point game. The Stars got as close as one twice, and had a look for a tying 3 in the final seconds, but couldn't get it to fall. "We didn't get enough stops tonight," Oakley said. "When you look at their numbers rebounding, they are just as good as those Danville teams we have played over the years. It was a big focus of ours, but we didn't get enough rebounds or consecutive stops. That's a huge momentum shift, when we get a big shot like Tristyn's 3, and they come right back and respond like that." freestar Gavin Hawkins and Marcus Fortner each had 16 for the Stars. Quinn Westerfeld and Faulk each had 13 with Dylan Sheets having seven and Eli Mitchell six. "That is the balance we have been looking for," Oakley said. "We need Eli to chip in around 6-8 points, so that was good to see, and that was Dylan Sheets' best game of the season - we have been waiting for that. We have been talking and encouraging him to really give us some positive minutes and he did that tonight." It was senior night for the Stars three seniors - Fortner, Hawkins and Mitchell. Oakley said the three are everything that's right about Western Boone basketball. "I told them and their families, they are the standard of the Western Boone basketball," Oakley said. "They have set the tone for four years - showing all our guys what it means to be part of the whole program - showing up to youth camp, being involved with the junior high teams - they do everything for our program. I am so appreciative of what they bring to us and sticking with us and believing in what we do. They continue to play hard even during some rough seasons. They have a winning attitude, are always positive in the gym and ready to practice and prepare for the next one." The Stars are now 7-12 on the year and get ready to host Sheridan on Tuesday before closing against Cascade and Fountain Central. While the back-to-back close losses have been tough, Oakley said the team is feeling good about where they are at and know they are right there to accomplish their big goals. "They know the sectional is wide open, even with these couple of losses at home," Oakley said. "They know they can make this happen. Even looking at today. Last year, a team makes a run like that and we just couldn't figure it out and we would be down 10 the rest of the game. Now the guys are figuring it out, switching up our defenses and making their own run. I feel really good about this group. It's up to them how they respond, Sheridan and Cascade are going to be tough, but they have the confidence we can get it done and win a sectional title." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.