Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

If Western Boone's season was going to continue, they needed to make one more defensive play. They had done it all night against Delphi, forcing the Oracles into 18 turnovers and just 40% shooting, but found themselves clinging to a 43-41 lead with 13.4 seconds go and the Oracles inbounding the ball from mid-court. But they got the defensive play they needed, with senior Gavin Hawkins stripping Delphi's Walker Jones, and diving on the loose ball with teammate Tristyn Faulk as the seconds ticked away, preserving Western Boone's 43-41 win. "Making it interesting is the WeBo way," Western Boone head coach Dustin Oakley said. "Man, I'm just proud of our guys. The challenge all game was our defense and could we guard and rebound for 32 minutes? We guarded so well tonight, we talked about it all week and the way we guarded - it was just big." Oakley said it was a true testament to the work the team has put in all year round. The Stars love to compete, no matter what it is, and their preparation and hard work came through when needed. "The way we compete year round - starting in the summer - that's why I took this job," Oakley said. "I know these guys are going to compete as hard as they can and give effort for 32 minutes. We had enough tonight." Western Boone led by as many as 12 in the third quarter, but Delphi used a 13-2 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to get within 33-32. freestar Leading 35-34, Western Boone went on a 7-0 spurt of its own, and seemingly were back in control on a three-point play from Quinn Westerfeld with just over three minutes to play. But three-straight empty possessions for the Stars and two quick baskets from the Oracles got them back within four, and after a WeBo turnover led to a Delphi 3, suddenly the lead was back to one with less than 30 seconds left. Westerfeld hit 1 of 2 free throws, and Delphi called timeout with 13.4 seconds left to set up the final sequence. "We had a foul to give, so we were waiting for the rotation of Eli (Mitchell's) guy to get the ball to foul him, or have Eli leave his man to foul real quick because they didn't have timeouts left," Oakley said. "They got into their play, and we just needed one more stop. Gavin, with four fouls, made a play and we just wanted to ride our senior leadership." Delphi won the regular season meeting 75-74 in overtime, in a game where they scored 23 points in the first quarter and made the Stars play from behind most of the game. Coming into the game, getting off to a better start was a major point of emphasis for the Stars and it worked, especially on the defensive end. Delphi took a 9-4 lead midway through the first quarter, but the Stars closed the half on a 19-4 run, holding the Oracles to just 13 first-half points. "They jumped on us a little bit right away, but we settled in," Oakley said. "The communication the whole possession, getting consecutive stops, getting our butts down and having active hands - we have the athletes to do it. Our defense has shown up the last 10 or 11 games and that's championship basketball." freestar Marcus Fortner led the Stars with 15 points. Westerfeld had nine points and five rebounds, with Faulk scoring seven points and grabbing eight rebounds. Hawkins had six and Eli Mitchell had four points and six rebounds. The Stars will face Rensselaer Central at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night. There are definitely aspects the Stars want to improve - they had 13 turnovers and shot 52% from the charity stripe, but Oakley knows they have a team that is clicking and has a strong leadership group pushing them to success. "I can't say enough about our seniors," Oakley said. "Gavin was leading us in that last timeout, him and Fortner. Eli Mitchell made some huge plays tonight throughout the game. Nine wins, it's the most we have had in four years. I asked them if they want to be the best group to come through Western Boone. And if we can stay focused for two more, we're going to be the best team to come through in 25 years since the last sectional title - and that's our goal." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.