Johnson Bayou slips past Northside Christian in overtime

CROWLEY – The third time was nearly the charm for the Northside Christian Warriors Tuesday evening.
  After dropping a pair of district contests to Johnson Bayou during the 2014-15 regular season, the Warriors and the Rebels squared off once again, only this time it was in the regional round of the Class C playoffs.
And once again, the Rebels were able to weather the storm and slip away with a thrilling 72-69 overtime victory at Seth Trahan Memorial Gym.
“Coming in, we knew we had the talent to play with them (Johnson Bayou) and we knew we had the talent to even come out with a victory,” said NCS coach Glenn Daigle. “The whole game was just two teams not wanting to lose.
“We have nothing to hang our heads about. We came out and played a great game. There are no complaints at all as for my guys, they came out and played their hearts outs.”
The Warriors had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, but Ty Wilson’s 3-point attempt from near mid-court just missed the mark and the game went to overtime tied 62-62.
The Warriors were hindered going into the extra period with guard Bradley Ancelet having fouled out with under a minute to go in regulation.
To make matters worse, starting forward Nick Martin was whistled for his fifth foul just two minutes into the overtime.
“It made it tough with Bradley out and then with Nick going out, it made it extremely tough,” said Daigle. “But my bench stepped up and played well.”
The Warriors got four points from Tyler Johnson in the extra frame and Cole Henry knocked down his sixth 3-pointer of the game to cut the Rebels’ lead to 70-69 with 15 seconds remaining.
Camren Hare extended the lead to three (72-69) on a pair of free throws with seven seconds left, however.
The Rebels had one final attempt to push the game to a second overtime, but Kaleb King’s 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.
“I had a senior (Wilson) with five seconds left passing him (King) the ball, that’s how much that senior group has confidence in him,” said Daigle of King, who logged his first minutes of the game in the extra period.
“That shows how much my team has grown together during the course of the year. They believe in each other and that’s what it’s all about.
“He (King) doesn’t get much playing time, but he came up with a big assist in overtime and he came up with the pressure on him and he wanted the ball there at the end.”
For the Warriors, the upset bid seemed within reach throughout the contest. Martin and Johnathan Hermann combined for six quick points to start the game before a pair of free throws by Ty Wilson pushed the host’s lead to 8-4. A 3-pointer by Henry followed and the advantage was increased to seven.
The Rebels rallied for five quick points in the final two minutes to trim the lead to 11-9.
Both teams put up 22 points in the second quarter and the Warriors took a 33-31 advantage into the intermission.
Hare got the Rebels going in the third quarter and sparked a 21-point outburst. He hit three 3-pointers in the frame and scored 13 total points to help force a 52-52 tie going into the fourth quarter.
“We were able to put some distance between us and them at times, but it seems like every time we went on a little run, they had an answer,” said Daigle.
That answer was Harr, a sophomore, who poured in a game-high 32 points.
“We had guys in his face and he’s stepping back and shooting threes,” said Daigle of Hare, who also had five points in overtime. “If a kid can step back and drain them with a hand in his face...
“Tonight was the best game I’ve seen him have. He’s always been a great shooter but tonight, he stepped his game up a lot.”
The action slowed in the fourth quarter with each team scoring 10 points leading to the extra frame.
Senior Cade Badon was also a force for the Rebels. He scored 13 points in the second half and finished the game with 24 points.
Wilson led the Warriors with a team-high 22 points while Henry had 18. Ancelet and Johnson followed with 11 points each, Martin scored five and Hermann finished with two.
“I really can’t pinpoint one kid because it wouldn’t be fair,” said Daigle. “They all played a huge role for us tonight. If it wasn’t scoring, it was picking up a few assists or setting screens. They all had a huge game tonight, even the guys coming in off the bench.
“The kids really played hard, showed heart and did what they were supposed to do. We just came up a little short.”