One of the best regular season high school basketball games that you will ever see took place in Clair C. Naveau Gymnasium last night. The team that I was rooting for, and that our son plays for, did not come out on the winning end. Everyone in attendance, however, including myself, will most probably admit that it ranks as one of the best high school basketball games which they have ever witnessed!!!!
Read more about it below in an excellent article written by Sonny Fulks at Press Pros Magazine
I copied this article from Press Pros Magazine at www.pressprosmagazine.com
Guarantee For A Season…
To The Final Second...A shot at the final horn by Russia's Treg Francis caromed off the iron, saving a 77-74 Versailles win and the memory of an unforgettable game for all that saw it. (Press Pros Photos by Sonny Fulks)
Fact: There are no guarantees in life. Except this.
That Saturday night’s renewal of the Versailles-Russia rivalry in boys basketball could likely end up as the best game of the year in west-central Ohio…has to be one of the five best in the entire state!
And a regurgitation of the play-by-play, blow-by-blow, would be little more than an abominable way of describing it.
That’s how good it was. Versailles won the game, 77-74, and you can forget about hearing the sermon come Sunday morning. They’ll be talking about how they won it in Versailles…how they lost it in Russia.
The Tigers led at the end of the first period, 22-19.
Russia came back with a run to tie it at the half, 41-41, and scored the first five points of the third quarter to take their biggest lead of the night 46-41.
But Versailles countered with a run of their own, and led 62-52 at the end of three.
Russia came back again, cutting the lead at one point to 73-71, but never closer. Versailles scored on a pair of transition buckets in the last sixty seconds to lead by three.
Defense Won It...Offense aside, Damian Richards (above) and the Tigers defense was just enough to stave of a fourth-quarter Russia comeback.
At 77-74 Russia had one last opportunity with 7 seconds remaining. Needing to travel the length of the court and hit a three to tie, Russia’s Treg Francis had the shot lined up from 22 feet with 2 seconds on the clock. Hurried, he couldn’t get himself squared with the rim, and his shot caromed harmlessly off the side of the iron.
Normally, the breath would have been sucked out of the building by such a miss. But this wasn’t normal. The competitive instincts of two good basketball teams had long since taken hold of the crowd, as one. Partisanship aside, everyone simply enjoyed the show. A boisterous roar went up as the clock expired. Both sides cheered as one. For that one conclusive moment, us versus them was set aside.
For sure, Versailles won it, and did so in impressive, athletic fashion.
They shot 45% from the floor (29 of 64)…hit 7 of 20 three-point attempts, all seven coming in the first half.
They defended, blocking five Russia shots. They had 11 steals and created matchup issues for 32 minutes that Paul Bremigan’s Raiders struggled to contain.
“They’re so athletic. They were a defensive nightmare all night. We’re trying to match up and trying to keep Brandon (Wilson) in the game. They can move so many 6’4” guys around to so many places it was hard for him to find someone to guard. And after Brandon we don’t have a whole lot of size. We’re small and they’re playing like they’re 6’7” because they can all run and jump.”
And no one more than 6’4” junior Chad Winner. He scored 34 points to lead all scorers, connecting on 14 of 18 from the field, 4 of 4 from the line, and had 4 of the Tigers 7 three-pointers on the night.
'Nuff Said...Referee Mike Cates closes the argument with Versailles coach Scott McEldowney.
His performance earned him Press Pros’
Dave Arbogast Buick-GMC Star Of The Game recognition, but even in winning he still obsessed on the fact that Russia could have at least tied the game with the last-second shot by Francis.
“I saw it go up and I thought…on my God, I think we’re in trouble,” said Winner.
For his 34 points and career performance, he was quick to share credit with the efforts of his entire team.
“This was a great team win,” he added. “Losing to Delphos last night was a disappointment, but we came in to the shoot-around this morning and we were able to put that behind us. All we talked about was playing Russia.”
It was a game that defined the indomitable competitive spirit of high school sports.
It captivated the attention of the 1,200 people from both communities that crammed the tiny Russia gym. Another hundred watched on a closed circuit broadcast of the game in the cafeteria.
It was the kind of the game reminiscent of an old Randy Travis lyric…old men talking about the last great play…the last official’s call. Old women talking about the old men’s consumption with the game.
Young kids wrestled in the hallway. Junior varsity players from both teams crammed the doorways for the best view possible. There was no room on the team benches, or in the stands.
Even the officials became caught up in the atmosphere. “This is what you live for…to work a game with this kind of environment,” said referee Kevin Forror.
Faces In The Crowd...The environment was spectacular, thanks to the respective student cheering sections from Versailles (above) and Russia.
It was loud…it was proud. It was a credit to the respective communities.
“You’d have to have seen a few of these games to really appreciate it,” said winning coach Scott McEldowney. “It’s a great backyard rivalry, and I’ve got family in both communities, so I know what it means.
“We expended a lot of energy, and we got into some foul trouble. Our subs off the bench were great because they bought us some minutes. We got a nice run in the second half, and give Russia credit…they made a run of their own and had a shot at the end to tie.
For the fact of Chad Winner’s shooting, of teammate Mitchell Campbell’s 20 points in support, it might well have been the Versailles defensive that delivered the win.
“I thought we did a better job in the second half of keeping them in front of us, and we wanted to keep the tempo up and pressure on them. But they kept breaking us down and getting open 3’s.”
How ’bout to the tune of shooting 24 of 55 from the floor (44%)? And the Raiders clearly shot themselves back into the game from behind the arc, hitting 10 of 23 attempts (43%). More, they made the most of their 18 free throw attempts, connecting on 16.
Bryce Rittenhouse led the Raiders with 19 points, one of four to hit double figures…Treg Francis (16), Brandon Wilson (13), and Trevor Sherman (12).
“Best passing I’ve ever seen in a high school basketball game,” said a man sitting on the front row of the bleachers. He’d seen enough to know. Versailles finished with 11 assists on the night…Russia with 17!
As sure as Versailles won it, Russia coach Paul Bremigan was gracious in reconciling the loss.
“It’s painful, and it’s disappointing to lose a game like this,” he said. “We have some pretty tired boys tonight.
“But hey, maybe we carry something away from this game and this experience. I told the boys in the locker room…you earn the right to play in a game like this, in an environment like this one. We have some more big games coming up…Jackson Center on Tuesday, Anna and Ft. Loramie. Maybe tonight will help us down the road.”
Scott McEldowney, for his part, could only nod in agreement.
And Chad Winner, as he left the gym in his stocking feet for the locker room to dress and the bus ride home took one last look at the rim where Treg Francis’ shot came so close as the game ended. Just to make sure.
The game of the year…the game of his life…the game he’ll forever remember. Guaranteed!
