Thompson walk-off defeats Twisters
OLDENBURG – Dylan Thompson was already having a game Saturday night at Oldenburg Academy but
Rushville’s 6’5” senior put the dot on the exclamation mark with a winning layup as time expired at
Hillenbrand Family Feldhaus.
The Twisters had just tied the game at 46 following a steal by Henry Wanstrath and finish by Jacob Stenger. The Lions advanced the ball in a hurry as the clock ticked under five seconds; Thompson took
the entry pass on the right side and went up for the uncontested game winner. The 48-46 win stopped a
5-game skid by RCHS.
It was a credit to OA to force the late deadlock as the hosts were down six with three minutes remaining
after a Nick Jarman fielder. Oldenburg junior Conner Miles put in two free throws as he capped off a
game-best 23 points. The teams traded missed front ends of a 1-and-1 in the last minute before OA’s
Jacob Cornelius drove in for two; a timeout set up the exciting ending.
The game was a two-possession contest apart from Rushville’s solid stretch to start the second quarter.
Thompson hit two straight buckets and OA coach Michael Higdon called time at 16-9. Another
Thompson score made it 18-11 and Jarman’s transition hoop at 3:08 had the Lions briefly enjoying a 22-
14 lead.
Miles then dropped in a corner three and Lion coach Ryan Ehm signaled timeout. Stenger received a
technical foul around the half’s 2-minute mark but Rushville got just one point off the penalty. Miles hit
two at the stripe and runner in the paint to make it 23-21. Wanstrath and Jarman swapped 2-of-2 visits
at the 15-foot line and it was 25-23 at the break.
Thompson connected to open the second half but Miles tied it up with a pair of short makes. The guests’
Kameron Morton then splashed a three. The back-and-forth continued as Wanstrath scored off a Jacob
Hoff feed and Thompson delivered his second slam of the night; Hoff, the lone senior on OA’s senior
night, tied the game at 32 with a trey. The end of quarter three also had some flair. Morton passed to
Thompson for two with 7.2 seconds left and OA just missed a point-blank shot at the buzzer, keeping the
score at 36-33.
Jarman made it a 5-point game as the final frame unfolded. Morton later matched a Stenger triple with
the more traditional 3-point play. At 4:32, Hoff fouled out of his last home game and Jarman hit 1 of 2 to
send RCHS up 42-36. Cornelius and Miles baskets sandwiched a trip down the lane by the Lions’ Quentin
Cain.
Off an OA turnover, Thompson slammed home the game’s first field goal. Miles scored five straight to
give the Twisters their only lead of the match. Rushville wrangled the advantage with a 6-0 spurt. Four
points by Wanstrath helped OA cut it to one at the end of the first.
Thompson trailed only Miles with 20 points. Morton and Wanstrath scored 11 and 10, respectively. For
the Lions, Jarman added 9, Cain 5, Danny Corn 2 and Kane Thompson a free throw. Stenger had 5 and
Cornelius and Hoff 4 each for the cyclones.
OA (6-13) was at South Decatur Tuesday and finishes at Lawrenceburg Thursday. Rushville (5-17) is also
on the road those nights, heading for Hamilton Heights in Arcadia and down Hwy. 3 to North Decatur.