Championship slips away from Pirates
WASHINGTON – The 3A Sectional 29 champion Greensburg Pirates took on the Scottsburg Warriors for the regional championship on Saturday afternoon. The Bucs hustled their way into the lead with under a minute left in the game, but Scottsburg took the lead on an old-fashioned three-point play. With Greensburg down by two points, Ki Dyer worked himself open for the final shot. Unable to get completely open, Dyer fired a jumper over two Warriors that hit the rim and bounced off. The game ended with a 48-46 loss for the Bucs, ending the season with a 20-7 record. Dyer led Greensburg in scoring with 18 points, 12 of those coming in the second half.
Jeter Edwards got the Pirates on the board with the first basket of the game. A run of six unanswered points from the Warriors was ended with a Justin Adkins layup to make it a 6-4 game. Scottsburg’s 6’9” center Wyatt Zellers got into the scoring column, but Dyer outran everyone down the court and scored to make it 10-8, still in the Warriors’ favor. Edwards got himself to the charity stripe and tied the game up with 2:50 left in the frame. Scottsburg’s Kody Clancy took the lead for his team by scoring the next five points. Jack McKinsey scored for Greensburg with :30 remaining in the frame but Clancy put his team up 18-12 after draining a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the first period.
The Warriors scored first in the second quarter to go up by eight points. McKinsey added two freebies and baskets were traded over the next few possessions; the score was 23-18 with less than two minutes remaining in the half. Jack Miller scored for Scottsburg and Dyer for the Bucs, keeping it at a five-point lead for the Warriors. Holding for the last possession, the Bucs worked it around the arc and hit an open McKinsey who drained the deep ball to make it just a two-point affair at the half. The Warriors’ eight-point lead had been trimmed and the score was 25-23.
The third frame started with Clancy and Zellers scoring for the Warriors and Edwards and Adkins matching for the Bucs. With the game still at two points, Dyer drove to the basket and scored while drawing a foul. The senior netted the free throw and gave the Pirates the lead 30-29 midway through the third quarter. The lead didn’t last long. Scottsburg went on a 6-0 run over the next two minutes. Dyer ended the run with a three-point field goal and the Warriors’ lead was just three points. Clancy got to the line for the Warriors and hit both freebies. With :30 to go in the quarter, the Bucs held for the last shot and senior Grainger Maxwell was the recipient of the open three-pointer; he did not disappoint, netting the deep ball and making it a three-point game with the Warriors up 42-39 through three quarters.
The fourth period began with another Clancy basket. Then the Bucs got a McKinsey basket, followed by a quick turnover and two points for Dyer. The Pirates found themselves down by two points midway through the quarter when McKinsey drew a shooting foul to get to the line. The sophomore hit one of the freebies to tie the game at 44-44. Neither team was able to score a basket until Dyer scored with :41 seconds left in the contest, giving Greensburg the lead 46-44. Clancy’s three-point play with 23.3 seconds left put SHS up one. A Bucs’ turnover got Clancy the ball back with one second remaining, and he went back to the line hitting another freebie, giving the Warriors a narrow win.
Clancy led all scorers with 28 points; Zellers was the only other double-digit scorer for Scottsburg, finishing with 10. Dyer’s 18 was followed by McKinsey with 10, Edwards and Adkins 6, Maxwell 3, Bryce Stringer 2, Abe Tebbe 1.
