Indians close against Blue Lions in loss
WASHINGTON C.H. — The Hillsboro Indians fought back from a 13-point deficit at one point during the game to hold the lead on two occasions in the fourth quarter.
The Indians had their opportunities in the final minutes to regain the lead for a third time in the last frame but just weren’t able to make the shots fall their way, leading to a 60-55 road loss Tuesday night against the Washington Blue Lions.
Hillsboro’s South Central Ohio League loss wasn’t for lack of effort. On the contrary, they put up one heck of a battle on the road against a tough Washington ball club that improved their overall record to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the league.
Both the Blue Lions and the Indians put on a good show for the fans in attendance, especially in the fourth and final quarter as Washington began the frame with a one-point advantage at 45-44, but the lead didn’t last long with Hillsboro’s Logan Kibler sinking a jumper with 7:28 left in the quarter for a one-point HHS lead at 46-45.
Washington quickly answered by regaining the lead with 6:02 on the clock for a 47-46 advantage off a shot from Max Knisley. Following a miss by the Indians, the Blue Lions took a three-point advantage with two free throws by Cameron Eckles.
Following consecutive turnovers by the two SCOL rivals, the Indians reached the scoring column with the clock reading 4:54 following two converted free throws by Phillip Mycroft to get back to within one point of the host Blue Lions.
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Washington answered with a three-point play from Griffin Shaw at the 4:03 mark, but again, the Indians came back with a jumper by Kibler to make it a two-point game. Washington tried to slow down the pace of the game by freezing the ball, forcing the Indians to show their hand on the defensive side of the ball.
That lasted for around a minute or so, until the Indians played their hand and got the game moving once again by forcing the Blue Lions into a turnover.
The Indians took advantage of the move with Kibler scoring on a layup while being fouled with 2:09 on the clock. Reed converted the free throw for a three-point play to push the Indians out in the lead. Washington wouldn’t be stopped as they added to their lead with two points by Jarett Patton, but HHS was there to take it right back with 1:30 left in regulation as Kibler connected with a jumper to make it a 55-54 HHS lead.
Kibler led the Indians with a game-high 21 points, including two 3-pointers, seven two-point baskets and one free throw conversion.
Washington came back with a jump shot of their own, as Shaw sank the go-ahead bucket with 1:01 on the scoreboard. The Indians missed their ensuing shot and then the put-back basket attempt as well. Later in the quarter, Knisley pushed the Blue Lions lead to three points at 58-55 with two converted free throws.
HHS had one last chance to tie the game, as they took the ball down the court and made two passes, and on a 3-pointer attempt from the corner, the shot bounced off the rim and into the hands of Washington to eventually seal the game with around two seconds left on the clock.
Knisley and Eckles each led the Blue Lions with 17 points apiece, and Shaw finished with 13 points for Washington.
The Blue Lions led 18-9 at the conclusion of the first quarter, but the Indians led the game for around the first five minutes, with D.J. Brown scoring first, followed by Brown connecting with a 3-pointer for a 5-2 HHS lead. That was followed by Mycroft extending the HHS advantage to five points with 4:29 left in the opening quarter.
Brown and Mycroft each finished with nine points.
Washington responded with a 9-0 run to move ahead of the Indians by four points at 11-7 with just under 2:00 to go in the first quarter. Following two points by the Indians, the host Washington squad ended the first frame with a 7-0 run for the nine-point advantage.
In the second, the Indians came back to get to within two points of tying the Blue Lions, with a halftime deficit of 29-27. HHS outscored Washington, 18-11 in the quarter with Jacob Deatley, Cameron Reed, Kibler and Mycroft all sinking 3-pointers in the quarter. HHS never led in the second frame but trailed by as many as 13 points with 4:56 left in the quarter.
It was a one-point game by the time the third quarter ended with the Blue Lions still holding onto the lead at 45-44. HHS tied the score twice in the third with Marshall Ward and Kibler tying the score at respective times in the quarter. Matthew Ryan tied the score in the third at the 5:01 mark with a three-point play for a 34-34 score.
The Indians took the lead with a 3-pointer from Kibler at the 4:15 mark of the frame for a 37-36 lead. Washington eventually built a five-point advantage in the quarter, but with the frame coming to a close, HHS had four straight points combined from Deatley and Brown for the one-point deficit at the conclusion of the third. Deatley totaled eight points in the loss.
In JV play, the Indians won by a score of 43-36. Leading the Indians in scoring were Ethan Watson with 16 points and Josh Keets with 10. Washington was led by Richard Burns Jr. with 11 points. The Washington JV team is coached by former Hillsboro varsity head coach Brett Prince.