Lowell starts well, but Wolves win 44-41 on buzzer-beating fast-break bucket

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
02-08-2008

PORTER TOWNSHIP (02-07-2008)  Some games weigh heavier on the loser than the winner.  Such was the case Thursday night when Boone Grove scored with one second left to beat Lowell 44-41.

When Zak Ursitti scored a fast break lay-up and got fouled for a three point play with 6/10 of a second to play, Boone had a nice non-conference win.  But it was another tough loss for Lowell, another game they lost because they couldn't score more than 45 points.  Another time they lost to a less experienced team.

"We're not making excuses," said Lowell coach Mike Magley who watched his side lose for the fourth game in a row.  "Our guys played hard for 32 minutes.  They did that in the last three games, too.  We had  our chances.  We had opportunities and those chances we missed come back on you in close games."

Boone knows all about that.  The Wolves (9-7) have lost six games by 10 points or less.  And here they were trailing 41-39 after Lowell's Robert Cusic stole the ball and scored on a breakaway layup with 32 seconds to go.

But Boone scored on an inbounds pass from Greg Wilkins to leading scorer Wayland Roach, who leaped high and two-hand tipped the ball in to tie the game 41-41 with 16 seconds to play.  Cusic held for the last shot, but missed a 15-foot shot with 10 seconds to play.  Boone got the ball to lead guard Michael Eleftheri who raced to the middle of the floor and barreled at high speed toward the basket.  Ursitti, Boone's only senior, hustled down the floor, took a pass on the wing, laid up in and was fouled with less than one second left.  The 5-foot-9 guard sank the foul shot and Lowell's half court desperation attempt was far wide.

"It's about time we won one like this," said Boone coach Matt McKay.  "Their kid shot the ball a little too soon and he missed and we got the rebound, which we didn't do much and made a play."

It was another game where Lowell started very slowly.  The Devils, who went scoreless in the first period against both Munster (1-25-2008) and Gary West Side (1-31-2008), did not score Thursday until 4:20 was left in the first period and Boone led 5-0.  The Devils had a big second quarter led by Jake Kerwin on the boards plus Cusic and Eli Macis running out and finding open shots.

Lowell led 25-17 with 4:20 left in the third period before 6-foot-2 left-handed sophomore Wayland Roach sparked a 12-5 run with four baskets on quick moves in the lane.  When 6-foot-4 Jacob Wright, one of seven sophomores on the 10-man Boone roster, came off the bench and sank two fourth quarter three-point shots, the Wolves were ahead 37-35 with 4:12 to go in the game.

After Eli Macis' three-point goal put Lowell ahead 38-37, both teams missed a few shots before soph Greg Wilkins tied the game with a short jump shot with 55 seconds left.  Cusic and Roach exchanged baskets before Cusic's missed shot led to the game-winning fast break.

"On the last play we shot too soon," said Magley, who had no answer for the senior-dominated Devils' shooting problems.  "But we had a lot of chances.  When you're missing shots, you tend to press.  All we can do is go back to work and try to get better."

DEVIL-WOLF NOTES:  Lowell's twice-delayed game at Andrean will be played Monday night, Feb. 11 with the junior varsity game beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Boone Grove moves into the sectional with North Newton (1-14), North Judson (6-8), Winamac (2-12), Hebron (4-9) and Culver (9-8).  Boone will go into the six-team playoff with the best won-loss record against the toughest schedule.

"Culver is pretty good," said Boone coach Matt McKay, "and the tournament is at Culver.  That's a long way from here.  I'm not excited about playing Hebron next week (Feb. 12) and then drawing them again."

Lowell's 6-foot-3 senior forward Jake Kerwin had a season-best 11 rebounds and he looked like the kind of player the Devils must have in Class 4A Sectional One that includes much taller teams like East Chicago and Lake Central.

"Jake played a great game tonight," said coach Mike Magley.  "He was active.  He grabbed rebounds and he made great outlet passes."

The loss Thursday means that Lowell probably cannot have a winning record this season.  Even if the Devils (7-9) win all four remaining games (and big winners Wheeler and Crown Point are still ahead on the schedule), Lowell would have to win a playoff game to finish over .500.  Lowell has not finished with a winning record since 1993.

If Boone Grove beats Hebron on Feb. 12, they will post a 10th win for the 14th consecutive season.  Boone, which is 127-79 in this decade, has eight sectional championships in the last 10 years, but like Lowell, they have never won a regional title.

After Zak Ursitti sank the game-winning basket while being fouled with 6/10s of a second to play, Boone could almost certainly have ended the game by asking Ursitti to intentionally miss the free throw, allowing the clock to start.  McKay was well aware of that.

"We did think of that," he said later.  "But if there was any way for him to miss and they throw in a game winning shot, that would have happened to us the way things are going this year.  If he hits the free throw, the worst possible thing that can happen is they throw it in and we go to overtime.  Of course, they could throw it in and we foul them, in which case, they'd have to carry me out of the gym."

McKay's paranoia stems from the Porter County Conference tournament when Boone had a 16-point lead on 10th-ranked Morgan Township and amazingly lost the game in two overtimes 59-57.

"I'm over it right now," he said, dredging up bad memories.  "They just got very physical with us and we are not a very physical team yet.  We will be though.  In another year, we will be."

This was the eighth game (of 16) in which Lowell has scored 45 points or less.  They are 2-6 in those games."

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Revised: February 08, 2008 .