MONTICELLO - It's only fitting that the Six Rivers East Conference showdown between Monticello and Barneveld would come down to the buzzer not once, but twice.
Monticello senior Lukas Kolasch's 3-pointer bounced awry at the buzzer and Barneveld, ranked fifth in Division 5, survived a scare and pulled out a thrilling 55-52 win against Monticello on Tuesday night.
With the Golden Eagles (13-1, 7-0 Six Rivers East) clinging to a 55-52 late in the extra session, the Ponies went to a press and it looked like they forced a turnover when an official was knocked down and the ball rolled out of bounds.
Officials ruled it was a jump ball and possession went to the Ponies. Kolasch's 3-point attempt near the Monticello bench came up just short.
It's the fourth time in three years that the two teams have played an overtime game. With the loss, Monticello (8-7, 5-2) will need some help to win at least a share of its fourth straight conference title.
"I knew that I was going to get the ball," said Kolasch, who scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. "I wanted to win it for the team. I had all the confidence in the world. It was a must-win game. We knew coming in we had to play 32 minutes-plus in case it went into overtime. Give Barneveld credit. They are a great team."
The Ponies had several excellent opportunities at the end of the fourth quarter before Barneveld sophomore Jeremy Whitish hit a running jumper at the buzzer to tie the game at 45 and force overtime.
"These guys in Monticello have been able to do that (buzzer-beater) to us before with Tyler Ritschard," Barneveld coach Shawn Sullivan said. "(Whitish) can score the basketball. I will put him up against any other point guard."
Monticello senior Austin Steffen had two steals in the final 26.8 seconds, but the Ponies couldn't seal the game, making just 2 of 4 free throws.
In overtime, Monticello had turnovers on four of its nine possessions.
Whitish scored 14 points to lead the Eagles. Barneveld senior Sam Nechkash scored 13 points and made four straight free throws in the final 53 seconds to seal the win.
"We missed some free throws at the end and they made theirs," said Monticello sophomore Lucas Marty, who scored 15 points. "That was the difference."
Monticello junior Bryce Klitzke scored on a layup to start the fourth quarter and give the Ponies a 40-29 lead.
Another big turning point came when the Eagles had a five-point possession with about 5 minutes left in the period. Barneveld junior Devon Schult drilled a 3-pointer and the Ponies were called for an offensive foul after the shot. The Eagles got the ball back and Nechkash hit a jumper to slice the Ponies' lead to 40-36. That sequence fueled an 8-0 spurt and put the Eagles in position for Whitish's late heroics. Schult added 12 points and senior Colton Moyer chipped in 11.
"The guys played their hearts out," Monticello coach Mark Olson said. "We missed a couple of free throws and had some bad possessions. We had a lot of good possessions on defense, too."
Monticello shot 47.8 percent and senior Evan Schultz scored eight of his nine points in the first half as the Ponies built a 28-16 halftime lead. The Ponies appeared to be the much quicker team and were making the extra pass for easy baskets.
"At halftime, we knew it was far from over," Olson said. "We knew it was 0-0 in the third quarter and we had to win the second half."
The Eagles quickly erased a 12-point deficit in the third quarter. Nechkash hit a 3-pointer and Whitish knocked down two 3-pointers to cut the Ponies' lead to 42-35. The Eagles played a 1-3-1 zone with a lot of halfcourt trapping to shut down the Ponies' penetration in the second half.
"At halftime we talked about whether we wanted to come out and play physical or whether we wanted to play soft and fancy," Sullivan said. "In the first half, we played soft. They were much more physical than we were."
Olson said he doesn't think the Ponies are out of a conference race many didn't expect them to be in this year.
"The guys knew the importance of getting a split with Barneveld," Olson said. "I don't know if Barneveld is going to lose two games. Anything can happen."
We have a good conference."
Monticello senior Lukas Kolasch's 3-pointer bounced awry at the buzzer and Barneveld, ranked fifth in Division 5, survived a scare and pulled out a thrilling 55-52 win against Monticello on Tuesday night.
With the Golden Eagles (13-1, 7-0 Six Rivers East) clinging to a 55-52 late in the extra session, the Ponies went to a press and it looked like they forced a turnover when an official was knocked down and the ball rolled out of bounds.
Officials ruled it was a jump ball and possession went to the Ponies. Kolasch's 3-point attempt near the Monticello bench came up just short.
It's the fourth time in three years that the two teams have played an overtime game. With the loss, Monticello (8-7, 5-2) will need some help to win at least a share of its fourth straight conference title.
"I knew that I was going to get the ball," said Kolasch, who scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. "I wanted to win it for the team. I had all the confidence in the world. It was a must-win game. We knew coming in we had to play 32 minutes-plus in case it went into overtime. Give Barneveld credit. They are a great team."
The Ponies had several excellent opportunities at the end of the fourth quarter before Barneveld sophomore Jeremy Whitish hit a running jumper at the buzzer to tie the game at 45 and force overtime.
"These guys in Monticello have been able to do that (buzzer-beater) to us before with Tyler Ritschard," Barneveld coach Shawn Sullivan said. "(Whitish) can score the basketball. I will put him up against any other point guard."
Monticello senior Austin Steffen had two steals in the final 26.8 seconds, but the Ponies couldn't seal the game, making just 2 of 4 free throws.
In overtime, Monticello had turnovers on four of its nine possessions.
Whitish scored 14 points to lead the Eagles. Barneveld senior Sam Nechkash scored 13 points and made four straight free throws in the final 53 seconds to seal the win.
"We missed some free throws at the end and they made theirs," said Monticello sophomore Lucas Marty, who scored 15 points. "That was the difference."
Monticello junior Bryce Klitzke scored on a layup to start the fourth quarter and give the Ponies a 40-29 lead.
Another big turning point came when the Eagles had a five-point possession with about 5 minutes left in the period. Barneveld junior Devon Schult drilled a 3-pointer and the Ponies were called for an offensive foul after the shot. The Eagles got the ball back and Nechkash hit a jumper to slice the Ponies' lead to 40-36. That sequence fueled an 8-0 spurt and put the Eagles in position for Whitish's late heroics. Schult added 12 points and senior Colton Moyer chipped in 11.
"The guys played their hearts out," Monticello coach Mark Olson said. "We missed a couple of free throws and had some bad possessions. We had a lot of good possessions on defense, too."
Monticello shot 47.8 percent and senior Evan Schultz scored eight of his nine points in the first half as the Ponies built a 28-16 halftime lead. The Ponies appeared to be the much quicker team and were making the extra pass for easy baskets.
"At halftime, we knew it was far from over," Olson said. "We knew it was 0-0 in the third quarter and we had to win the second half."
The Eagles quickly erased a 12-point deficit in the third quarter. Nechkash hit a 3-pointer and Whitish knocked down two 3-pointers to cut the Ponies' lead to 42-35. The Eagles played a 1-3-1 zone with a lot of halfcourt trapping to shut down the Ponies' penetration in the second half.
"At halftime we talked about whether we wanted to come out and play physical or whether we wanted to play soft and fancy," Sullivan said. "In the first half, we played soft. They were much more physical than we were."
Olson said he doesn't think the Ponies are out of a conference race many didn't expect them to be in this year.
"The guys knew the importance of getting a split with Barneveld," Olson said. "I don't know if Barneveld is going to lose two games. Anything can happen."
We have a good conference."
