out to 29-22 before Nathan Sharp hit a buzzer beater goal over a Mustangs double team to make it a five point 29-24 Brossart lead at intermission.
But the Mustangs would go cold in the first five minutes of the second half and it wouldn't be until the 2:32 mark in the 3rd quarter that Troy Cooper put ink in the scorebook, re-taking the lead 31-30 and the two teams battled to the end of the third period which found the Mustangs on top 39-38.
Four big plays stand out in my mind in the fourth quarter that turned the game around were a huge steal by Kyle Kramer late in the game, a clutch Jimmy Uebel 3-point goal, two pressure Troy Cooper free-throws, and a Nathan Mutsch stickback.
With :46 seconds to play in the game and the Mustangs on top 55-51 a pass over top of the Scott press resulted in a traveling violation, which allowed Scott to close within one following a Nathan Sharp three-point goal. Two seperate missed free throws set the stage for Scott to take the final shot with 4.3 seconds remaining. Nathan Sharp, whose shot had the magic touch all night, failed to hit his mark, giving the Mustangs the 37th Distirct title for the second straight season by the narrowest of margains 55-54.
Credit the Scott Eagles who played well tonight in overcoming several Brossart leads and putting themselves in position to win. Neither team shot well from the free-throw line last night with the Mustangs connecting (unofficially) on only 5 of 10, while Scott hit on only 6 of 15. Nate Sharp and Ryne Smith led the Eagles with 17 points apiece, as Smith connected on five 3-Point goals. Troy Cooper led all scorers with 22 points.
Jimmy Uebel and Nathan Mutsch recorded 10 apiece. |
