Wikle tips in Cougar Homecoming win

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North Daviess’ Lewis Nugent fights off a Bloomfield player in the Cougars’ 47-46 overtime Homecoming win to the Cardinals at the Cougar Den. Kelly Overton

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February 4, 2012

By Gregg A. Sims Washington Times-Herald The Washington Times-Herald Sat Feb 04, 2012, 07:54 AM EST

ELNORA — Conner Wikle had the perfect seat to watch a perfect tip roll into the basket.

With the backboard surrounded in an orange-red horizontal ring, displaying the end of overtime, Wikle while still in the air, watched his tip roll over the rim and into the net to hand the Class A No. 9 Cougars a 47-46 Southwestern Indiana Conference victory against Bloomfield on Friday.

The play was close to what North Daviess coach Brent Dalrymple had drawn to win. Wikle just added the final twist to the plot.

“The whole thing we said to them in the final timeout, was down one, we wanted to give it to our best throw shooter, and that was Lewis,” Dalrymple said. “We wanted him to drive to the basket as hard as he could, he couldn’t take no for an answer, but we also told him that we wanted him to shoot with about six seconds left. That way if we missed, we had a chance for a put back or a foul. I’m very happy we got the put back.”

Bloomfield (10-9, 4-4 Southwestern), had several chances to win the game in regulation and in overtime, but couldn’t close the deal from the foul line. Bloomfield made 2-7 from the line in a very unusual fourth quarter, and then converted one of four in the extra frame.

Still, the Cardinals held a 46-43 lead with 47 seconds left in the overtime.

Wikle, who ended the night with 13 points, made a runner in the three-second lane with 28 seconds remaining to cut the gap to 46-45.

Bloomfield’s Kyle Doane, who led the Cardinals with 14 points, missed two free throws with 26 seconds to play.

The Cougars (13-4, 4-1) called a timeout with 18 seconds, and then a second with 11 seconds left.

That set the stage for Nugent’s attempt from the right side that missed.

The ball caught the front of the rim, bounced against the backboard and fell out directly in front of the rim.

Wikle, who passed to Nugent, was able to run through the three-second lane alone to find the ball off the rim. He tipped it back from two-feet, and then watched as the ball nestled into the basket just before the backboard lights lit to end the contest.

North Daviess had an opportunity to end the game in regulation after Bloomfield’s Ryan O’Neall made the first, but missed the second of two free throws to tie the game at 42 with four seconds left.

Wes Lengacher, who paced North Daviess with 16 points, grabbed the rebound, passed to midcourt to Wikle, who passed to Alex Wittmer near the left baseline. The 5-8 Wittmer attempted to make a baseline runner over 6-3 Curtis Hasler, but his shot caught the front of the rim as time expired.

“I really didn’t see all of it,” Dalrymple said of the attempted game-winner. “I’m not certain he might have been better to have shot the three, but he got a great look and for a sophomore to step up and take that was really gutsy.”

North Daviess appeared to have a fairly comfortable 25-16 lead at halftime, but that was before Bloomfield constructed a 24-point third quarter for a 40-36 lead.

The teams combined for eight points in the fourth quarter. North Daviess scored six to two for Bloomfield.

The Cardinals controlled the ball for 4:09 of the first 4:23 of the final quarter, but the Cougars had the only point, that coming on a free throw from Wikle.

“If you looked out there, you saw both teams wearing the same uniforms,” Dalrymple said. “Their personnel was our personnel. Their ideas and our ideas are very similar. I thought both teams ran their game plans, and we were willing to leave them out there. We thought if we could leave them out there, we could shorten the game.”

Bloomfield held a 41-37 lead with 2:40 to play, but the Cougars outscored the Cards five to one to gain the regulation tie.

O’Neall had two free throws with the four seconds left in regulation and the Cardinals down one. Nugent had previously made two free throws to give the Cougars a 42-41 lead with 16 seconds left.

O’Neall made the first, but missed the second as the game ended when Wittmer’s baseline shot was just short.

While both teams struggled from the line in the last two quarters, Dalrymple admitted it was a game that probably felt better to win than lose.

“We kept giving it back to each other on the free throw line,” Dalrymple said. “I’m sure the losing team feels worse than the winning team about the free throws.”

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