Joel Krebehenne, right, of North Union goes up for a jump shot, as a London defender stands tall to attempt to block the effort. Krebehenne tallied two points from the line during the Wildcats’ 48-46 loss.
(Journal-Tribune by Sam Dillon)
––––
The young North Union Wildcat cagers are a team that has been in a battle over the last five games.
That battle has included two overtime losses and three buzzer-beater shots. Unfortunately the Cats have fallen short in all of those contests.
The latest heart-breaker came on a last second three-point shot during Tuesday’s 48-46 loss to London.
Despite the loss, head coach Brian Terrill says his Wildcats are playing above themselves.
“We are playing teams that are clearly better than us,” he said. “They are bigger than us and they’ve got Division I prospects.
“We get behind, but that is when the positives kick in.”
NU dug itself and early hole after its offense was only able to put up four points in the opening stanza, thanks to Gavin Webb and Harley Day.
The Cats’s defense also struggled with the Red Raidersm as London tallied 16 points.
“It’s been two games in a row where we dig a hole early, but then we come back,” Terrill said. “It’s something that just drives you nuts, but the positive here is the bench is getting a lot deeper. We are getting production from them.”
Terrill made some changes on the floor between the quarters, bringing in Koldon Wiley and Zach Vernon.
The move gave the Wildcats the momentum shift they needed when Wiley dialed in a couple of shots from beyond the three-point arc to reel in the Raiders.
Vernon moved to the low post and got a pass down low. He hit a five-foot jumper to keep the momentum swinging in the Cats’ favor.
As a result, NU pulled to within 28-19 at the break.
Terrill said North Union really revealed its youth in the first half with a lot of blocked or quick shots.
“We were taking a lot of shots with hands in our face,” he said. “We had no patience at all.
“We were patient during the second half at the rim,” he said. “We played team ball where the press got us going.”
The Wildcats continued to ride that momentum swing in the third quarter as the starting five – Day, Trevyn Feasel, Connor Terrill, Preston Crabtree and Joel Krebehenne – all chipped in for points to help pull NU to within 38-33.
North Union’s defense kicked it up a notch with a press that generated more scoring opportunities.
That press continued into the final stanza when the Cats were able to pull even at 40-all as Webb buried a trifecta while drawing a foul.
He completed the four-point play from the line to tie the game with six minutes on the clock.
The two teams traded the lead throughout the next five minutes.
Day drew a foul in the lane and gave NU a very late 46-45 lead from the line.
The Red Raiders inbounded the ball and attempted to set up a play.
They shot the ball with six ticks on the timer.
The ball bounced around the rim and Crabtree pulled down the rebound.
However, ball squirted out of Crabtree’s hands with seconds left, returning possession to London.
The Red Raiders inbounded the ball to the corner where they sank a three-point shot to win the game.
“The challenge now is that we can’t overthink things,” said Terrill. “We’ve got to stay confident, believe that things are going to work out and things will turn. We’re going to start winning these games at the end of the day.”
With the loss the, Wildcats fall to 6-6 on the season. They will return to action Friday when they host Central Buckeye Conference foe Urbana.
London
Hatem 6-0-17, Andrich 5-0-14, Woodyard 3-2-8, Cameron 2-3-7, Stevens 1-0-2. Totals 17-5-48.
Three-point goal: Hatem 5, Andrich 4
North Union
Day 4-5-13, Crabtree 4-2-12, Wiley 2-0-6, Webb, 3-1-6, Terrill 1-0-3, Feasel 1-0-2, Krebehenne 0-2-2, Vernon 1-0-2. Totals 16-10-46.
Three-point goals: Crebtree 2, Wiley 2, Webb 1, Terrill 1