Shawnee nearly overcame a 20-point second-half deficit, falling to the Lakers 67-65 in a CBC Mad River Division battle on Friday night in Springfield.
“We had a chance to win it, we just fell a little short,” McGuire said.
Senior Cody Siemon scored 21 points, junior Kyle Dingeman had 16 and Darian Dixon added 11 as Shawnee fell to 7-2 and 3-1 in the Mad River Division.
“The guys responded (in the second half),” McGuire said. “When we did a good job of keeping them out of the lane and picked up the pressure a little bit, we were able to capitalize on some of our baskets and good looks. We were able to make it a game. I’m proud of the guys for being able to battle back. A lot of teams would’ve just given up at half when you’re down 19.”
Indian Lake senior Camdon Tuttle and freshman Brodey Reisinger each scored 19 points, senior Caden Nicol had 14 and senior Dawson Finfrock added 11 as the Lakers improved to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the CBC Mad River.
Reisinger’s layup at the buzzer gave the Lakers a 20-6 lead after the first quarter. The Braves had several solid looks, but were unable to convert in the paint.
“We missed some easy buckets, but when you spot them 19 points, you’re going to be struggling,” McGuire said.
The Braves went on a 12-7 run to cut the lead to nine points midway through the second quarter. However, the Lakers responded with a 13-3 run of their own, taking a 40-21 halftime lead on a 3-pointer right before the buzzer sounded by Reisinger.
“They’re really good and we knew that they were explosive offensively,” McGuire said. “We knew a big part of it was that we had to keep them out of the lane. We couldn’t do it in the first half. When they score 40 points in the first half, I’m scratching my like ‘How are we going to get a stop?’”
The Braves trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, but fought back to cut the lead to 42-31 on a buzzer beater by junior Holton Massie. Shawnee continued its comeback in the fourth quarter, steadily cutting into the Lakers lead.
Braves junior Luke Young and Dixon hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 65-62. After a Lakers turnover, Siemon hit one of two free throws to make it 65-63. The Braves were forced to start fouling with about 20 seconds remaining and Tuttle hit two free throws to make it 67-63.
Dingeman hit a layup with about eight seconds remaining, but the Lakers never inbounded the ball as time expired, surviving Shawnee’s comeback.
“We haven’t put four quarters together yet,” McGuire said. “We’ve got to be able to put four quarters together and against good teams, you can’t play two quarters. That’s kind of the way it felt tonight — we played two quarters of the four and against them or any other good team we play, it’s not going to be enough.”
After starting the season 7-0, the Braves have dropped back-to-back games. Shawnee is seeking its first conference title since the 2014-15 season. They hope to keep winning division games until their rematch at Indian Lake on Feb. 9.
“To be in the league race, we have to hold serve,” McGuire said. “We can’t expect they’re going to drop one and we’ll get another chance up there. At the end of the day, we’ve got to play better through a full game.”
The second half was a glimpse into what the Braves could become this winter, McGuire said.
“If we continue to grow and guys continue to get the experiences, I like our guys and I like our team,” he said. “I like the way they came together in the second half. It kind of shows what we can be.”
About the Author