For The Tribune

The Medora girls and boys basketball teams hosted Cannelton on Saturday.

While the girls ended their regular season with a loss, the boys finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Boys get edge in OT

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The Medora boys scored the final six points of overtime to defeat Cannelton 66-62 Saturday night for their first victory of the season.Medora coach Mark Morin said his team could have folded after Cannelton’s Ethan Melton tipped in a teammates’ missed shot at the buzzer to tie the score at 60 and force overtime.

The Bulldogs’ Jacob Pearey drove for a layup at 2:05 of the overtime to give his team a 62-60 lead.

Medora’s Gavin Henson and JD Fish each made a free throw to tie the game before Fish scored a goal from underneath the basket with 22 seconds remaining.

Hunter Browning added two free throws with 12.3 seconds remaining to complete the scoring.

“I was glad to see us battle with them in overtime,” Morin said. “We got down 16-5 (six minutes into the game) and we could have let the wheels fall off. The end of regulation when they tipped in at the buzzer that was big.

“That was, by far, our best game of the year. I hope we can build off of that and we’ve got some games coming up I feel like we can compete in.”

Morin said it was definitely a team victory as six different Hornets scored with 60 points being the teams’ second highest total of the season.

Six players also had rebounds with Tony Norklun pulling down 10 and Brandon Moore eight.

“Everybody contributed,” Morin said. “The two freshmen came off the bench and did a good job. Isaiah (Myers) hit a big 3 in the corner, and Jayvin (Spurgeon) came in and played well.”

The Bulldogs led 18-12 at the end of the first period before Browning scored 8, Fish 5, Moore 4, and Myers hit a 3-pointer for a 20-point second period and a 32-27 lead at the half.

Moore and Henson scored two baskets each, and Browning went 4 for 4 at the line in the third period to help the Hornets hold a 45-43 lead going into the fourth period.

The big difference came at the free throw line where the Hornets were 15 for 23 and the Bulldogs just 4 for 17.

“We only had 12 turnovers and 36 rebounds,” Morin said. “I don’t believe we’ve had 36 rebounds in two back-to-back games together so that was good.”

Pearey topped the Bulldogs (2-15) with 21 points.

Girls fall to Bulldogs

Cannelton went on a 12-0 run late in the first quarter and the first four minutes of the second period to take control and lead the rest of the way in the girls game.Kelsey Turner scored off an offensive rebound at 1:52 of the first period to leave Medora trailing 10-7.

The Bulldogs then scored the final four points of the first quarter and first eight of the second to build up a 22-7 lead with 4:04 remaining until halftime.

The Hornets ended their dry spell when Lillie Hatfield made two free throws at 2:32 for a 22-9 score and the only other points the home team scored in the second was a basket by Hatfield at 1:35.

Cannelton held a 30-11 lead at halftime and Hornets coach Brad McCammon said during halftime in the locker room he wrote one word on the chalkboard: effort.

“I told them we needed a better effort,” McCammon said. “I said look at that word. That’s all I’ve got to say. We only got outscored by two points (23-21) and part of that time we only had four people on the floor. I was glad they showed heart in the second half.”

McCammon said turnovers hurt his team early.

“We dug ourselves too big a hole,” he said. “We just couldn’t seem to make the right plays at the right time. It seemed like the ball hit us in the hands and we’d bobble it. Fundamentally, early on, we were just struggling. We looked like we were a team that played (Friday) night and wore ourselves out.

“I know when you’ve got six kids you don’t have much depth.”

Sophomore Gwyneth Morris was on crutches because of an ankle injury, and Medora finished the game with four players on the floor as two fouled out.

Lillie Hatfield, Elexus Morris, Taylor Hunter and Kelsey Turner scored baskets for the Hornets in the third period, while Hatfield and Morris led Medora in the fourth period with five points each.

Hatfield topped Medora in scoring with 11 points, while Kailen Flynn had eight rebounds.

Cannelton had a strong inside-outside game with Carissa Sloss scoring 16 point and pulling down 13 rebounds to lead the inside game, while Nicole Harris made three 3-pointers and scored 16 points on the outside.

“Give credit to Cannelton” McCammon said. “They mixed their defenses up and confused us at times.”

Medora (2-16) will face the winner of the West Washington-Borden game in the Orleans Sectional at 7:30 p.m. Friday.