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Cardiac Cats: Panthers edge Bobcats, 42-41, claim first ever district basketball championship
HUME, Mo. — They knocked on the door last year, falling to Montrose in the district championship game. On Saturday night in Hume the second-seeded Sheldon Panthers kicked it down, pulling out a dramatic 42-41 victory over the top-seeded Drexel Bobcats in the Class 1 District 6 title game.
Sheldon’s first district (boys)basketball championship in school history advances the Panthers (17-10) to the Class 1 sectionals and a match-up with the defending state champion, and perennial powerhouse, Walnut Grove. Tip off is slated for 7:45 p.m. tonight at Webb City High School.
The title-game triumph was three-plus years in the making. In November of 2014 Sheldon’s talented eighth-grade crop, led by guards Clayton Loyd, Matt Bogart, and Bryce Lamb; and big-men Jason Leavell and Brett O’ Connor, suffered a heartbreaking 29-28 championship game loss to Rich Hill on the very same court at the Hume Junior High Invitational.
Three years and three head coaches later the junior-class quintet, plus senior floor general Zavery Lamb, delivered the school’s most memorable victory.
Trailing Drexel 40-36 with 1:47 remaining in regulation, the 6-foot-2 Bogart collected a pass from Loyd on the left wing and, in what was likely the biggest shot of the season calmly buried a 3-pointer, trimming the deficit to a point. Bogart’s heroics halted Drexel’s late-game momentum, as the Bobcats were in all likelihood one defensive stop away from closing out the contest.
Bogart’s feathery long-range touch sent the Sheldon faithful into a frenzy, with the noise level inside Larry L. Berry Gym reaching a crescendo when Bogart’s 3-ball splashed through the net.
The quick momentum swing back to Sheldon also seemed to drain the previously energized Bobcats, reflected in their body language as they slowly shuffled toward the sideline for full a timeout, clinging to a 40-39 lead. Sheldon, however, had quickly flipped the script on Drexel, as it was head coach Joel McDuffey who was concerned with his club’s body language during a full timeout just moments earlier with the Panthers trailing 40-36 and Sheldon’s state tournament aspirations slipping out of reach.
“The message to the guys was not to quit,” McDuffey said of his pep talk during the timeout. “They came in off the court and into the huddle hanging heads, and kind of bickering with each other. I just wanted to make sure they understood that they needed to keep their heads up and they weren’t going to get pulled, they weren’t going to quit no matter what the score was. And they responded to it well.”
Drexel then replied with 1-of-2 free throws falling for senior guard Keegan Nichols, pushing the Bobcat lead to 41-39 with 1:32 remaining. Things began to brighten again for Drexel as a defensive stop put the Bobcats back in possession. With no shot clock and a two-point lead Drexel failed to put the game on ice when Wyatt Deal was whistled for a critical charging foul with 55 seconds remaining.
Looking to tie or take the lead Zavery Lamb drew a foul and knocked down the front end of the 1-and-1 to slice the Bobcat lead to 41-40. Lamb misfired on the second attempt but the rebound was plucked out of the air by Bogart, with McDuffey quickly signaling for a timeout.
Looking to get the ball inside Leavell lowered his shoulder in the paint area and missed a hotly contested five-foot jumper. Loyd, one of the smallest players on the court, swooped in for the offensive rebound and delivered the go-ahead lay-in with 25 seconds remaining, handing the Panthers a 42-41 advantage.
During a full timeout prior to Drexel’s final possession McDuffey instructed his club to keep the ball out of Cole McRoy’s hands, as the 6-3 senior forward was Drexel’s top scoring option.
Drexel had trouble getting into its half-court set, but was able to get an excellent look. An open Adam Gilbert, however, was off-target on an 8-foot jumper from the right baseline. The rebound was grabbed by Bryce Lamb, sealing the contest for Sheldon and delivering McDuffey’s signature victory.
“We knew McRoy was their deadly shooter, and not only wanted to keep the ball away from him, but wanted to make sure nobody else was getting to the hole,” summed up McDuffey. “We went to a Diamond-and-1 and pretty much wanted to key on everybody else — keeping them from driving, and McRoy from even catching the ball. We want man-to-man on (McRoy) just to make sure.”
McDuffey said his defensive strategy worked out for the most part, but that it was still a nerve-wracking possession.
McDuffey smiled wryly and said: “(Gilbert) had a really, really good look. But that was the guy we wanted to shoot, so it worked out really well for us, but he was just a little too open for my liking.”
It was also fitting that Bryce Lamb came down with the rebound, as the junior wing-forward doesn’t typically put up big numbers, but is known for his work in the trenches. Lamb concluded the game with 12 rebounds.
“Bryce played stellar defense all night,” said an elated McDuffey. “He was also solid for us defensively in the semifinal match-up against Montrose, holding people down. Tonight, he did a good job of helping and was just a beast on the boards. That’s what his role is, and he’s done a great job with it. He was able to score several times inside, and that’s just the icing on the cake.”
Other key swings
Another turning point in the game occurred late in the second quarter. Trailing 22-15, the Panthers closed out the half on an 8-0 run. Sheldon, however, was outscored 10-6 during a physical, bruising third quarter, as the Bobcats took a 32-29 lead heading into the fourth.
“They weren’t pulling away, and we weren’t taking the lead,” said McDuffey. “It was kind of a stalemate there in the third quarter. I’m happy with the fact that even though we weren’t able to get some shots to fall for us, we were able to be physical, not lose our heads, and stay in the game.”
Playing one of his best games of the season Bryce Lamb crashed the offensive glass early in the fourth and scored on a putback, cutting the Drexel lead to 32-31. A 4-0 spurt put Drexel up five near the midpoint of the fourth. Drexel was unable to pull away, as mid-range jumpers from Zavery Lamb and Loyd kept the Panthers within striking distance.
Bogart, who overpowered his defensive matchup with slashing drives to the basket, concluded the contest with a team-high 11 points.
“He’s an aggressive player, and he’s a long player,” said McDuffey of Bogart. “Matt has a multiple array of shots he can take whenever he’s driving to the hole.”
McDuffey said his squad was looking to exploit holes in Drexel’s 1-3-1 zone defense.
“The 1-3-1 has a lot of potential to open up holes, and we were really keying on driving those holes,” explained McDuffey.
As the final horn sounded Sheldon players mobbed each other in jubilation, with Loyd and McDuffey embracing for a long hug. McDuffey, who previously coached at NEVC for three seasons, is in his first year with Sheldon.
“I was holding back tears when Clayton was jumping up and down with me,” recounted McDuffey. “I love these kids, and it’s really emotional for me to be a part of this. I’m just kind of here for the ride. These boys have been working together for a long time, and it’s their accomplishment — I was just lucky to be a part of it.”
Concluded McDuffey: “We’ve done a good job all year, but right now we’re playing at our peak, and this is the time to do it. I’m just proud of the guys taking everything we’ve been doing and finally putting it all together in districts. Hopefully, we keep running with it and give Walnut Grove a little bit of a fight.”
In addition to Bogart’s point total, Sheldon’s balanced scoring attack included Loyd with 10; Zavery Lamb, 8; Leveall, 7; ad Bryce Lamb a season-high 6 points. For Drexel, junior guard Cole Barnhart finished with a game-high, 17 points.
Sectional preview
Walnut Grove, the No. 7 ranked team in the most recent Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 1 poll, enters 19-10 overall. Most recently, Walnut Grove blitzed through the Class 1 District 5 Tournament, averaging 84 points per game in blowout victories over Wheatland, Golden City, and Greenfield.
Walnut Grove is led by Logan Thomazin, the reigning Class 1 Player of the Year. Thomazin, a 6-foot-3, 190 pound shooting guard, averaged 25 points, eight rebounds, and four assist per game en route to the POY award and state championship last season. In addition, the decorated Thomazin is No. 1 on the Missouri all-time 3-point list. The Panthers will also have their hands full with Hunter Gilkey, as the 6-1 senior point guard erupted for 31 points in the district title game victory over Greenfield.
Note: Matt Bogart and Jason Leavell were named to Class 1 District 6 All-Tournament team