By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat
The Brown County Eagles let one slip away Saturday, as the visiting White River Valley Wolverines clawed their way back in the decisive fourth quarter to snatch a 43-41 victory.
The Eagles led at the end of every quarter except the one that really mattered.
Behind five three-pointers in the first quarter, two each from Aaron McCann and Travis Ely and one from Caleb Yager, Brown County led 18-12.
The Eagles then pushed the lead to nine and went into the halftime locker room up 27-18.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]After three quarters, Brown County maintained its nine-point advantage, 36-27. The Eagles got their points on three more long balls, two from Ely and one from McCann.
Things went sour for the Eagles in the pivotal fourth quarter that saw the Wolverines score the first eight points and then eventually outscore the Eagles 16-5 in the final eight minutes.
According to Brown County coach John Berning, the Wolverines “took momentum and didn’t give it back, and we, at the same time, kind of allowed it to happen. The fourth quarter they just abused us in the paint, off the dribble.”
Berning added, “Basketball is a game of ebb and flow, of momentum going and coming, going and coming, punch for punch, punch for punch, and we stopped responding at one point.”
With 2:44 left in the contest, Wolverine guard Jaden Rogers scored, giving his team a 43-41 advantage, the first lead the Wolverines had enjoyed since early in the first quarter.
A minute later, Ely tied the game with a left-handed driving layup. McCann had a chance to break the tie, but missed the front end of a one-and-one with a minute on the clock.
The Wolverines’ Andrew Ellett scored what would be the game winner with 24 seconds on the clock.
Brown County squandered a couple of opportunities to tie the game in the last 24 seconds. Yager found a crease in the lane and made a strong drive to the basket, but missed a left-handed layup. Brown County’s Ricky Stanley was fouled in a struggle for the rebound.
The junior forward toed the line with 1.2 seconds remaining, but his toss caromed off the back of the rim, and the Wolverines secured the rebound and the victory.
Despite the huge shift in momentum, Berning still thought the Eagles were poised to salvage a win. “We had plenty of opportunities to make plays, to finish that game off,” he said.
“Give White River Valley credit. They are blue collar. They play their tails off start to finish; it doesn’t matter what the score is,” Berning said about the victors.
For the game, Brown County got 27 of its 41 points from beyond the arc, but struggled from the stripe, making only two of their nine attempts.
Travis Ely tallied 16 for the Eagles, while McCann and Carter Kelly chipped in with nine and eight, respectively. Ellet came off the Wolverine bench to lead all scorers with 20.
Brown County closes out its regular season Thursday, Feb. 27, when the Edinburgh Lancers visit. JV tips at 6 p.m. and the varsity at 7:30 p.m.
