Bulldogs avoid overtime upset against Perryville
By MATT KING\Daily Journal Sports Writer
Dec 28, 2004 - 10:48:22 CST
PARK HILLS - The West County Bulldogs gave Perryville every opportunity to spring the first upset of the opening round at the 49th Annual Bob Sechrest Jr. Central Christmas Tournament on Monday, but somehow managed to escape with a 48-46 win in overtime.
In a game marred by miserable shooting from both teams, the fourth-seeded Bulldogs managed to hold an 11-point lead in the third quarter before watching the 13th-seeded Pirates battle all the way back.
Much of the scoring that did occur was delivered from the outside, where both clubs seemed content to force shots. Perryville buried eight three-pointers in the game, while West County hit four.
The game was even at 8-8 after the first quarter with Ryan Regelsperger accounting for all of Perryville's points during the stanza. The opening five minutes of the second period saw only two West County points scored as the shooting struggles continued.
The bulk of offense in the first half was reserved for the final three minutes as the Bulldogs suddenly began to heat up. A triple by Travis Graham gave West County a six-point advantage which increased to 24-16 by halftime, following a pair of last-minute threes by Chris Mosier.
Field goals by Jake Blair and Graham helped West County (7-1) build a 30-19 advantage, but Andrew Norman scored 12 points in a span of less than four minutes, including a trio of open three-pointers to bring the Pirates to within 34-31 as the third quarter ended.
Perryville grabbed a momentary one-point edge with 3:00 left, but a key steal from Sam Luebbers and a transition layup put West County back in front. The Bulldogs led 40-37 late in regulation, but a clutch triple by Phillip Buerck with 30 seconds to go tied the game.
Following a crucial West County turnover, Perryville perfectly executed an inbound pass into the paint, but a short bank shot missed at the buzzer, sending the contest into the extra session.
The Bulldogs built a five-point lead and clinched the victory by making 6-6 free throws in overtime, including four from John Barnett, who atoned for an otherwise rough night from the field.
Barnett paced the Bulldogs with 14 points, while Mosier added 10 and Graham chipped in nine. Luebbers pulled down 11 rebounds.
West County will face No. 5 Hillsboro in the quarter-finals at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Perryville will meet Herculaneum in the consolation bracket today at 2:30 p.m.
Norman led all scorers with 18 points for Perryville. Regelsperger added eight points and nine rebounds.
Hillsboro was also on upset alert during its first-round matchup against Herculaneum on Monday, but the Hawks mounted a key 13-2 scoring run in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 58-51 victory.
The Blackcats scored the first five points of the contest, but the Hawks carried a 17-12 lead after Teddy McGrath and Jake Dallas knocked down back-to-back threes in the final minute of the opening quarter.
Dex Wallace continued the long-range accuracy with his second triple of the first half to extend the Hillsboro lead to 27-18, but Jake Alexander capped a big first half for Herculaneum with a driving baseline layup to cut the margin to 30-26 at the intermission.
Herculaneum closed to within 44-41 early in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks responded with a three-pointer from McGrath and a convention three-point play following a steal by Wallace to stretch the gap back to nine. Hillsboro enjoyed its largest lead of 57-43 with less than three minutes to play.
McGrath posted a double-double for the Hawks with 19 points and 11 boards. Wallace also scored 19 points and made five steals. Jason Weiners added seven points.
Alexander hit three triples on the night and led all scorers with 23 points, including 10 in the first quarter. Cody Westover also reached double figures for the Blackcats with 10 points.
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In a game marred by miserable shooting from both teams, the fourth-seeded Bulldogs managed to hold an 11-point lead in the third quarter before watching the 13th-seeded Pirates battle all the way back.
Much of the scoring that did occur was delivered from the outside, where both clubs seemed content to force shots. Perryville buried eight three-pointers in the game, while West County hit four.
The game was even at 8-8 after the first quarter with Ryan Regelsperger accounting for all of Perryville's points during the stanza. The opening five minutes of the second period saw only two West County points scored as the shooting struggles continued.
The bulk of offense in the first half was reserved for the final three minutes as the Bulldogs suddenly began to heat up. A triple by Travis Graham gave West County a six-point advantage which increased to 24-16 by halftime, following a pair of last-minute threes by Chris Mosier.
Field goals by Jake Blair and Graham helped West County (7-1) build a 30-19 advantage, but Andrew Norman scored 12 points in a span of less than four minutes, including a trio of open three-pointers to bring the Pirates to within 34-31 as the third quarter ended.
Perryville grabbed a momentary one-point edge with 3:00 left, but a key steal from Sam Luebbers and a transition layup put West County back in front. The Bulldogs led 40-37 late in regulation, but a clutch triple by Phillip Buerck with 30 seconds to go tied the game.
Following a crucial West County turnover, Perryville perfectly executed an inbound pass into the paint, but a short bank shot missed at the buzzer, sending the contest into the extra session.
The Bulldogs built a five-point lead and clinched the victory by making 6-6 free throws in overtime, including four from John Barnett, who atoned for an otherwise rough night from the field.
Barnett paced the Bulldogs with 14 points, while Mosier added 10 and Graham chipped in nine. Luebbers pulled down 11 rebounds.
West County will face No. 5 Hillsboro in the quarter-finals at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Perryville will meet Herculaneum in the consolation bracket today at 2:30 p.m.
Norman led all scorers with 18 points for Perryville. Regelsperger added eight points and nine rebounds.
Hillsboro was also on upset alert during its first-round matchup against Herculaneum on Monday, but the Hawks mounted a key 13-2 scoring run in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 58-51 victory.
The Blackcats scored the first five points of the contest, but the Hawks carried a 17-12 lead after Teddy McGrath and Jake Dallas knocked down back-to-back threes in the final minute of the opening quarter.
Dex Wallace continued the long-range accuracy with his second triple of the first half to extend the Hillsboro lead to 27-18, but Jake Alexander capped a big first half for Herculaneum with a driving baseline layup to cut the margin to 30-26 at the intermission.
Herculaneum closed to within 44-41 early in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks responded with a three-pointer from McGrath and a convention three-point play following a steal by Wallace to stretch the gap back to nine. Hillsboro enjoyed its largest lead of 57-43 with less than three minutes to play.
McGrath posted a double-double for the Hawks with 19 points and 11 boards. Wallace also scored 19 points and made five steals. Jason Weiners added seven points.
Alexander hit three triples on the night and led all scorers with 23 points, including 10 in the first quarter. Cody Westover also reached double figures for the Blackcats with 10 points.