It’s been a crazy year in high school basketball with plenty of twists and turns that have made for great games. The SAC was wide open this year and up for grabs until the very end, with Luers shockingly winning the conference. The regular season made many excited for what was to come in March. It didn’t disappoint.
Bishop Luers lost in the first round of sectionals to a red-hot Leo team by double-digits. Northrop, a team that got blown out by Carroll twice this year, beat the Chargers by 14 in their own gym. On Saturday, Homestead, a team with a ton of size and skill, lost a close game to New Haven in the sectional championships, a team they beat by 16 in December. Not a whole lot went the SAC’s way in sectionals, however it made for some great games.
One of the best games of the weekend happened in the 4A Carroll sectionals, in which Snider, coming off a win against East Noble, and Northrop, fresh off their huge win, faced off for a sectional championship. The game wasn’t close to start. Northrop only scored 1 point in the first quarter. By the time their offense woke up, Snider was still on a furious scoring run and led by 12 at the half.
Then the third quarter opened up with Northrop on a momentumentous run of their own in which Qualen Pettus and the rest of the Bruins couldn’t miss. They fought their way back into the game and eventually took a lead. Snider was having a lot of trouble making shots, even when Dillon Duff and Michael Eley were wide open. The Panthers had to earn a lot of their points from the free throw line to stay in it. But late in the fourth, when Snider really needed a bucket, Duff stepped up and hit a three to match Northrop’s. Then, down by one, he hit another to give the Panthers the lead. After a Northrop miss, Duff was also able to close the game out with a pair of free throws, adding to his 28 points in the game and leading Snider to a 59-56 win, and their first sectional championship in over a decade. After the game, Duff talked about how close games and situations like this don’t scare him anymore.
“That’s a lot of pressure, but we’ve been in so many games like that where it’s down to the wire and you got to hit big shots. I don’t get nervous anymore because it happens all the time, you got so many games that are so close, but it felt great to hit those shots.”
Snider is now the only SAC team that made it to regionals after Concordia also fell last night. The Panthers have been through plenty of highs and lows to get here.
“We lost conference by a game, we lost the Holiday Tournament, and this would have been a third game we shouldn’t have lost,” Duff said. “Finally, all the hard work paid off and we’ve finally got something to show for it. It’s everything.”
Snider will try to stay alive in the state tournament against Marion in regional play on Saturday. They’ll have to play better in the next round, however this weekend may have served as a wake up call for the Panthers, that could ultimately help them move forward in the tournament. Even then, they know that they have playmakers, such as Duff and Eley, who have come up clutch for them when they need them most. But for now, Snider will celebrate snapping their sectional championship drought after they cut down the nets at the fieldhouse.
