Northmor battles back to top Patriot

For just over three quarters of their Division IV district semifinal game at Centerburg against Patriot Prep on Tuesday, the Northmor Golden Knights struggled on offense — leading to them trailing 38-32 with only 7:30 left in regulation.

Then Grant Bentley took over.

The senior, who recently earned Player of the Year awards from both the KMAC and Central District, scored his team’s first 12 points of the final quarter and turned that six-point deficit into a 44-41 lead that Northmor would not relinquish in earning a come-from-behind 56-47 victory.

In reaching their second straight district final, the Golden Knights outscored their opponents 24-11 in the fourth quarter, with Bentley scoring 17 of his game-high 21 points over that span.

“He didn’t shoot it well for three quarters, really,” said head coach Blade Tackett. “But that’s the thing about the Division IV Central District Player of the Year. One, he never loses confidence and two, me, our coaching staff, our players never lose confidence in him. Next one’s always going in, next finish is always going in, next free throw’s always going in. We trust him and Jax (Wenger) down the stretch. With those two on the floor, we’re either going to be in or win every game. It’s going to be competitive, they’re going to keep us in every game and if it’s close, I think they’re going to take us over the top.”

With Northmor trailing by six after Cameron Thomas connected on a pair of free throws, Bentley hit for two points and then added a three-pointer at the 6:45 mark. A bucket and free throw by Mason Seward was able to bring the Eagle lead back to a 41-37 margin, but they would not score again for over three minutes.

During that stretch, the Golden Knights got three baskets and a free throw from Bentley, followed by a Wenger basket that made it a 46-41 score. Patriot would get within three points on a Dominic Sammons’ score, but Wenger would then draw a foul. While he couldn’t convert at the line, Bryson Keirns was able to snag an offensive rebound and put it through for two points.

Bentley then added two free throws and Hunter Fulk hit one-of-two to make it a 51-43 game with just over a minute remaining and Northmor would hit 5-of-6 foul shots down the stretch to preserve the victory.

Tackett gave a lot of credit to Keirns and Cole Cuffman, who drew several charges in the game, for their performances off the bench.

“We knew Cole Cuffman was going to give us minutes today because he’s the one kid on this team that’s going to sacrifice his body,” he said. “He’s already broken his wrist once and he took four charges or three charges and he probably could have had three more that were 50-50.

“I’m proud of Bryson for being patient,” Tackett continued. “Drew (Hammond) with his athleticism and rebounding ability, he took the bulk of the minutes, but Keirns was patient, he was vigilant. He looked for his opportunity. Number two (Thomas) fouls out, he has 20 (Damar Anderson) on his hip. We had a foul to give, that’s a prime offensive rebound. He goes and gets it, he makes a strong finish and that might have put us over the edge.”

The game was a defensive struggle for most of the first half. While Hammond scored five points in the first quarter to help Northmor obtain a 7-3 lead at the 3:38 mark of the opening period, Patriot would battle back to tie things up at 11 going into the second.

Hammond would hit his second three of the half and Fulk would add two free throws and a three-pointer to give the Golden Knights a 19-18 lead late in the half, but the Eagles were able to score seven unanswered points to hold a 25-19 lead going into the locker room.

Tackett noted that his team adjusted their defense in the third quarter to speed up Patriot, which helped to force a few turnovers and gradually shift the momentum. The Eagles would maintain a lead throughout the period, but Northmor was able to cut it to four multiple times, including at the end of the quarter when Wenger hit a basket, drew a foul and sunk the free throw to make it 36-32 going into the fourth.

“That is a tough team,” said Tackett of Patriot Prep. “They’re just hard to beat. They’ve played so many good teams. All of their losses are against winning programs and winning teams and they win the ones they’re supposed to. We knew it was going to be a challenge, but our guys were up for the challenge. They were prepared and every single person had a role in the victory and that’s what I love most about our team.”

Bentley’s 21 led Northmor, while Wenger added 15, Hammond scored nine and Fulk tallied eight. After losing to Patriot last year in the district finals, the Golden Knights had plenty of motivation to overcome the Eagles. Now they have a return trip to Ohio Dominican University to see if they can advance to regionals.

“That’s been the message all year,” said Tackett. “There’s been a silver medal hanging in our locker room since March 3 or 4 last year when Patriot beat us in overtime. It’s been on our minds for a year and it’s not going to be easy, but our guys are hungry to get back to ODU and give this thing another shot.”

Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS