West Cemtral wins Sectional Championship

By Editor | March 5, 2024 |

With the score tied, West Central’s Carson Brown tries to give the Cougars the lead. Calhoun remembered the old basketball adage, “Never give up a jump shot without a hand in the face of the shooter.” (Doug Pool/Scott County Times)

#2 Mason Berry, #24 Zac Howard and #4 Cameron Seivers protest a shot by a Calhoun Warrior with the help of the rest of the Cougar team. (Doug Pool/Scott County Times)

West Central’s Zack Evans shows off his dunking skills on a break-away, leaving Calhoun trailing the game’s leading scorer with 33. (Doug Pool/Scott County Times)

By KENT COULTAS

Mason Berry made four free throws in the final 38 seconds, and West Central beat Calhoun 64-61 in the championship game of the North Greene 1A Boys Sectional Mar. 1 at White Hall.
The Cougars improved to 33-3 and won the sectional championship for the first time since 2011. West Central played Monday against Illini at the Jacksonville Supersectional. Illini Bluffs is 33-3 after beating Camp Point Central 47-35 at the Abingdon-Avon Sectional.
The game was close the entire way with 20 lead changes and 11 ties. The biggest lead for either team was six points.
Calhoun scored the final four points of the third quarter and took a 50-47. The Warriors led 52-49 with 7 minutes remaining in the game, but West Central scored 11 of the next 13 points to take the lead.
Chance Little scored to cut the margin to 52-51. Berry scored off an assist from Zack Evans, and the Cougars led 53-52 with 5:57 remaining in the game.
Evans scored and extended the lead to 55-52. Calhoun scored to cut the margin to 55-54 before the two teams exchanged turnovers.
Berry converted a three-point play, and the Cougars led 58-54 with 4:03 remaining in the game. Little scored after Calhoun committed turnover, and West Central led 60-54 with 3:15 remaining.
Calhoun scored, and after a West Central turnover, scored again to cut the margin to 60-58 with 2:13 remaining. Calhoun got the ball back but missed a field goal attempt on its next possession.
Berry made two free throws with 38.1 seconds remaining and extended the lead to 62-58. Calhoun made a three-point basket on its next possession to cut the margin to one point.
Berry made two more free throws, and West Central led 64-61 with 15.6 seconds remaining. After two fouls by West Central, Calhoun missed a three-point attempt in the final seconds.
The clock ran out as both teams scrambled to get the rebound and set off a celebration among the West Central players and fans.
Evans scored West Central’s first 15 points of the game, including two three-point field goals and a dunk. Calhoun, however, led 16-15 before Little scored three points to give West Central an 18-16 lead with 37 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Calhoun scored, and the game was tied at 18 after one quarter.
The game was tied at 20, 22, 27 and 29 in the second quarter. Evans scored off an assist from Berry, and the Cougars led 31-29. Calhoun scored the next four points and led 33-31 at halftime.
The game was tied at 33 and 35 in the third quarter. Calhoun led 37-36 and scored five straight points and increased its lead to 42-36.
Evans scored twice, and Carson Brown converted a three-point play as West Central took its first lead of the second half at 43-42. Calhoun came back to retake the lead at 46-44.
Evans had a steal and a dunk to tie the game at 46. Cameron Sievers made one of two free throws, and the Cougars led 47-46 with 35 seconds remaining in the quarter. Calhoun scored the next four points and led by West Central went 14-for-22 from the free throw line in the game. Calhoun attempted just three free throws and made two.three after three quarters.
Evans scored 33 points, including 15 in the first quarter to lead the Cougars.
Little scored 13 points. Berry scored 11, including nine in the fourth quarter and made all five of his free throw attempts.
Brown scored six points, and Sievers scored one.