Mar. 14—NEW CASTLE — Cade Brenner had won the regional championship for NorthWood.
Until he hadn’t.
Brenner had grabbed a rebound, drove all the way down the court and made a layup to put the Panthers up 48-47 with 1.3 seconds remaining. He was fouled, too, and it seemed as if he was going to go to the free throw line to potentially make it a two-point lead for NorthWood.
And then the referee pointed two fingers vehemently toward the ground.
The foul was called on the floor. The basket didn’t count. There was 1.3 seconds left on the clock, and NorthWood would have the ball for an inbounds play on the baseline.
The Panthers opponent, Leo, called timeout and drew up a final play. Ben Vincent inbounded it to Brenner, who took a tough-angled shot from five feet away that hit the side of the backboard. The final buzzer sounded and No. 4 (3A) Leo had prevailed, 47-46, to win the Class 3A regional championship at New Castle High School Saturday night.
When asked about the foul call, NorthWood coach Aaron Wolfe said, “no comment.”
“What a hard-fought battle that our kids put on tonight to give themselves an opportunity to win the game at the end,” Wolfe said. “It was just a courageous effort, and I can’t say enough of how proud I am of this group and some of the trials and adversity we’ve gone through, to put themselves in a position where they’re 1.3 seconds away from having a regional championship and advancing.”
The ending overshadowed a furious comeback by the Panthers. They trailed 43-32 with 6:10 remaining in the game, but were able to battle back to within one point with 6.2 seconds left. Brenner drilled a ‘3’ with 11.1 seconds to go to make it a 47-46 contest.
Brenner, NorthWood’s leading scorer this season at just under 18 points-per-game, struggled throughout the game against Leo. He only finished with 10 points, but five of them came during the 14-4 run the Panthers had to close the game.
“I think Cade Brenner is a warrior, and I think he was giving us everything he had,” Wolfe said. “But anytime you play a doubleheader in a day — we were trying to find him rest when we could. But again, the last shot he made was tremendous. And then, he had an opportunity to win the game at the end.”
Leo’s size was a factor in the first half, as the 6-6 DJ Allen and 6-6 Zack Troyer dominated the first 16 minutes of the game. The duo combined for 21 points in the first half as Leo took a 28-22 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, though, the Panthers made adjustments. After Allen and Troyer had 11 and 10 points, respectively, at halftime, they only finished with 15 and 12 for the game.
“It takes some time to adjust to their length and their physicality,” Wolfe said. “You cannot simulate their frontline maybe in our county, let alone our school. I thought, as the game went on, I thought our individual defense improved.”
Jamarr Jackson was the catalyst for NorthWood early, scoring nine points in the first quarter to keep his team in the game. The junior ended up finishing with a team-high 11 points.
Every time Leo built their lead, the Panthers responded to stay within striking distance. The Lions didn’t take a double-digit lead until midway through the third quarter at 36-25. They led 41-32 through three quarters after a ‘3’ from senior Eric Steger as the horn sounded to end the frame.
Leo led 45-35 when the Panther rally truly began. Baskets from Jackson, Brenner, Vincent, and then two free throws from sophomore Ian Raasch made it a 45-43 contest with 1:11 left. Xavier Middleton then made a critical basket for the Lions, taking a pass from Troyer and making a layup with 43.4 seconds on the clock.
“I feel sometimes when you’re chasing at the end of the game, it’s a good position to be in because you’re able to pressure the ball and the other team might be on a delay offense,” Wolfe said. “I thought we had some opportunities for some steals, and we got some quick shots from (Vincent) which put us in transition. And then, the playmaking on our end down the stretch was tremendous.”
Along with Jackson’s 11 points and Brenner’s 10, NorthWood picked up eight points from Vincent, five points each from Raasch and junior Cooper Wiens, four from sophomore Brock Bontrager and three from junior Chaz Yoder.
NorthWood finishes the season with a 16-9 record. They only graduate one senior in Vincent, meaning the majority of the roster will return in the 2021-22 season. Wolfe afterwards had nothing but praise for what Vincent meant to the program these past four years.
“Right now, the hardest thing to do as a basketball coach is to let go of your seniors … I’m so proud of Ben,” an emotional Wolfe said. “His competitive spirit, his leadership, his commitment to our basketball program and our players — what a responsibility he has seen this year. And to lead his team to one second away from a regional championship is pretty special.”
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL: NORTHWOOD 44, NEW CASTLE 42
In the regional semifinal Saturday morning, the Panthers upended the host Trojans, 44-42, erasing a seven-point halftime deficit in doing so.
New Castle guard Cole McDaniel stepped up to the free throw line, trailing 44-41 with 2.3 seconds left. McDaniel made the first, then missed the second free throw attempt on purpose in hopes his team could grab an offensive rebound. Brenner soared over everyone, though, grabbing a rebound and running through the traffic as time expired.
“In the locker room, we just talked about how we have to have poise and we have to be physical with each other,” Brenner said. “We just had to be physical downlow and get some rebounds; play as a team.”
Brenner finished with a game-high 27 points. He scored 10 of his team’s 13 points in the first half as the Panthers trailed 20-13 at the break.
A huge third quarter is what changed the game for NorthWood. They outscored New Castle 17-5 in the frame, including a 9-0 run to begin the quarter to take their first lead of the contest. McDaniel countered with a ‘3’ to give the Trojans the lead right back, but Brenner then drilled a triple on the next possession to give his team a lead it would never relinquish.
“I thought we struggled in the first half,” NorthWood Wolfe said. “I thought our guys executed (in the second half), but I thought Cade Brenner was special.”
Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.
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