Andale, Collegiate play to overtime thriller with league title implications
.JPG "Andale’s Mason Fairchild celebrates after the Indians clinch a 56-55 overtime win against rival Collegiate on Friday night. (Dec. 14, 2018)")
With 15 seconds to go in overtime, Ethan Baalman played tip drill.
After a missed layup from Andale’s Easton Hunter, Baalman was there behind him to snag the rebound and bury the put-back. The bucket gave the Indians a 56-55 lead and win over AVCTL IV rival Collegiate on Friday night.
“Once I saw it go in, coach always harps on us to get back on defense, especially with Collegiate; they like to push the ball up the floor,” said Baalman, who finished with a team-high 15 points. “That was just my first thought was to get back.”
The Indians controlled the score for three and a half quarters, but the game shifted early in the third quarter when junior Baron Biermann was poked in the eye when trying to move the ball up the court against the Collegiate press.
Coach Jeff Buchanan said his point guard tried to go but couldn’t. He didn’t return.
“Knees, ankles you can limp through; when you can’t see, it’s kind of hard to do your job,” Buchanan said. “So you got to give our kids credit. They found a way. It’s problem solving 101.”
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When Biermann went out, the Andale offense shifted. It lost its flow. The Indians struggled to get organized. They struggled to score. Andale put up 15 points in the final 12 minutes.
Collegiate pounced in the fourth quarter. After trailing by 11 at half and seven after three, the Spartans outscored Andale 14-7 in the final quarter, capped with a game-tying three-pointer from junior wing Jonathan O’Hearn with 40 seconds to go. That sent the game to extra basketball.
Andale junior Jack Nilles and senior Mason Fairchild couldn’t come up with a basket on two shots in the final three seconds of regulation.
With the atmosphere turned up to 11, experience took over. Andale had the edge in that regard, having lost 69-66 in overtime at Maize South a week earlier. Buchanan said that was the difference.
“What they bring to practice is exactly what you saw tonight on the court,” he said. “It’s no lie. To get ready for their press for example, we’re throwing six, seven, eight guys out there playing defense. You have to do special things. The intensity they bring in practice, prepares them for those situations.”
Both student sections traded screams for big plays across the baseline, which made Friday felt like it had championship implications on the line, and it likely did. Andale has won seven straight league titles. Collegiate has finished runner-up five times during that stretch, including each of the past four years.
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Hunter, the Indians’ typical top-scorer, said that is the kind of atmosphere you want to play in. Friday was the ninth game between the rivals decided by five points or fewer since 2012.
Andale and Collegiate will meet again Feb. 13 on the Spartans’ floor. The Indians haven’t lost to their rival since the teams’ second meeting of the 2016-17 season.
“It’s always fun against Collegiate,” he said. “They always bring a big crowd, and when we know we’re playing Collegiate, we always do the same. It’s been fun each of the past seven years, even coming to watch them. It’s going to be fun again playing at their house.”