By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
No. 4-seeded Washburn Rural boys basketball quite literally experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows in Friday night's sub-state finals matchup against Derby, believing that they would be heading to state for moments at a time that were quickly whisked away.
Senior Jack Bachelor ended his Washburn Rural career with 31 points in Friday's 74-72 four-overtime loss to Derby. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural sophomore Kaden Ballard looks for operating room in Friday's four-overtime 74-72 sub-state loss to Derby. [Photo by Trevor Falcon/Special to TSN]
The game was ultimately decided in the fourth overtime on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Derby sophomore Jack Ulwelling to give the Panthers a trip to state with the 74-72 win, and ending Rural’s season in heartbreaking fashion.
“I’m proud of the way we battled, there were times when we weren’t as tough as we needed to be, but we fought through a lot with Jacob (Hirchi) fouling out and Jack (Bachelor) fouling out and with his injury … I’m proud of these guys,” said Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins.
With .3 of a second remaining in the second overtime, Washburn Rural was charged with a technical foul for leaving the bench in celebration after a last-second heave by Derby had gone out of bounds. If not called the game would have ended 59-57 in favor of the home team.
“It’s a tough play because there was .3 seconds on the clock, the ball goes out of bounds, the referee throws his arm up and the buzzer goes off, “ said Washburn Rural assistant coach Kyle Fowler. “They called it the way they had to call it but it’s tough for these kids.”
Both coaches reiterated that they were told the technical was for players leaving the bench but were not told much else.
Even after that, the Junior Blues led by as many as seven in the third overtime but Derby ended the third extra period on a 7-0 run, with two free throws in that stretch coming on the fourth technical foul called in the game. Just like he did in the first overtime, junior Dallas Metzger hit the final 3-pointer in Derby’s comeback to force the fourth extra period.
In the final overtime, senior Bachelor scored the first two points for Rural to put them ahead before later fouling out with a game-high 31 points in his final game as a Junior Blue.
“He’s a competitor and Jack is our sun on offense, everything kinda revolves around him … I’ve loved coaching him and I wish I could coach him longer but I know that he’s still got a lot of basketball still to play and I’m excited to watch him do it,” Hutchins said.
Washburn Rural ends the season 15-6 in the first with Hutchins at the helm. After finishing 9-13 the year before the Junior Blues were able to win the Centennial League title with a complete flip of records from the season before.
“I can’t say I had too many expectations (when I started), I’m just thankful for this group of players and parents … it’s an unfortunate way for it to end,” Hutchins said.
“I think there was a lot of confidence in their ability to play, they came together really close throughout the season, we did a lot of things this season in building not really a team but a family,” Fowler said.
Forty-eight minutes of game time began with a 5-0 run for Rural, with Bachelor scoring all five. Derby made three 3-pointers in the first and led 18-15 after one.
Wyatt Conklin knocked down two triples in the second quarter, but on the defensive end the Junior Blues couldn’t stop the Panthers, giving up 18 points in the quarter to trail 36-25 at the break.
Washburn Rural trailed by as many as 13 in the third quarter but tightened up on the defensive end after switching to zone, holding Derby to just six points in the quarter.
“The zone helped us a little bit in the second half … we were tougher than in the first and we made some big shots down the stretch,” Hutchins said.
Bachelor had nine points in the third quarter alone to pull Rural back into it with just a four-point deficit heading into the fourth.
The Panthers tried to waste as much time as they could in the fourth, and when they did take a shot in the final quarter it was rushed by the Junior Blues.
After Derby hit free throws to go up by four sophomore Amare Jones was fouled for Washburn Rural while shooting a three and sunk a three free throws.
Derby made its free throws again on the next trip down but it didn’t matter as Conklin sank a three from the right corner with under a second left to force overtime at 50 all.
Each team scored five points in the first overtime. For the Junior Blues four came from Bachelor and the fifth from sophomore Kaden Ballard who hit a free throw after Bachelor made an and-one but had to be subbed out of the game injured before later returning.
Before the final .3 seconds of the second overtime Bachelor had all four points for Rural, with both teams playing slow and conservative.
After the technical it was senior Kaeson Fisher-Brown who sunk the two free throws for Derby to tie the game. Fisher-Brown led the Panthers with 23 points, 13 in the first half.
Rural built its seven point advantage in triple overtime on free throws from Jones and Ballard along with a basket by junior JC Heim.
After Bachelor put the Junior Blues up by two in the fourth overtime Metzger hit a 3-pointer right back to go up by one. Derby hit two more free throws followed by a bucket from Ballard to bring it right back to a one point game.
Washburn Rural forced two consecutive turnovers ultimately getting two free throws for Jones as a result, which he sank with 12.5 remaining to go up by one before the corner 3-pointer by Ulwelling was knocked down at the buzzer.
Bachelor paced Rural with 31 points on 11-15 shooting and 6-6 from the line. Ballard added 13 on 6-7 from the line and Conklin finished with 11, knocking down three triples.
Parker-Brown had 23 for Derby, Metzger added 15 with five 3-pointers, and Ulwelling had 14 including the game winner. The trio combined for all 11 of Derby’s outside hits.
DERBY BOYS 74, WASHBURN RURAL 72 (4 OT)
Derby 18 18 6 8 5 4 7 8 -- 74
Washburn Rural 15 10 13 12 5 4 7 6 -- 72
Derby (16-6) – Brown 0-1 2-2 2, Chadwick 0-1 4-4 4, Ulwelling 3-8 5-7 14, Fisher-Brown 7-15 6-7 23, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Anderson 1-4 0-0 2, Franklin 4-9 2-5 10, Metzger 6-17 2-2 19. Totals: 21-55 15-20 74.
Washburn Rural (15-6) – Jones 0-6 8-9 8, Ballard 3-11 6-7 13, Morris 0-0 0-0 0, Hirschi 1-5 0-0 2, Bachelor 11-15 6-6 31, Durst 0-3 0-0 0, Conklin 4-10 0-0 11, Heim 2-2 1-3 5, M. Bettis 0-0 1-2 1. Totals: 21-52 22-31 72.
3-point goals – Washburn Rural 7 (Conklin 3, Bachelor 3, Ballard 1). Derby 11 (Metzger 5, Fisher-Brown 3, Ulwelling 3). Total fouls – Washburn Rural 18, Derby 18. Technical fouls – 4 Washburn Rural 2 (Jones 1, Bench 1), Derby 2 (Fisher-Brown 1, Franklin 1). Fouled out – Washburn Rural (Hirschi, Bachelor).
