Hoops: Terre Haute North rallies late to deny Bloomington South sectional title 44–39

With 2:24 remaining in the IHSAA Sectional 13 championship game, fans of both Bloomington South and Terre Haute North Vigo rose to their feet. As the crowd tried to rally their teams, the Panthers held a 35–32 lead coming out of a 60-second timeout called by South head coach J.R. Holmes

But when the final buzzer sounded, it was Terre Haute North Vigo celebrating on the floor—sectional championship secured.

After a back-and-forth defensive battle throughout most of the game, the Patriots started to make their shots in the fourth quarter. Terre Haute North outscored Bloomington South 16–6 in the final quarter to win its second straight sectional title 44–39 on Saturday at Martinsville High School.

Bloomington South was led by a 17-point, 8-rebound performance from junior forward Duncan Combs. Senior forward Matt Tierney (12 points, 6 rebounds) chipped in 12 points, but no other Panther scored more than five points.

In the first half, South shot 9 of 19 (47%) from the field and 2 of 6 (33%) from 3-point range. However, in the second half, the Panthers were limited by a strong defensive performance from Terre Haute North. The Patriots held South to 6 of 22 (27%) from the field, and 2 of 11 behind the arc.

Free-throw shooting was a big factor in the outcome. North was able to get to the free throw line consistently—the Patriots were able to get 18 chances from the line, making 13 of them. But South finished the game just 5 of 8 from the charity stripe. Free-throws, combined with Terre Haute North’s 44% shooting performance, helped down the Panthers.

The Patriots were led by an even scoring performance, as no Terre Haute North player scored in double digits—but seven players scored at least one point. Senior guard Brady Klopfenstein (8 points, 2 rebounds) had a team-high eight points, while junior guard Mason Lloyd (6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist), senior guard Traishun Brown (6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals) and junior forward Blake Hammond (6 points, 4 rebounds) added six points each.

Both teams opened the contest solid on offense. Terre Haute North senior guard Gavin Woelfle started the scoring with a 3-pointer, but a layup from Combs put the Panthers on the scoreboard.

The first eight minutes were played a 13–13 tie, as both teams made clutch shots to trade the lead back and forth throughout the quarter. North ended the first quarter 6 of 12 (50%) from the field, while South shot 5 of 9 (56%).

The Panthers opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer by senior guard Nate Lukes (3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist), and a layup from Combs extended Bloomington South’s lead to 20–15.

Terre Haute North seemed to tie the game at 22–22 after a 3-pointer from Hammond with just over two minutes left before halftime. However, his shot was ruled a 2-pointer and kept the Patriots behind by one point. Hammond’s foot on the 3-point line was the difference—his shot counted for two instead of three, leaving North behind 24–23 at halftime after a Klopfenstein floater.

Coming out of halftime, the offense for both teams went cold. South knocked down one 3-pointer and only 4 of 12 (33%) attempts from the field in the third quarter. The Panthers outscored Terre Haute North 9-5 after the Patriots went 2 of 9 from the floor.

With under four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Combs drilled a 3-pointer to give South a 31–25 lead. The score forced North head coach Todd Woelfle to call a timeout. Then, one possession later, a reverse layup by Tierney gave the Panthers an eight-point advantage.

A layup from Brown reduced the deficit for the Patriots to 33–28 to end the third quarter. Klopfenstein followed that up with a shot from the paint that closed the gap to three.

Terre Haute North finally took the lead with under two minutes left in the game after senior guard Cam Fennell (6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) knocked down two free throws. Even after open looks for Bloomington South, the Patriots wouldn’t give up the lead for the rest of the game.

Free throws made the difference for North down the stretch. The Patriots had 14 attempts in the fourth quarter, converting 12 of their chances. Bloomington South only had four attempts and one make. South was outscored 16-6 in the final eight minutes after committing five turnovers and going 2 of 10 (20%) from the field.

To get to the championship game on Saturday, South also defeated Martinsville 56-34 in the sectional quarterfinals and Terre Haute South Vigo 60-45 in the semifinals. With the loss Saturday night, Bloomington South finishes the season 20-7. The Panthers went 5-0 this season against Conference Indiana opponents.

Terre Haute North Vigo now looks to advance throughout the rest of the playoffs to win a Class 4A State Championship.

Photos: Bloomington South vs. Terre Haute North

[Click on any photo, to arrow or swipe through all the images at full-screen size.]