Bloomington South Panthers survive late scare, outlast North Vigo 71–68 in overtime

With 10 seconds left in regulation, Bloomington South junior wing Rylan Stikeleather had an open layup with the Panthers up 58-55. However, his shot would roll off the front of the rim and into the hands of Terre Haute North Vigo senior forward Brady Klopfenstein.

The mistake cost Bloomington South, as Klopfenstein drilled a 3-pointer on the other end of the court after an assist from senior guard Cam Fennell.

The shot that tied the game with zeros on the game clock ignited the traveling bench and crowd into a frenzy. The Patriots had been down eight in the third quarter, but now had four minutes of overtime left to achieve a comeback win.

On the other side of the court, the Panthers bench looked deflated. However, overtime proved to be a story of resilience for Bloomington South. Junior wing Duncan Combs drilled a 3-pointer to give the Panthers the lead with 25 seconds left. It was an advantage that Bloomington South did not give up this time, as they hung on to defeat North Vigo 71-68 on Friday.

Combs (27 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists) came up big for the Panthers time and time again. He finished with a game-high 27 points, while going 11 for 16 from the field and 3 for 5 on his 3-point attempts. Along with Combs, senior guard Jack Clark (20 points, 5 rebounds) played a crucial role in Bloomington South’s win. He scored 20 points and hauled in five rebounds. The Panthers finished the game shooting 61% from the field and 50% from 3-point range.

No other Panther scored double-digit points, but Bloomington South was able to withstand five different scorers for Terre Haute North who produced 10-plus points. Klopfenstein (19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist) led the way for the Patriots with 19 points, which saw him go 4 for 8 from behind the 3-point arc. In total, Terre Haute North finished 51% from the field and 46% behind the 3-point arc.

The back-and-forth nature of Friday’s contest started in the first quarter. Combs opened the game with a turnaround jumper before Klopfenstein answered with a 3-pointer on the other end.

However, by the end of the quarter, Bloomington South took a 15-10 lead, which was helped by Combs knocking down two 3-pointers before the final buzzer sounded. The Panthers created four turnovers and made 46% of their shots, while the Patriots put down just 40% of their attempts.

That five-point lead for Bloomington South blossomed into a nine-point advantage just under 1:30 into the second quarter. Fennell (11 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists) made a contested layup, then a 3-pointer to help bring Terre Haute North back into the game.

The six-point deficit was reduced to four points when the teams entered halftime, but 67% shooting from the field in the second quarter from both teams kept Bloomington South in the lead. Along with Fennell, junior guard Tyler Renn (13 points, 7 rebounds) scored five points in the second quarter for the Patriots, but Stikeleather (7 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists) was able to match that point total.

However, the third quarter saw Renn’s shot come alive at a crucial time. He drilled a 3-pointer with four minutes on the clock before making a reverse layup. Then, Klopfenstein made another 3-pointer to give Terre Haute North a 34-33 lead, forcing Bloomington South head coach J.R. Holmes to call a timeout.

The timeout helped calm the nerves for the Panthers. With momentum swinging in the direction of the Patriots, Bloomington South was still able to make big shots to end the third quarter, with Combs tying the game at 39-39 heading into the final quarter.

Combs then made a turnaround jumper to open the fourth quarter, and a couple of possessions later, Clark drilled a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 44-41 lead. However, the advantage was short-lived, as Klopfenstein made a second-chance 3-pointer after an offensive rebound by senior Trai Brown (3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist).

With the game tied again, Bloomington South would regain the lead and hold it until junior guard Mason Loyd (10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists) hit a 3-pointer with 3:13 remaining to give the lead back to Terre Haute North. Then, on the next possession, Bloomington South senior guard Nate Lukes (8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 3 steals) made a 3-pointer to put the lead back into the hands of the Panthers.

The lead would stay with Bloomington South, even ballooning out to a 58-52 advantage after a dunk by Combs. However, a quick 3-pointer by Loyd and the game-tying shot at the end of regulation by Klopfenstein sent the game into overtime.

But the Panthers struck first in the extra period. Senior guard Max Surdam (4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists) made a jump shot on the first possession. But Terre Haute North senior guard Gavin Woelfle (10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals) answered with a 3-pointer on the other end to give the Patriots a 61-60 lead.

A couple of possessions later, Bloomington South regained the lead with a layup from Clark. However, a 3-pointer from Fennell put Terre Haute North back in front with just under 50 seconds left.

Facing their second loss of the season, the Panthers were helped by Combs again. He knocked down a 3-pointer on the next possession to give Bloomington South a 68-67 advantage. Then, a steal by Lukes and a technical foul on Brown all but handed the game to the Panthers. Lukes knocked down both of his free throws, and Surdam added another to give Bloomington South the 71-68 win.

It’s a quick turnaround for Bloomington South (3-1), as the Panthers are back in action Saturday night against Floyd Central. The away game will start at 7:30 p.m. in Floyds Knobs, Indiana.

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