Labedzki, Bartlett slip by Waubonsie in OT
Waubonsie Valley wanted to force Bartlett into taking forced 3-pointers.
Bartlett did - for the first half at least.
The Hawks switched up their second-half game plan, however, drove the lane, and fought out a 60-55 overtime victory in the Upstate Eight Conference boys basketball opener for both teams Friday night in Bartlett.
"Coach said we force shots," said Bartlett senior Luke Labedzki, who was honored before the game for surpassing Anthony Maestranzi and Dante Frazier as the Hawks' all-time leading scorer. "Then we started to attack and it worked to our advantage."
After trailing 19-18 going into the second half, Bartlett drove the lane and scored 8 points inside the paint to take a 28-24 lead midway through the third period. As the Warriors (1-4, 0-1) closed the inside, Labedzki (19 points, 2 steals) was able to jack a 3-pointer and put the Hawks (2-2, 1-0) up 31-26, their largest lead of the second half. The Hawks went 7 of 25 from the floor in the first half, but rebounded to go 8 of 15 in the third quarter.
"We really like to fall in love with outside jump shots," Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. "We were taking it too fast in the first half. We wanted to get it inside to work the outside."
While Bartlett's offense came and went in spurts, the defense remained consistent. Waubonsie turned the ball over 33 times in the game, compared to just 11 from the Hawks.
The Warriors never trailed in the fourth quarter and led by as much as 48-42 with 3 minutes left to play, but turned the ball over 10 times. Waubonsie Valley did not attempt a shot after Chris MacFadyen (8 points, 6 rebounds) put the Warriors up 48-42 with 3:00 left in regulation.
"We got a little rattled," said Waubonsie Valley forward Tyler Perkins, who led all players with 27 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 2 steals. "They turned up their pressure and we panicked."
Bartlett freshman Lance Whitaker (11 rebounds) had back-to-back steals which allowed Bartlett to come within 48-46 after Donovan Coleman (9 points, 5 steals, 4 assists) was fouled and connected on a pair of free throws.
"You have to have a sense of urgency at the end of the game," Warriors' coach Steve Weemer said. "Our guys have to be strong with the basketball."
The Hawks' pressure continued into the overtime session as Bartlett forced 5 more turnovers. Mike Banks scored 5 of his 17 points for Bartlett in overtime. Waubonsie Valley went up 50-48 when Perkins scored on the opening play, but was outscored 12-5 the rest of the way.