Mt. Vernon withstands 'nightmare' scenario, punches ticket to state finals
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NEW CASTLE – It was nearing the middle of the third quarter of Saturday’s Class 4A semistate championship when Luke Ertel pulled up from the top of the key and drilled a 3-pointer to extend Mt. Vernon’s lead to 14 points over New Albany.
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The party was not yet on, but it was certainly headed that direction. A first state berth so close that the Marauders could taste practically taste it.
And then … it wasn’t.
Perhaps no high school team in the state – a successful team, anyway – relies on one player to the extent fourth-ranked Mt. Vernon does to fit the pieces of the puzzle precisely together. When Ertel picked up his third foul with 4:26 left in the third quarter, then his fourth 18 seconds later, the game shifted.
“The worst situation,” Mt. Vernon coach Joe Bradburn. “It is a nightmare. It’s surreal to have that pop up at you when you feel like you were controlling a lot of the game.”
In a span of 2 minutes, 29 seconds, fourth-ranked Mt. Vernon saw its lead completely melt away. But when Ertel returned with 1:39 left in the third quarter, the pieces of the puzzle fell back into place. At 9:32 p.m., the buzzer sounded and Mt. Vernon could celebrate a 77-69 win and its first state championship berth.
“I had a couple tough ones called on me, but I’ve never really been in that position the whole year,” Ertel said. “I never really been in a foul trouble. That was new for me, but I just knew I couldn’t extend that arm.”
Ninth-ranked New Albany’s pressing, ball-pressure style gave Mt. Vernon fits even at times with its Purdue-bounds point guard on the floor. Without him? The Marauders stood little chance. The Bulldogs forced six turnovers when Ertel left the game, taking the lead, 52-51, on freshman Karson Stoudemire’s steal and layup with 1:39 left in the third quarter.
But Stoudemire was whistled for a technical for talking after the play, which allowed Mt. Vernon to retake the lead on Owen Daugherty’s two free throws. Ertel also re-entered the game at that time, which allowed the Marauders to breathe again.
Mt. Vernon ripped off a 13-2 run, stretching its lead back to 64-54 early in the fourth quarter after back-to-back 3-pointers by Ertel.
“I was just thinking, ‘I can’t get to the rim because they might call me for something,’” Ertel said. “So, I’m just going to shoot threes. That’s all I really thought. But I never really did feel like we were in control because Noah (Washington) was hitting those threes and it was kind of back and forth.”
Washington, New Albany’s standout sophomore, kept the Bulldogs in range, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to pull his team within 66-62 with 4:18 left. But Ertel answered again with a jump shot on the next possession to push the lead back to six. New Albany again pulled within four points with 48 seconds remaining but could get no closer.
Two of New Albany’s starting guards, Reese McKee and Stoudemire, were cramping much of the second half and unable to play at full speed. New Albany played the second semistate semifinal on Saturday, defeating Terre Haute North 65-57.
“You can’t ask guys to play as hard as our guys play and turn around and play in four or five hours,” Jones said. “Even when Reece was out there, he was grabbing his calf every five seconds. Karson was grabbing his calf every five seconds. We did everything we could all afternoon. We hydrated, we iced, we laid around and did everything possible. It’s just hard to ask guys to play as hard as our guys play and have a five-hour turnaround.”
Ertel and 6-8 junior Max Vise both scored 22 points to lead the Marauders. Senior Jamaree Collins added 14 points, including eight in the first quarter to help Mt. Vernon off to a 23-17 lead that later extended to 40-30 by halftime.
It looked even more promising for the Marauders when Ertel drilled the 3-pointer to put the Marauders up 14. But Bradburn was soon faced with the nightmare scenario: Ertel saddled with four fouls and on the bench against a pressing team. Ertel moved from his seat on the bench to standing near the end of the bench as New Albany quickly sliced into the lead.
“I was fighting the entire time,” Bradburn said of putting Ertel back in the game. “We tried to make an adjustment on defense (to go zone) to get him away from the that fourth foul even before he came out … I didn’t know how long to sit him. That’s a tough call. I didn’t want them to have too much momentum. But obviously it got to a point where we had to get him back out there.”
The New Albany fans booed loudly when it appeared Ertel pushed off against Seth Winslow in the fourth quarter but there was no call. Ertel played it safe the rest of the way, essentially playing his non-dribbling arm against his side.
Washington led New Albany with 22 points. McKee and Stoudemire each added 14.
Mt. Vernon lost last year to Jeffersonville in the semistate at New Castle, losing a fourth-quarter lead to the eventual state champs. This time, the Marauders were ready.
“We knew we were going to see a lot of pressure and we had to prove it between the lines,” Bradburn said. “We talked about moment after moment taking care of business. That’s what they did.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA basketball: Mt. Vernon holds off New Albany rally to advance to state