The REPORTER
University gave Class 2A No. 8 Park Tudor all it could handle in the Sectional 43 championship game Saturday night at Sheridan, but the Blazers’ upset bid fell just short, dropping a 63-56 decision to the Panthers.
The teams were tied at 48 entering the fourth quarter and University trailed just 53-51 with 2:45 left but Park Tudor outscored the Trailblazers 10-5 down the stretch to win their second consecutive sectional championship. The score was within two possessions for all but 44seconds of the contest.
Senior Montgomery Holland led University with 19 points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots. Junior Max McComb had 12 points and five rebounds.
Park Tudor scored the first five points of the game and led throughout the first quarter until McComb made a pair of foul shots with 1.1 seconds left to give University a 15-14 lead after one quarter. McComb, Holland and Cooper Cammack each had four points in the quarter.
Holland hit a three pointer from the right corner 30 seconds into the second quarter to give University their largest lead of the game at 18-14. The score see-sawed back and forth in the period until Park Tudor took a 29-24 lead with 2:52 left. Blake Gray hit a three pointer and Bryce Gray made two foul shots to knot the score at 29. Park Tudor took a 33-31 halftime lead on a last second basket by Brennan Dokes.
After Holland scored the first basket of the second half off a nifty feed from Bryce Gray, Park Tudor built a 41-36 lead. McComb split a pair of free throws before Holland added two foul shots and a rebound basket to tie the game at 41. Robert Russell put the Blazers up with a basket before Kamron Washington tied the game.
Holland grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast to coast for an old fashioned three point play to put the Blazers up 46-43. After a Washington rebound basket Blake Gray restored a 48-45 University lead with a three from the left corner off an assist from Faisal Muhamad. That was University’s last lead of the game as Park Tudor tied the game with 1.3 seconds left on a Washington foul shot.
Eli Bennett put Park Tudor ahead on an offensive rebound before Russell tied the game for the final time at 50 with two foul shots. Dokes put the Panthers ahead for good with 5:30 left. The Blazers went cold in the fourth quarter, scoring only three foul shots in the first seven minutes of the quarter. Blake Gray hit a three pointer from the right corner to pull University within 58-54 with 58 seconds left but after a pair of foul shots Hudson Horvath had a steal and a dunk to end all doubt.
University closes the season at 12-13 while Park Tudor advances to regional play with a 19-5 mark. The Panthers advance to play Irvington Prep in the Regional 21 championship at Lebanon’s Rosenstihl Gymnasium at 4 p.m. Saturday.