PREP BASKETBALL Keirsey saves Rams this time

Vance Keirsey's three clutch free throws gave Mineral Ridge a 55-52 win over McDonald.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
MCDONALD -- Redemption is sweet.
Take Vance Keirsey's situation for example.
Last Friday night, the Mineral Ridge High basketball leader missed two foul shots with 6.6 seconds remaining with the score tied 52-52 against Lowellville in a game the Rams ultimately lost -- their first loss of the season after 12 wins.
Friday night at McDonald, Keirsey had missed 10 foul shots in a row before going to the foul line again in a clutch situation with the score tied at 52 with 22 seconds to go.
Only this time, Keirsey made the foul shot to give Mineral Ridge a 53-52 lead, and then he made two more insurance free throws with 10 seconds remaining to give the Rams a 55-52 victory before a packed house in an Inter-County League game.
McDonald also had a chance to take the lead after Keirsey's go-ahead point, but Scott Sentner missed a goal attempt.
And after Keirsey added his two insurance tosses, the Blue Devils' Corey Vukovic missed a 3-point try.
Although the Rams won at the foul line, they did poorly there overall, making only 10-for-27.
Rams get balanced scoring
Keirsey finished with a game-high 19 points, including 5-for-15 at the foul line, to lead the Rams, while Nick Diana added 14 points, Wade Campbell 12 and Micah Hall 10.
Vukovic led McDonald with 16 points, including four 3-point goals, while Steven Hughes added 11 points and Sentner 10.
Mineral Ridge (13-1, 7-1) coach Del Ruiter said he was happy to see Keirsey have a chance to atone for his misses against Lowellville.
"He felt that he let us down," said Ruiter. "Here he was in the same situation tonight, and he had missed 10 previous free throws in the game. Thank God he made it. I just thought he did a good job. He had a chance to redeem himself. He is a good kid and gives his teammates a lot of credit."
But Ruiter lauded his entire team for the win. "Keirsey's our go-to guy but it was a team effort."
McDonald's shooters off
McDonald (8-5, 5-3) coach Jeff Rasile said his team "showed a lot of guts. Our two leading scorers [Bradley Hinton and Andy Timko] combined for only 11 points. They had have been averaging a combined 35.
"But Scott Sentner scored over his average. [However Hinton] was in foul trouble. He would have helped us a lot more [otherwise]."
Keirsey scored Mineral Ridge's last five points of the game, including a goal that gave the Rams a 52-49 lead, but Timko countered with a basket to cut the deficit to 52-51 with less than a minute left.
McDonald regained possession but Vukovic missed a 3-point attempt and then missed again but was fouled with 26 seconds left. He made his first free throw to tie it at 52-52, but then missed the go-ahead try during which the Blue Devils committed a foul.
That put Keirsey at the line, and he missed his first attempt which was his 10th straight miss. But he made his second shot to end his drought and launch the Rams to victory.
kovach@vindy.com