Clark helps Springfield edge South Range

By Dan Hiner

dhiner@vindy.com

Beaver Township

It wouldn’t jump out in the box score, but Springfield boys basketball player Drew Clark made the play of the game in the Tigers’ 51-48 win over South Range.

Clark pulled down an offensive rebound following a missed free throw with the Tigers leading 50-48 with 35.7 seconds left in the game. He was fouled and sent to the line. The junior split the pair, but gave Springfield the breathing room it needed to pull out the win.

“I just saw the ball and knew the team needed [the rebound],” Clark said. “I grabbed it, took a couple more seconds off the clock and made a couple free throws.”

Clark led all scorers with 18 points. He also recorded eight rebounds, two steals and seven blocks.

“I just knew I couldn’t jump up to foul ‘em, so I just kept my hands up and they were just throwing the ball right into my hands,” Clark said. “I’ll take the blocks.”

The Raiders (5-4) tied the game at 46 after Jaxon Anderson’s jumper with 2:03 remaining. But the Tigers (8-0) took the lead on a layup by Clay Medvec 30 seconds later and closed the game out at the line.

Medvec finished with 11 points and was the only other Tiger to reach double figures. South Range had a chance to tie the game on its final possession, but Anderson’s 3-pointer fell short.

Despite getting outrebounded 29-25, the Tigers grabbed three offensive rebounds in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. Springfield scored five second-chance points during that span.

“I thought what ended up winning the game at the end — and we battled or way back after having a rough night offensively — was they picked up the 50/50 balls down the stretch,” South Range coach John Cullen said.

“They got a couple rebounds on missed free throws and a couple transition buckets. We were hungry for a lot of the game, but they were hungrier than we were.”

The Raiders created driving lanes, but struggled to hit jumpers. South Range shot 22 of 52 (42.3 percent) from the field, but made only one 3-pointer.

Chris Brooks led the Raiders with 18 points and seven rebounds. Anderson finished with 17 points, two steals and two blocks.

“We still got our points [in the post],” Cullen said. “We were 17 of 18 in there, but we didn’t get much help from other people. There were shots to be had, but we made so many bad passes to people who were open — in transition and that kind of thing — and you’ve got to be able to finish those plays.”

Tiger Trouble

In a game with a lot of emotion, it wasn’t a player or coach he caught the eye of the referees.

A Springfield student was ejected with 6:25 left in the game and was escorted off the court.

Springfield head coach Steve French was just glad it wasn’t one of his players.

“Kids are gonna be kids,” French said. “I thought the players kept their cool, nobody got a technical or anything like that. The referees did fine.

“On the court, we were good. I can’t control anyone in the stands.”