“It doesn’t matter how pretty they are,” Indians coach Don Ridinger said. “When they’re this important, you’ve just got to survive and advance. Great atmosphere. Intense basketball. It was fun.”
The charity stripe produced all-around dreadfulness. Carlisle sank 4 of 16 free throws, while the Arrows were 6 of 18.
The Indians scored the game’s last four points in the final 2:24 to improve to 9-4 overall and 6-1 in the Buckeye Division. Shawnee, a 59-52 winner at CHS on Dec. 20, fell to 8-4, 6-1.
PHOTOS: Nick Graham’s gallery from the game
“Very, very, very nerve-wracking,” said Carlisle junior forward Justin Flor, who had eight points and 11 rebounds. “It kept everybody on their toes. We got a lot of tough rebounds and were strong with the ball. I trust my guys.”
Seth Butler marked 11 points for the Indians, who got a driving hoop from Adam Goodpaster to move ahead for good with 2:24 left.
Caleb Boy, who was 0 of 6 at the foul line and missed four freebies in the fourth quarter, notched a huge stickback with 34.2 seconds left to make it 36-33.
“That was nice,” said Boy, a senior forward. “It felt good. I just tried to go up strong and not think about who’s coming to block me. You just try to zone everything out and make a basket.”
Shawnee missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. The Arrows were led by Levi Lewis (10 points, six rebounds), Kevin Ketring (nine points, seven boards), Andrew Monnin (eight points, four rebounds) and Joey Bates (six points, five boards).
The fourth period was essentially stall ball, particularly when the Arrows had possession.
“Normally we try to get it going up and down. We had to change our style a little bit because Carlisle’s really good,” Shawnee coach Dale Spitler Jr. said. “The goal was to use our quickness to our advantage. They’re so much bigger than we are. It’s a stall until they come out and put too much pressure on us, then we’ll take a layup.”
Carlisle led by as many as eight points in the first stanza and 24-19 at halftime.
“Our goal was to play really good defense,” Ridinger said. “Both teams held the ball. I don’t know if that was by design on his part. It really wasn’t by design on my part coming in. It was just something that hit me. I’m like, ‘We’ve got a nice lead,’ and I was trying to pull them out of the box-and-one.
“It kind of backfired on me a little bit, but it allowed us a little bit of rest. Whether that’s why we won the game or not, I can’t tell you that. We won the game because we played really good defense.”
The free-throw shooting was an exercise in futility for both teams. In the fourth quarter, the Indians were 0 of 5 and the Arrows were 1 of 5.
“It’s frustrating, there’s no doubt,” Ridinger said. “I’m yelling at my assistant coaches, and it’s not their fault. They’re not out there shooting them.
“That may be a product of the fact that those kids were playing so hard on both ends of the court — both teams. You get to the line and you’re winded and you can’t make a free throw.”
“Believe it or not, we practice free throws,” Spitler said. “You just can’t simulate that kind of environment, I guess. In practice, we’re good. But you put a thousand fans out there and it’s brick, brick, brick, brick, brick. But nobody wants to miss them. Nobody’s trying to.”
Boy didn’t let his free-throw struggles affect the other areas of his game.
“I like to think of myself as a defensive-minded guy. I get rebounds and set screens and set up my teammates,” he said. “I know my role, and I just try to stick to it.”
Ridinger credited the 6-foot-7 Flor for his defensive play down low.
“He erased a lot of stuff down there,” the Carlisle coach said. “How many blocks does he have a game, five or six? He’s an eraser, and then he gets the rebound.”
The Buckeye Division has become a two-horse race for the title. With the Indians and Shawnee now tied for first place, nobody else in the division has less than four losses.
Carlisle hasn’t won a Buckeye crown since the 2013-14 season. The Arrows’ last championship came in 2010-11.
“I know before the year started they were the favorites to win it, so it’s not a shock that they’re pretty good,” Spitler said of the Indians. “We still kind of control our destiny. We’ll take it one game at a time and I’ll check the scores each night and maybe hope that they lose.”
Both teams return to action on the road Saturday. Carlisle faces Tri-County North, while Shawnee plays National Trail.
Carlisle 15-9-6-6—36
Preble Shawnee 8-11-11-3—33
CARLISLE (9-4, 6-1 SWBL Buckeye): Jake Moore 1 0 3, Justin Flor 2 4 8, Caleb Boy 1 0 2, Seth Butler 5 0 11, Adam Goodpaster 2 0 4, Logan Baker 3 0 6, Steve Summer 1 0 2. Totals: 15-4-36
PREBLE SHAWNEE (8-4, 6-1 SWBL Buckeye): Levi Lewis 4 1 10, Kevin Ketring 3 2 9, Joey Bates 1 3 6, Andrew Monnin 4 0 8. Totals: 12-6-33
3-pointers: C 2 (Moore, Butler), P 3 (Lewis, Ketring, Bates)
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