Game Report: Hamilton Heights 62 Gibson Southern 61

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We pride ourselves on covering every corner of the state more thoroughly than anyone else. However, it obviously isn't easy to get boots on the ground at games that are a few hours away from home base. That was a big reason why, leading into this season, we expanded our family and hired Logan Greenwell who does a fantastic job covering the greater Evansville area specifically. That didn't stop me from making the 3 hour, 20 minute drive to Fort Branch on Thursday night though to get my own eyes on this big time Class 3A matchup. Gibson Southern had been climbing the Class 3A rankings while Heritage Hills was knocking on the door. What we saw made it very much worth the long trip.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game was played at a high-level from the opening tip. [player_tooltip player_id='2140443' first='Tait' last='Wetzel'], normally known for his interior dominance, stepped out and connected on a couple of three-point shots to get Heritage Hills going. Meanwhile, 6'6" wing [player_tooltip player_id='2140411' first='Kolton' last='Schmitt'] answered at the other end with several buckets of his own. Gibson Southern, the home team, clung to an 18-17 advantage after one quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Patriots of Heritage Hills completely took over in the second quarter. Wetzel hit two more three-point shots to bring his total up to 19 points heading into halftime. Both [player_tooltip player_id='2140370' first='Gunner' last='Lubbehusen'] and Trey Tyree got loose from beyond the arc as well. Their big second quarter run put Heritage Hills on top 40-27 at the half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gibson Southern answered with an even more impressive run of their own in the third quarter. The Titans opened the half up on a 15-2 to run and tied the game at 42-42 via a layup by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2891750' first='Reece' last='Runyan']. However, the Patriots ended the quarter on a 7-0 run and led 49-42 heading into the fourth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1560951' first='Jake' last='Prior'] got loose for a couple of buckets early in the fourth quarter for Heritage Hills. The stars for Gibson Southern stepped up though and wouldn't let the home team go down easily. Runyan was pouring it in from beyond the arc while Schmitt showcased his versatility with a right handed hook shot on one possession followed by a deep trailing three-point shot in transition on next. Runyan eventually tied the game at 60-60 with his third triple of the fourth quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Titans converted one of two at the foul line, making it 61-60, with 5.6 seconds remaining on the clock. Lubbehusen rebounded the miss, pushed the ball up the middle of the floor, and Trey Tyree cut from the left wing to the rim for a tough, but wide open, reverse layup to win the game at the buzzer. Heritage Hills escaped with an exciting 62-61 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'6" junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2140443' first='Tait' last='Wetzel'] led Heritage Hills with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. [player_tooltip player_id='1560979' first='Peyton' last='Gray'], [player_tooltip player_id='1560951' first='Jake' last='Prior'], Micah Toler, and Trey Tyree all added 9 points for the Patriots who moved to 9-3 on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'6" junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2140411' first='Kolton' last='Schmitt'] led all scorers with 22 points in the loss. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2891750' first='Reece' last='Runyan'] added 20 points including four three-point shots for the Titans who fell to 8-3. [player_tooltip player_id='2978386' first='Cam' last='Truxal'] dished out 8 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->