Game Report: Hammond Central 54 Munster 53

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you have the state's number three ranked team at 24-1 taking on the number eight ranked team at 24-2 it is fair to expect a high level game. However, you can never really count on a game going all the way down to the final seconds on the clock. That is exactly what fans were treated to in the Sectional 1 championship game at Munster High School on Monday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing on their home floor, the Mustangs jumped out to a quick 9-0 advantage after [player_tooltip player_id='1384419' first='Nolan' last='Kinsella'], [player_tooltip player_id='1275808' first='David' last='Cundiff'], and Andrew Cipowski all connected on three-point shots. Senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1049160' first='Jordan' last='Woods'] answered with a couple of buckets for Hammond Central, but Munster held on to a 13-7 lead after the opening period. Then, the Mustangs really put their foot on the gas to begin the second quarter. On the back of 11 quick points from 6'5" senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='814532' first='Brandon' last='Trilli'], Munster opened up a 26-12 lead with 4:10 to play in the first half. It looked like they just might run away with it, but Hammond Central's pressure defense kept them hanging around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='1557193' first='Kenneth' last='Grant'] got hot connecting on a couple of three-pointers to help the Wolves cut into their deficit and make it 33-24 going into the locker room at the half. Grant would stay hot from beyond the arc, and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1384393' first='Matthew' last='King'] got his mid-range game going, as Hammond Central continued to chip away and cut the Mustangs lead down to just two at 43-41 going into the final eight minutes of play. At that point we knew it would be a fight to the end for the right to cut down the Sectional 1 nets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the beginning of the fourth quarter Hammond Central just couldn't get over the hump. Three different times [player_tooltip player_id='1384393' first='Matthew' last='King'] hit a mid-range jump shot to tie the game, but each time Munster responded with a bucket of their own to regain the lead. Finally, with 3:42 left to play, King hit another jumper to give the Wolves their first lead of the game at 51-49. [player_tooltip player_id='1049160' first='Jordan' last='Woods'] quickly followed with a layup to extend the lead to 53-49 with 2:44 to play, but the Mustangs would not go away while playing on their home floor. A beautiful pass from junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1275808' first='David' last='Cundiff'] to a cutting [player_tooltip player_id='814532' first='Brandon' last='Trilli'] tied the game up for Munster with under a minute remaining. Hammond Central held the ball until there were 6.9 seconds on a clock and called timeout to set up their final, potentially game-winning, play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Out of the timeout [player_tooltip player_id='1049160' first='Jordan' last='Woods'] attacked the basket and was fouled with 2.9 seconds remaining. The Eastern Illinois football signee missed the first shot but hit the second to give the Wolves a 54-53 advantage. Munster head coach Mike Hackett called timeout to draw up a full court out of bounds play to try and win the game in miraculous fashion. In the end, that is nearly exactly what happened. A full court baseball pass somehow found its way right into the hands of a wide open [player_tooltip player_id='814532' first='Brandon' last='Trilli'] about six feet from the basket. Unfortunately for the Mustangs and Trilli though, the star forward missed the shot. Hammond Central survived with a 54-53 win to earn the Sectional 1 championship. They will take on Mishawaka next Saturday in the Michigan City Regional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1049160' first='Jordan' last='Woods'] finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists for Hammond Central while [player_tooltip player_id='1384393' first='Matthew' last='King'] also scored 16 points. [player_tooltip player_id='1557193' first='Kenneth' last='Grant'] added 14 points including four three-pointers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the loss for Munster, Northern Michigan bound [player_tooltip player_id='814532' first='Brandon' last='Trilli'] led all scorers with 30 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. It was a fantastic performance by the Indiana All-Star candidate despite coming up just short.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->