EDINBURGH — Perhaps, it is fitting that Troy Goodin wears blue and red.
The
junior played the role of Superman for Southwestern, recording 23 of
his 27 points during the final three quarters of action en route to
giving the Spartans a 70-67 victory over Eminence in the first round of
the Sectional 58 Tournament Tuesday night at Edinburgh High School.
“It
was a hard-fought game. It was good to see us not get rattled. The guys
have been here before and bounced back,” Southwestern coach Brady Days
said.
The victory was also a bit of revenge for the Spartans,
who lost 68-57 to the Eels on Dec. 19. The win improved the Spartans to
11-10 on the season, and perhaps, more importantly, it was Days’ first
sectional win.
The
victory, however, was not sealed until the buzzer sounded and Grant
Shupe’s desperation 3-pointer clanged off the front of the rim,
allowing the Spartans to breathe a sigh of relief after watching nine
lead changes take place during the final eight minutes.
During the final timeout, Days said he asked his players in the huddle what they wanted to do.
“I
looked at them and asked them if they wanted to foul or not. They
looked at me like I was crazy. They trusted their defense, and they
came up huge,” Days said.
As for Goodin’s performance, Days could not stop smiling when recounting all the baskets his junior star made.
“Troy has been stuck on 19 for a while. He came through for us when it mattered most, and I am just so proud of him,” Days said.
Goodin admitted he was finally glad to get over the hump of being stuck on 19.
“Coach
never said anything to me about taking over. I just started shooting
the ball and making it. Jon Deater kept feeding me the ball, and I owe
a lot to him. It feels great. I’ve never won a sectional game, and it
is nice to get this one. I never realized how special this was until
this year,” Goodin said.
With the victory, Southwestern now
faces the Indianapolis Irvington Ravens (15-4) at 6 p.m. Friday in the
first of two semifinals. The Ravens bring an eight-game winning streak
into the tournament, including a 66-62 overtime win over Oldenburg
Academy on Jan. 30 and a Jan. 26, 65-46 win over Fall Creek Academy,
two schools Southwestern has beaten this season.
“It’s exciting
and fun to know we are going to be able to watch two more games. We are
going to practice hard, but we are also going to be smart and keep our
legs healthy. Irvington has two kids who are exceptional. I think we
are going to have to be smart and patient on the offensive end,” Days
said.
The Spartans’ run to victory was sparked at the buzzer in
the third quarter as Deater went coast-to-coast for a layup, putting
Southwestern ahead 50-47.
The two teams would trade baskets the
entire fourth quarter, but a basket by Goodin, followed by a tie-up by
Goodin with 17.4 seconds to go gave Southwestern a little breathing
room.
Or so they thought.
Eminence (9-12) came right back
down the court, cutting the deficit to 69-68 with just under five
seconds remaining on a free throw by Blake Ford. Ford would miss the
second free throw, and Southwestern’s Roo Standeford was there to
collect the rebound. Standeford would go 1-of-2 from the free-throw
line with 3.2 seconds remaining to ice the victory.
In a first
half marked by quick spurts, cold spells and a total of 20 called
fouls, Southwestern took a slim 31-30 lead into the lockers at
intermission.
The lead was due in part to a cold spell by
Eminence as the Eels did not score a basket during the final 2:47.
Moments earlier, Eminence found itself in the midst of a 12-2 run to
take the lead.
Trailing 30-23, Days called a timeout, and his
team, especially Goodin, responded. Following the timeout, Goodin
scored four straight points, propelling the Spartans to their halftime
advantage despite being outrebounded 21-12.
The halftime lead
did not come without several come-from-behind performances by
Southwestern, who was whistled for two quick fouls just 24 seconds into
the game.
The Eels wasted little time establishing their
shooting touch, running out to a 12-6 lead midway through the first
quarter en route to taking an 18-17 lead after the first eight minutes.
*Taken from The Shelbyville News
Processing your request, Please wait....
