WOODWARD — Martensdale-St. Marys did everything right in the final eight minutes Thursday — until the last few seconds were left on the clock.
The Blue Devils outscored host Woodward-Granger 23-14 in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 69-all on Bret Barnett’s 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining, but then committed a needless foul with .4 ticks on the clock, a mental mistake which proved fatal.
W-G freshman point guard Bryce Achenbach had connected on a pair of free throws with less than 14 seconds to play to give the hosts a 69-66 lead before Barnett tied the game. Achenbach took the in-bounds pass after the 3-pointer, but was trapped in the far corner, a full court-length away from the basket, when he was clearly fouled on the arm.
The Hawks were in the double-bonus, giving the freshman two shots at the line, but the first was off target. The second tickled the twine, and when a desperation shot at the horn was off-line, a wild celebration was on.
W-G played 22 games last season, winning only twice. Now, with 70-69 wins both Tuesday and Thursday, the Hawks have already matched that total, and if the effort shown against the Blue Devils is repeated, many more victories are certain to come.
Slow starts have been the millstone around W-G’s neck for several seasons, but such was not the case Thursday, as both teams dialed up the tempo and finished the first eight minutes with W-G holding a 30-28 lead.
A pair of tired teams struggled to do much of anything right in the second frame. M-SM scored just three points in the period, but W-G missed the opportunity to do real damage by scoring just nine points of their own in taking a 39-31 lead into the locker room.
The score stood at 55-46 in favor of the hosts when the fourth quarter started, setting the stage for a slow climb back into the game by the Blue Devils before the late drama delivered the Hawks.
Achenbach has 13 points, Brady Aunspach 12 and Marcus McConahay 11 for W-G, with Reese Jamison, Derick Morgan and Brody Easter adding seven points apiece. Scoring was not available from M-SM and is unofficial for W-G.
Both the W-G girls and boys will visit Des Moines Christian tonight before traveling to Saydel Monday. Start times for both twin bills is 6 p.m. with the girls playing first.
