By CHARLES PENDELL

charles.pendell@mcleansborotimesleader.com

MURPHYSBORO — Mix two big men, some dead-eye shooters from the outside and nine guys — freshmen and sophomores — with the desire to win basketball games and you have the sophomore Foxes of coach Keith Welch.

Saturday afternoon, that Hamilton County squad rallied late in the fourth quarter to overtake a big, quick Marion squad 60-58 to claim third place in the 33rd annual Murphysboro Sophomore Basketball Tournament.

Three Foxes reached double figures on the afternoon, led by guard Adam Rubenacker with 16 points. Sophomore Aaron Cravens was close behind with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, while teammate C.J. Lemmons was deadly from beyond the three-point arc, drilling four treys for 12 points.

The Foxes’ 6-foot-4 twin towers, Garrett Biggerstaff and Chad Flannigan, chipped in with nine and six points, respectively, while Levi Lueke contributed four points.

Hamilton County and Marion traded 3-pointers in the early going, with the Foxes drilling three of them and Marion two in the game’s first four minutes. Down 9-6, the Wildcats crept ahead 14-12 at the first-quarter horn.

An 8-0 run — including back-to-back treys by Cravens and Lemmons — put the Foxes back on top 20-14 to start the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Flannigan pulled down a board and Rubenacker drained a 3-pointer to move the Foxes ahead 27-16.

Marion pulled back within four at 27-23, but the Foxes outscored the Wildcats 5-2 to close the first half on top 32-25.

Biggerstaff pulled down a Lemmons miss and powered inside for a 40-28 lead with 4:24 left in the third quarter.

Down by 12 points, the Wildcats reeled off 11 points in a row to cut the Foxes’ lead to one, 40-39.

After calling a timeout with 2:22 left in the third frame, the Foxes scored the quarter’s last five points to go into the final period on top 45-39.

But the Wildcats came clawing back, reeling off the next 10 points to move ahead 49-45 with 4:51 left.

Lemmons got a pass from Lueke for a 3-pointer to trim Marion’s lead to 49-48. A Wildcat free throw made it a two-point game with 3:21 left, but Rubenacker was fouled and sank two free throws to tie the game at 50.

Marion took a timeout, then went back on top briefly, 54-50.

But the Foxes countered with a 7-0 run, as Cravens buried a trey to shave the lead to 54-53, Rubenacker made a steal and layup, then Biggerstaff used his long arms for a steal and hit a turnaround to put the Foxes up 57-54 with just 35 seconds left.

Marion came down and went for the tie, but the Wildcat player hit from inside the 3-point arc, trimming the Fox lead to 57-56.

The Wildcats quickly fouled Cravens, who swished both free throws for a three-point Fox lead.

Marion then got a rebound basket, again cutting the lead to one, 59-58, with only three seconds on the clock.

After a timeout by Marion, a Wildcat player gave Rubenacker a bear hug from behind and pulled him to the ground. The referee called an intentional foul, sending Rubenacker to the line.

Rubenacker hit his second free throw, and the ball was awarded to the Foxes with one second left, preserving the narrow comeback win against the Class 3A Wildcats.

Hamilton County was nine-of-13 from the free-throw line.

Biggerstaff, Flannigan and Cravens each had five rebounds, Lemmons and Lueke had three each, while Tyler Cross had two boards and one steal, Rubenacker had four steals and one board, and River Steele and Marc Cox had one board each.

Biggerstaff also blocked three shots in the game.

“We played very well today in spurts,” Welch said. “But we did a geat job. These last two games in the last three minutes in the fourth quarter, we were unbelievable ...

“We had a little mishap in the third quarter and thought the wheels were going to fall off in the middle of the third, but we regrouped and pulled it out in the end. They didn’t want to get beat, and I was proud of them.”



Murphysboro 53,

Foxes 45

After winning their first two games of the tournament over Carterville on Feb. 27 and Chester on March 4, the Foxes and Murphysboro met Saturday morning with the winner to move on to the tournament championship later in the afternoon.

But the Foxes fell behind 18-4 after one quarter and never recovered.

A Cravens 3-pointer closed the gap to 30-22 in the third quarter, but the Devils increased their lead back to 36-22 and were still in command at the third- quarter stop 36-25.

Murphysboro increased its lead to 42-27 with 5:18 remaining, but the Foxes rallied, with Lueke hitting a jumper from the wing and two more from the stripe as the Foxes closed within 43-38 with 1:46 left.

A Rubenacker free throw and Flannigan rebound stickback shaved the margin to 44-41. The Foxes again pulled within three at 48-45, but that would be as close as they would get.

Murphysboro cashed in on its last five free throws to prevail 53-45 to move to the championship game against Pinckneyville.

Lueke led the Foxes’ attack with 12 points and one board; Cravens had 10 points, three steals and two boards; Flannigan was close to a double-double, scoring eight points and pulling down 14 rebounds; Rubenacker had six points, four steals and one board; Lemmons had five points, four rebounds and three steals; and Biggerstaff had four points, seven boards and three blocked shots.

The Foxes were eight-of-12 at the free-throw line and hit five treys for the game.

“If we had played at all in the first quarter, it would have been a different turnout,” Welch said.

Against Chester on March 4, the Foxes had three players in double figures in a 55-32 victory. Rubenacker exploded for 19 points while Lemmons added 15 and Biggerstaff 12.

Feb. 27, the Foxes edged Carterville 57-53.

Flannigan poured in 18 points, while Biggerstaff added 14 points and Lemmons chipped in 12. Cravens had seven points, Rubenacker four and Lueke two.