This story is sponsored by: Chili Implement
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
SPENCER – Momentum is a funny thing.
Both Spencer and Loyal had it on their sides at different times during Friday’s Cloverbelt Conference East Division boys basketball game, but it was the Greyhounds that had the final say.
Trailing by 10 points with 4½ minutes to go, Loyal suddenly became unstoppable, scoring on its final seven possessions and Bryce Deegan knocked down the game-winning basket with three seconds left to give the Greyhounds an improbable 62-60 victory at the Spencer Dome.
Deegan, who earlier this season hit a buzzer-beater to lead Loyal to a win over Almond-Bancroft, made a 10-footer in the lane to cap a 14-2 run and keep Loyal undefeated at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Cloverbelt East.
Spencer led 10-9 after a 3-pointer by Weston Nieman before Loyal made its first surge of the game, going on a 19-7 run to take an 11-point lead.
Deegan, Reed Stieglitz and Carson Prein hit 3-pointers in the burst before it was Spencer’s turn.
The Rockets countered with a 16-8 run over the final 6:36 of the half as Sam Bezlyk scored seven points and Mathers McHone five, with McHone closing the half with a 3-pointer to tie the score at 36-36.
Spencer carried that momentum into the second half, scoring nine of the first 11 points. Ben Felgner had five points and Bezlyk four in the opening 5½ minutes and Rockets went up 45-38.
Spencer eventually increased its lead to 10 at 58-48 on a basket by Felgner, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds, with 4:38 to go.
A basket by Stieglitz, who had a team-high 17 points, 30 seconds later started a run of 12-straight points for Loyal. Spencer missed the front end of three bonus free throw situations and turned the ball over three times as the Greyhounds pecked away at the deficit.
Cain Toufar, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, scored twice off of offensive rebounds, with the second one giving Loyal a 60-58 lead with 56 seconds left.
Spencer stopped the run on a beautiful reverse layup by Nieman off a pass from Bezlyk to tie the game with 39 seconds left.
Loyal called a pair of timeouts in the closing seconds and Deegan did the rest, knocking in a short jumper over a Spencer defender. He finished with 15 points.
Spencer called a timeout following the basket and a half-court heave from Nieman bounded off the backboard as the buzzer sounded.
Bezlyk led the Rockets (3-2, 0-2 Cloverbelt East) with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Greyhounds 62, Rockets 60
Loyal 36 26 – 62
Spencer 36 24 – 60
LOYAL (62): Reed Stieglitz 7-19 2-2 17, Carson Prein 3-6 0-0 7, Joseph Treffinger 0-2 0-0 0, Bryce Deegan 7-13 0-0 15, Cain Toufar 5-11 1-1 11, Aaron Radue 0-0 0-0 0, Parker Smith 1-3 0-0 2, Rhett Lamovec 3-7 2-2 8, Hunter Walter 1-4 0-0 2. FG: 27-65. FT: 5-5. 3-pointers: 3-12 (Deegan 1-2, Prein 1-3, Stieglitz 1-5, Treffinger 0-1, Smith 0-1). Rebounds: 30 (Toufar 11). Turnovers: 11. Fouls: 14. Fouled out: none. Record:
SPENCER (60): Mathers McHone 2-4 1-3 6, Oliver Young 0-0 0-0 0, Drake Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Weston Nieman 4-9 2-2 12, Madden Prybylski 0-0 0-1 0, Ben Felgner 6-10 3-6 15, Tyler Peterson 0-1 0-0 0, Sam Bezlyk 8-11 2-2 20, Breckin Miller 3-6 0-0 7. FG: 23-41. FT: 8-14. 3-pointers: 6-15 (Bezlyk 2-4, Nieman 2-5, McHone 1-2, Miller 1-3, Felgner 0-1). Rebounds: 35 (Bezlyk 9). Turnovers: 17. Fouls: 12. Fouled out: none. Record: