VIRDEN — North Mac’s Luke Alexander nearly converted the game-winner in the first overtime.
The shot missed the mark just by a tad. It fazed the sophomore guard none.
Alexander only proceeded to take command of the second overtime sans junior teammate Collin Etter to lift the host Panthers to a whirlwind 53-48 victory over Petersburg PORTA/A-C Central in the Class 2A regional semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Fourth-seeded North Mac (24-8) advances to its first regional final since 2012 against top-seeded Quincy Notre Dame (27-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. QND, ranked No. 2 statewide in Class 2A by The Associated Press, weathered stingy No. 8 Pleasant Plains 44-32 in its semifinal win.
“It feels great … but we’ve got to work tomorrow (on Thursday), come back Friday and play a little bit better,” Alexander said.
Sophomore shows bright future
Alexander opened the second overtime with a takeaway and scored the team’s first five points. He delivered the go-ahead free throw on the front end of a bonus with 1:30 left.
He missed the second free throw attempt, but junior teammate Clark Sanson pulled down the key offensive rebound that resulted in two additional Camden Earley free throws for a three-point lead with 41 seconds remaining.
Alexander then came down with the game-clinching defensive rebound on PORTA’s missed layup attempt.
It was just North Mac’s third playoff win since reaching the sectional semifinals in 2012.
“Luke Alexander was huge in overtime and double overtime from the free throw line and just being in control, and I thought he did a great job guarding (Jett) Karrick in the second half,” North Mac coach Konner Beer said. “He was guarding him most of the time and kept him to five points (in the second half).
“The kid’s got a really bright future. He earns it every single day in practice and in moments like this it kind of shines through.”
Alexander totaled 17 points, including seven points in the game’s final four minutes. Fellow sophomore Carson Powell went on the attack for a team second-best 14 points and seven rebounds.
Etter had nine points and 13 rebounds. He fouled out with just over a minute left in the first overtime.
Powell said he always looks to score but did a little extra this night.
“We all came together as a team,” Powell said. “We had foul trouble but still battled through it. We had a freshman, Braylen Perce, put up good minutes.”
PORTA’s Cinderella season ends
PORTA senior guard Jett Karrick, averaging roughly 17 points per game, provided another herculean effort with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Seniors Levi Hoagland and Gavin Gronewold contributed 10 and nine points, respectively.
Another senior, Clayton Hoke, had five points and 14 rebounds.
The matchup instantly popped out as an early postseason heavyweight battle — PORTA brandishing the outright Sangamo Conference title and North Mac wielding the Waverly Holiday Tournament title.
“We had kind of a Cinderella season and you expect a Cinderella ending,” PORTA coach Steven Price said. “That’s not how life happens. I told the boys though, what they’ve done for this community, the school and for me personally outweighs any result that could have happened tonight.”
PORTA posted a 25-5 overall record — including a perfect 9-0 in the Sangamo.
“We had a great season,” PORTA senior guard Brody Pettit said, finishing with five points himself. “We didn’t start out the way we wanted … starting out 2-2. We had a talk that defensively was what we’re going to really work on and went to the gym and started working on that and then we started rolling.”
Each of PORTA’s five seniors made up the starting rotation.
“This group of seniors is definitely something special,” Hoagland said. “We’ve played together since we were little. We played in the gym leagues — everything that there could be. They really are a special group of boys and we all love each other.”
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: North Mac boys basketball outlasts PORTA in double OT playoff showdown
Reporting by Bill Welt, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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