BOONVILLE — What transpired was of no surprise to those on the Boonville bench.
It’s occurred a handful of times this season. And should this team continue to advance, it likely happens again. But the game plan became obvious as this game progressed: give the ball to Jaxon McKain. Nobody can argue based on the result.
Boonville advanced to the Class 3A sectional semifinal with a 39-36 overtime victory over Mount Vernon on Tuesday, March 3. At the center of this effort was their junior forward. Until a free throw with 1:14 remaining in the extra period, nobody but McKain scored for the Pioneers (19-5) following halftime.
“Late in this game,” Boonville coach Jason Gansman said. “The right play for Jaxon was to take over.”
Everyone in attendance knew it, Mount Vernon included. There was simply no stopping it.
The junior finished with a game-high 21 points and likely had double-digit rebounds. Most came through maximum effort. A rebound bucket to put the Pioneers up five midway through the fourth. A downhill drive through the lane to tie it with 40 seconds remaining. A fight through two defenders for a three-point play early in overtime.
Boonville only scored 19 points over the final 20 minutes. McKain had 16 of them.
“I just take what the defense gives me,” he said. “That’s what was given tonight. It took everything we had. Coach kept reminding us of our conditioning. The result of that game showed how hard we worked throughout the season to get to this point.”
The result wasn’t secured only on the back of its leading scorer. Boonville won by doing what it does best.
Defense was the other difference down the stretch. Mount Vernon (13-11) only made one basket over the final six-plus minutes. It had multiple possessions to tie or take the lead but continuously came up empty.
The biggest sequence was the final 15 seconds. Cash Willis swiped a steal with the Pioneers up one, which resulted in two free throws from Logan Strahle.
Nash Hostetter advanced the ball near the three-point line, but his heave was off. This was the sixth time the Pioneers have allowed 40 points or less this season. Meyer Robb led the Wildcats with 15 points, none of which came in overtime.
“What wins us games is our defense,” McKain said. “We go as hard as we can every time, every possession. We can’t take any possessions for granted on defense.”
Was this the prettiest display of basketball? Far from it. Gansman knew this was the likely scenario based on the sectional draw. Boonville only beat Mount Vernon by three on Feb. 13. Next is a third meeting with Heritage Hills in the semifinals on Friday. The Pioneers and Patriots split the regular season meetings.
What does matter is how Boonville advanced. It made the right plays with the season on the line. That is a positive sign.
“We’ve been resilient,” Gansman said. “Mount Vernon is senior led and well coached. They play hard for 32 minutes. We had one more play and a couple more free throws. We’ll have a lot of recovery tomorrow and watch film. See what adjustments we’ve got to make with ourselves.”
Bosse showed flashes of its potential in first-round win
Shane Burkhart believes his team has the capability to play deep into March. This week could prove that theory correct.
Bosse defeated Central 76-54 in the first game of the Class 3A sectional at Boonville High School. The Bulldogs (15-8) led by double digits for most of the second half, with the key sequence in the third quarter: a 13-0 run that pushed the lead to 23 points.
Those moments were aplenty in the postseason opener. Dorion Bowen had a team-high 17 points to go with six rebounds and six assists. Marrius Harris added 15 points with most coming in the second-half push. Elijah Eastwood totaled 11 points and eight boards.
“I think we’re one of the best teams in the state,” Burkhart said. “We’ve played like it multiple times this year. We’ve played like we don’t belong a couple of times, too. If we do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll be in the position that we talked about being in.”
Can the Bulldogs consistently find those moments? This victory didn’t come easy, both by their own errors (multiple missed layups and too many fouls) and a strong effort by the opponent. Bosse had a 10-0 run in the second quarter, only to see Central get within nine at halftime. Without the third quarter run, this becomes a tight game down the stretch.
Milen Garnett had a game-high 18 points for the Bears (8-16). They simply couldn’t overcome 20-plus turnovers against a team with the talent of Bosse. Next up is another rival in Memorial, who received a shot in the arm last week with the return of senior point guard Dylen Kendrick.
“It was obvious (Central) didn’t want to go home,” Burkhart said. “We missed so many layups. That’s concentration. Were we getting fouled? Probably, but it’s sectional basketball. If we don’t get those layups, it could come back to bite us. We have to stay packaged and one game at a time. There’s too many good teams in this sectional.”
What else was learned from opening night of the postseason?
There will plenty to unpack as the week progresses. A few other thoughts from the first night.
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Takeaways from IHSAA boys basketball sectional openers in Southwestern Indiana
Reporting by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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