MOKANE - Senior forward Jak Kitchens' clutch performance late in the game helped the New Bloomfield Wildcats overcome a double-digit deficit and prevail against the South Callaway Bulldogs on Friday night.
The semifinal matchup at the South Callaway Invitational Tournament saw the Wildcats (11-3) trail by as many as 13 points before New Bloomfield cut the lead to one with 29 seconds left.
With the Bulldogs in front 58-57, South Callaway senior guard Kaden Helsel missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Kitchens was then fouled while attempting a shot on the Wildcats' ensuing possession.
He calmly sank both of the game-deciding free throws with :19.6 to play and second-seeded New Bloomfield got a defensive stop to hang on for the 59-58 win over No. 6 South Callaway (3-8).
"We struggled early and you gotta give them a hand - they shot the ball really well," Wildcats head coach Tim Gilmore said. "I felt like our defensive energy was kind of lacking early and then we turned it up.
"We gave them a lot of confidence early. They hit a lot of tough shots, and hats off to them. Finally, I felt like we settled down defensively and started getting in front of people and defending shots."
With an invigorated home crowd behind them, the Bulldogs came out roaring early behind the play of junior point guard Treysen Gray.
Gray made four consecutive shots - including a crafty layup off a no-look, behind-the-back pass from junior forward Dylan Paschang - during his personal 9-0 run as the Bulldogs took a 13-6 lead.
A corner 3 from junior forward Drake Davidson would eventually increase the lead to 25-16 at the end of the first quarter as South Callaway was firmly in control.
The momentum clearly on their side, the Bulldogs continued their onslaught early in the second as Helsel scored six of the team's first eight points to lift South Callaway to a 33-20 edge.
"Compared to the first time we played New Bloomfield (a 82-56 loss on Dec. 8 at Mokane), it was almost like night and day," South Callaway head coach Keener Tippin III said. "My guys, they come to work and I told them at practice if you play hard, play smart and together, then if we're not winning a game then we'll certainly be in it.
"They busted their hump and did everything they could - it just wasn't enough."
New Bloomfield used a wise timeout Friday night to regroup as the game teetered on getting out of reach. While their offense continued to struggle with Kitchens being double-teamed, the Wildcats received a boost from senior guard Kyle Emerson.
Emerson made 5-of-5 free throws and converted a transition layup that helped bring New Bloomfield back within single digits at 37-29 at halftime.
"Kyle was huge for us early - at one point it kind of seemed like he was the only scoring," Gilmore said. "I thought after the first quarter, we started to figure it out defensively.
"Even though we labored on offense most of the night, I could tell increasing our defensive pressure at that point kind of helped flip the switch."
The second half would ultimately come down to a duel between Kitchens and Helsel as the two forwards aggressively went at each other.
Kitchens - who was held to just four points in the first half - awakened with a fury in the third after a Helsel layup put the Bulldogs up 41-35.
Kitchens responded a few plays later with a strong layup to make it a two-point game. Helsel would strike back, though, as he attacked Kitchens off the dribble and forced him to pick up his third foul, while also making the basket.
After Helsel's free throw gave South Callaway a 46-39 edge, Kitchens proceeded to hit back-to-back shots. However, another Helsel transition basket sent the Bulldogs to the fourth quarter with a 48-43 lead.
Knowing that getting Kitchens to foul out would improve South Callaway's chances, Helsel continued going at him to begin the quarter. Helsel knocked down a corner 3 and forced Kitchens to pick up his fourth foul at the 6:26 mark as the Bulldogs pushed their lead to 52-45.
However, instead of Kitchens picking up his fifth foul, he played wisely on defense and most importantly came up huge on offense when the Wildcats needed him.
Senior forward Cole Hazelhurst's putback brought the Wildcats within 54-49 and then Kitchens delivered New Bloomfield's final 10 points as it avoided the upset.
Kitchens paced the Wildcats with 22 points and Emerson supplied 18.
Helsel connected for a game-high 26 points to guide South Callaway and Gray produced 11.
"Kaden's a warrior and I know coaches use that term all the time, but he's the real deal," Tippin said. "He gets up every day and does everything we need him to do. He's a true leader and if we can't ride him, we'll have a long season."
New Bloomfield will now face top-seeded Montgomery County in the championship game at 5:30 p.m. today. Montgomery County downed No. 5 seed Hermann 61-50 in Friday night's first semifinal.
"It'd be huge to bring home a championship - obviously, Montgomery County went to the (Class 3 state) quarterfinals last year," Gilmore said. "And they have a lot returning with the (junior guard Colin) Parrish kid.
"They're going to be a load. They're fast and they have a lot of athletic kids, but this will be a good mid-season test to see where we are."
The Bulldogs will face Hermann in the third-place game at 2:30 p.m. today. While a title is out of reach, a third-place finish could be crucial in turning South Callaway's season around.
"It'd be great to earn that and it would give us a little momentum going forward," Tippin said. "We got off to a rough start to the season, and to be able to compete for a placed finish in a tournament is huge."