The Logan Wildcats began Class AAA Region IV Section 2 tournament play last Tuesday night by scoring a 67-46 home win against Wayne.
However, they traveled to Scott for the sectional title game on Friday night and lost 62-59 in overtime thanks to a miracle half-court buzzer beater from the Skyhawks’ Isaac Setser.
Logan 67, Wayne 46:
The Wildcats ended the Wayne Pioneers’ season in the sectional semis by rolling to a 67-46 victory last Tuesday night at Willie Akers Arena.
Logan led 11-6 after one quarter and 31-15 at halftime. The Cats held a 44-29 advantage at halftime before outscoring the visitors 23-17 in the final frame.
Scotty Browning led the Blue and Gold with 18 points along with four assists and two rebounds. Julius Clancy (five rebounds) and Jarron Glick (five rebounds, three assists) each scored in double-figures with 12 points. McCormick Ilderton had 10 points with three assists and two boards.
Cole Blankenship added six points with three rebounds and an assist for the Cats, and Ivan Miller had five points with seven rebounds and an assist of his own.
Scott 62, Logan 59 (Overtime):
MADISON- Shooting might not be the first thing that comes into your head when you hear Isaac Setser’s name, but his game winning shot at home against Logan on March 3 will still be talked about by Skyhawk fans decades from now.
“He was prepared for the opportunity,” said Scott’s coach Shawn Ballard. “When you put the work in and earn it, things tend to fall in your favor. It couldn’t have happened to a better kid.”
Scott jumped out to an early lead, as Lincoln Byrnside’s successful three-point play provided the Skyhawk’s with a 14-8 lead around halfway through the first stanza.
Scott led 19-11 heading into the second quarter.
Kadin Clemons made a layup for Scott to start the second stanza, providing the Skyhawks with their first double-digit lead of the night.
Scott continued to control the tempo during the second quarter, and hit the locker room with a 27-17 lead.
Logan’s Aiden Slack made a contested mid-range jumper to start the third quarter.
Logan cut their deficit to six during the third quarter, but an Isaac Setser three-pointer near the buzzer would allow Scott to enter the final quarter in possession of a double-digit lead.
Isaac Setser found Jay Sharps for a three-pointer to start the final quarter.
Logan’s Scotty Browning later connected from downtown, cutting the Wildcats’ deficit to five with around three minutes left in regulation.
Browning was later fouled while shooting a three-pointer, and he successfully hit the free throw line to convert the four-point play and bring Logan within three.
Browning’s fourth quarter wasn’t over yet, as he would connect on a mid-range jumper with around 30 seconds left to force overtime.
Slack converted on two free throws during the extra period to provide Logan with their first lead since the first quarter.
Browning proceeded to make a trip to the line himself, where he made one of two shots, which allowed Scott to stay withing one possession.
On Scott’s next possession, Kadin Clemons found Owen Adkins open in the corner, where he knocked down a long range shot to tie the game at 59.
Scott’s defense forced a miss on Logan’s next possession, and that’s where things got a little wild.
With just a couple seconds left on the game clock, Setser gathered the rebound and sprinted up the floor, before banking a hail mary shot from beyond half court, which cemented Scott’s 62-59 victory over Logan and sent the Skyhawks into the regional finals.
Pandemonium broke out at Scott High School following Setser’s stunning shot, as the entire gym seemed to be in shock.
Setser shared his thoughts after the game.
“It’s unreal, you always dream about hitting game winners, and doing it against your rival just makes it ten times better,” he said.
“Its an amazing feeling. I just need to celebrate it with the team when we get into the locker room, and move on to the next game Wednesday,” concluded Setser.
Unsurprisingly, Setser said that he ranks the shot number one in his basketball career thus far.
The victory moves Scott into the regional finals, where they will square off against Nitro at home.
Meanwhile, Logan will travel to Ripley for their Class AAA Region IV co-final on Wednesday with a chance to clinch a berth in the state tournament.
Scoring:
S: Carden 17, Sharps 11, Setser 10, Adkins 10, Clemons 7, Byrnside 7
L: S Browning 20, Blankenship 11, Slack 10, Clansy 10, Miller 6, D Browning 2
Score by quarters:
S: 19 8 14 13 7 — 62
L: 11 6 14 23 4 — 59
