COLUMBIA CITY - The Whitko boys basketball team is getting adapted to heart-pounding endings at Columbia City High School.
Two years ago, then-freshman Logan Irwin won a game with a buzzer-beating shot, then the Whitko Wildcats fell on a missed shot in last season's sectional opener at Donald S. Weeks Gymnasium.In the season opener Wednesday, the Wildcats (0-1) lost 59-58 when sophomore Drew Benedict hit a three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining for the Columbia City Eagles (1-0).
"In that kind of environment - Game 1, place is packed and you're going against a senior-laden team with a really good, Division-I player - it's just a great atmosphere to be in," Columbia City coach Chris Benedict said about playing the Whitley County rivalry game in front of a large crowd. "To be able to come out on top, is just the icing on the cake."
The game came to a climactic ending when Drew Benedict hit his game-winning shot, although there was a chance his foot was over the line when he connected. However, without the benefit of an instant replay, one official's two-point call was over ruled, granting the Eagles with the three-point bucket.
"I don't think we did a bad job on him," Whitko said about guarding Drew Benedict, who matched Whitko junior Logan Irwin for a game-high 22 points. "The last shot he made was a tough shot. We did give him space and he should have never gotten it."
Drew Benedict may have been given space after Eagles sophomore Derek Hinen had drawn a foul driving to the basket with 25 seconds remaining. Because that play had worked, Chris Benedict drew it up again with his team down 58-56 with 11 seconds remaining.
"The big thing was, we wanted Derek coming off the ball screen and driving it," the Columbia City coach said. "We knew they probably weren't going to leave Drew in the corner, so we really thought Derek could get into the lane."
Instead, Hinen found Drew Benedict on the wing, and the coach's son did the rest.
"The thing I liked about it was, Drew didn't chuck it from 30 (feet)," Chris Benedict said. "He did a shot fake and took a dribble to get in there and make a shot. He just didn't rush the situation."
What Rob Irwin didn't like about the play, other than the controversial placing of Drew Benedict's foot, was that his team was even in the position to lose.
Following a made free-throw by senior Zac VanDeWater, Whitko led Columbia City 58-54 with 24 seconds remaining.
However, after VanDeWater missed his second, Columbia City junior Matt Rethlake was fouled just after the rebound, sending him to the free-throw line, where he made both.
The Eagles were forced to foul on the ensuing in-bounds play, which worked out as Whitko sophomore Alex Stoddard failed to convert a free throw, setting up the dramatic finish.
"We had the game won," Rob Irwin said. "Had a couple fouls, then have to make free throws. We didn't get the ball to Logan when we needed to get it to him."
Logan Irwin did score 22 points, but hit just one field goal in the second half, which came with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter.
"I thought (sophomore) Jared Murphy did a great job on Logan," Chris Benedict said. "You're not ever going to hold that kid down, but I thought he made him work for his buckets."
VanDeWater may have had the best all-around game, recording a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds to go with three blocked shots and two assists. However, like Logan Irwin, he too hit just one field goal in the second half and didn't even take a shot, outside of free throws, in the final quarter.
"Zac's a really good player," Chris Benedict said about the Indiana Wesleyan-bound VanDeWater. "He can get to the line, he can score from the inside, he can score from the outside and a lot of times, you just have to be there on the catch and make him take a tough shot."
Facing a team starting three sophomores, a junior and a senior, it appeared the experienced Wildcats would have the advantage, but the young Eagles showed some resolve in their season-opening game.
"You never know how they're going to react in game situations," Benedict said about starting the three sophomores Drew Benedict, Hinen and Murphy. "The big thing is, they've been around it so long. They've played a lot of games, they've been in a lot of those situations, so they don't get rattled."
The loss was disappointing to Rob Irwin, but he was trying to keep it in perspective afterwards.
"I'm not upset with them at all," he said. "Some of the guys we need to make plays are still getting the football out of them. Their guys played well. They're young, they played well and more power to them. I told the kids before the game and I told them after the game, it doesn't really matter. We know what counts and that's in March."
Whitko travels to Washington, Ill. today to take on Miller Creek Academy out of Missouri in the State Farm Tournament of Champions Classic before returning home Saturday to play Leo. Columbia City stays a little closer to home for its next contest, travelling west on US 30 to take on the Class 4A third-ranked Warsaw Tigers Saturday.
