CENTERVILLE, Ind. – The Centerville boys basketball team had four players in double figures on Tuesday as the Bulldogs survived a tight battle to defeat Union City 71-64 in a Tri-Eastern Conference affair.
The Bulldogs led 15-9 at the first stop and then 27-13 in the second quarter after a dunk by Justin DuPree.
However by halftime, the Centerville advantage had been cut to 29-24 thanks to a 3-pointer by Union City’s Wes Mote.
“We were lifeless,” Centerville Head Coach Seve Beach said of the time late in the second period as he compared the situation to last weekend’s overtime loss on the road. “We smothered Blue River in the first half and didn’t drive the nail home.”
“We let them get a three at the half,” Beach said. “Now, it’s a dogfight.”
The Indians used the moment to eventually take a 30-29 lead early in the third quarter on a basket by Bryten Stewart.
“It really does give you that energy and that boost,” Union City Head Coach Bruce Davison said. “It was an exciting moment. It was a great ball game and both teams fought hard.”
With 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Zerrin Cantu hit a pair of free throws to give the Indians a 44-43 lead, which turned out to be the last time they were on top.
“I couldn’t be prouder of how our boys played,” Davison said. “They played hard and with a lot of heart.”
“They left it all on the court,” he continued. “We overcame a lot of obstacles early on to get back to where we needed to be.”
DuPree followed with two free throws to put the Bulldogs ahead for good at 45-44 as the period came to an end.
“It’s there,” Beach said of his team’s ability to close out a game. “We’ve done it before.”
In the final stanza, Centerville was able to gradually pull away for the win.
DuPree led the Bulldogs with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Kody Witham and Austin Farlow both finished with 17 points, while Dante Torres tossed in 10.
Mote topped the Indians with 18 points.
Stewart added 16 points as Trevor Spence and Cantu had 12 points each. Trevor Thompson pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
Centerville won the JV contest 54-36 as Kobe Brown led the way with 15 points.
Mitch Kelley, Tyler Scammahorn and Mason Cunningham all had nine points.
For the Indians, Emanual Samaniego had 10 points with Mason Good finishing with nine. Christian Mills added seven.
Both teams return to action with TEC games on Friday.
Centerville (9-11, 3-3) entertains Tri High (6-11, 1-5) as the Indians (4-16, 0-6) face conference leader Union County (15-6, 6-1) at home.