Sports
Burroughs Come Back Falls Short In Overtime
John Burroughs battled back from a 15 point deficit in the second half of their Class 3, District 6 semifinal basketball game against Whitfield, but their effort came up short in overtime as the Warriors claimed the win to advance to the finals.
In the Missouri Class 3, District 6 semifinal at Whitfield on Wednesday night, the third seeded staged a dramatic comeback against the second seeded host Warriors. After rallying from a large deficit, and taking the lead, the Bombers saw the game go to overtime, where theylost 64-60 loss to end their season.
A pair of sophomore guards set the tone for the game early on, with Foyesade Oluokun, for Burroughs, matching up against Whitfield’s Justin Thomas. Oluokun, who led Burroughs in scoring, with 22 points, was strong in the paint in the opening minutes of the game, hitting a pair of baskets, including a fast-break layup following a steal, to help the Bombers jump out to a 10-4 lead.
Forced to the outside, Whitfield turned to junior Darrion Harris, who led all scorers on the night with 30 points. Harris hit two of three 3-pointers in a row for the Warriors, to take a 13-10 lead with just under a minute left in the first quarter.
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Burroughs was kept off the scoreboard till late in the second quarter, as Whitfield extended its lead to 23-10 behind solid free throw shooting by Thomas, and Harris. Bombers’ senior Grant Wallace attempted to quarterback a couple of drives inside only to see the ball turned over.
A 12-3 run to end the second half restored the Bombers’ confidence, as Wallace hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the teams to the lockers with Whitfield leading 26-22.
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The Warriors turned the Bombers’ late first half rally into a memory by opening up the third quarter with a pair of short-range jumpers. Freshman Trevor Bain drove the lane for Burroughs and then neatly dished to Oluokon, who drew a foul and made one of two free throws to keep the game close a few minutes into the second half.
Whitfield would take their biggest lead of the game, 42-27, at the end of the third quarter, as they overpowered the Bombers in the paint, and capitalized on free throw opportunities.
Down big, and with the season on the line, Burroughs resorted to a full court press early in the fourth quarter. The strategy worked, producing a pair of turnovers, the first of which ended in a Wallace layup. Bain followed with a strike from three point territory to bring the score to 44-32 with just over five minutes to play. Oluokun then delivered an acrobatic underhanded layup while in mid air to make it a 10-point game.
The Bombers continued to apply pressure as the mid point of the fourth quarter passed. Wallace hit a huge 3-pointer from well beyond the line to make it a 6 point game. Bain added a short-range jumper, and Wallace sank a pair of free throws on a technical foul to make the score 49-47, with Whitfield leading and just over two minutes to play.
Burroughs then tied the game as sophomore Ezekiel Elliott drew a charge, and then sank both free throws to knot the score at 49. They went ahead on a layup by junior Amos Shinkle, as the Bombers fans erupted in cheers.
Down by one with 30 seconds left, the Warriors fouled Oluokun, and he made both free throws to necessitate a big play by the host squad to keep their season alive.
Harris came through with a long-range 3-pointer with two seconds on the clock to tie the game at 54, sending the teams to overtime.
"We struggled with adversity throughout the second half, and we had to make some big shots to stay in the game," said Harris.
In overtime, both teams traded baskets early, and Whitfield attempted to regroup by slowing the pace down. The Warriors went up 59-58 with a minute to play, and then forced a turnover to keep possession. Whitfield sunk a pair of free throws to make it a three point game.
On Burroughs' final possession they went for the big play, but Bain missed the 3-pointer and Whitfield controlled the ball with seconds left, ensuring a birth in the tournament finals.
"We stunk it up early, and once we got going we played well, but we played a heck of a game...Wallace became the all-time leading scorer in school history tonight, but it doesn't seem like much of a consolation," said Bombers' coach Steve Wilcutt.
Whitfield will play Orchard Farm for the district title Friday night at 8 p.m., while Burroughs finishes the season with a record of 15-10.