WILMINGTON — Following a sub-par performance Friday night against Goshen, the Wilmington High School basketball team gave its hometown fans plenty to cheer about Saturday night versus Lebanon in non-league action at Fred Summers Court.
Unfortunately, the end result was a 50-47 come from behind victory for the visiting Warriors.
Lebanon improves to 4-11 with the win, while the Hurricane falls to 4-9 on the season.
The teams battled to a 12-12 standoff after one, and the Hurricane took a 24-18 halftime margin into the locker room. Wilmington extended the lead to 36-28 after three periods, but Lebanon came to life in the fourth quarter and eventually took the lead with just over 2:00 to play in regulation.
With five seconds remaining in regulation, Lebanon’s Carter Davidson sank both ends of a one-and-bonus free throw situation giving the Warriors a three-point advantage. Wilmington’s Cam Coomer launched a three-point attempt from the right wing which came close, but was off the mark and the Warriors claimed the victory.
WHS head coach Matt Kramer described the sequence for the final shot.
“We got the in-bounds pass near center court and hit Cam in stride toward the basket. He got away a good attempt and it just missed,” Kramer said.
Ironically, it was a similar finish to the conclusion of the junior varsity game, which Lebanon also claimed a win by the same final score of 50-47.
Kramer called his team’s effort Saturday the difference between night and day in relationship to Friday night.
“As rough as Friday night was, we came in with a better, caring attitude, and the kids played with a lot of heart,” he said. “It’s somewhat hard to call it a comfortable outcome when you lose, but this was really an acceptable ending. The kids worked very hard and except for a few miscues and some critical turnovers and a couple of bad shot opportunities, we gave a strong effort, which could have produced a victory.”
Lebanon’s Blake Lamb, who helped ignite the fourth quarter Warrior rally with eight points, had 15 points, while Kamden O’Connor and Bladen Brown each added eight points.
Coomer paced the Hurricane attack with 20 points, 10 in each half, and Matt Butcher added 12 points.
Kramer, seeking to establish an identity here at WHS for his coaching style, chooses not to scold the players, although he put some emphasis on areas needing immediate improvement following the lopsided defeat at Goshen.
“I am not a screamer and (Saturday) I chose to praise them for the things they did right and to focus on four to five key things we can control. There’s no short-cuts and we will do things the right way,” he said.
After playing four games in a span of nine days the Hurricane will be idle until Friday, when they head to Batavia in SBAAC American Division action.
SUMMARY
Jan 18, 2020
@Fred Summers Court
Lebanon 50 Wilmington 47
L^12^6^10^22^^50
W^12^12^12^11^^47
(50) LEBANON (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Pierett 2-1-0-5, O’Connor 3-2-0-8,Lamb 7-0-1-15, Brown 3-2-0-8, Smith 1-0-0-2, Davidson 3-0-4-10, Cleaver 1-0-0-2, TOTALS 20-5-5-50.
(47) WILMINGTON (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Butcher 4-2-2-12, Coomer 6-2-6-20, Jones 1-1-0-3, Custis 2-0-0-4, Vilvens 3-0-0-6, Vilvens 3-0-0-6, Glass 1-0-0-2. TOTALS 17-5-8-47.
FIELD GOALS: W (17-38) Coomer 6-14 Butcher 4-14 Vilvens 3-4 Custis 2-2 Jones 1-2 Glass 1-2
3 PT FIELD GOALS: W (5-19) Butcher 2-7 Coomer 2-8
FREE THROWS: W (8-9) Coomer 6-6 Butcher 2-3
REBOUNDS: W-19 (Custis 8 Butcher 5 Coomer 2 Vilvens 2)
ASSISTS: W-7 (Coomer 2 Glass 2)
STEALS: W-5 (Custis 2)
BLOCKED SHOTS: W-1
TURNOVERS: W-16
