WACO comes up short in triple overtime thriller

FAIRFIELD — WACO’s attempt at a Class 1A state basketball tournament berth was about as valiant as it could be on Saturday night, but it just barely wasn’t enough.

It took three overtimes for the an experienced Danville squad to eliminate the Warriors in the Class 1A Substate 5 final, but the Bears finally did, knocking off WACO 46-39 in an instant classic.

It was the third game between the two teams this season and the third nail-biter win for the Bears. For WACO, it was a third overtime loss this year.

“Unfortunately, it's too familiar,” said WACO head coach Paul Kissell. “It's one of those games where you always second-guess stuff.”

It was a grinder all night long. The two teams packed it in defensively and denied the basketball migh long, leading to a defensive struggle. The Warriors held a 9-5 lead after one quarter, a 15-10 halftime advantage and a 23-22 mark after three periods.

“You had two programs that are familiar,” Kissell said. “You could see at the beginning, there wouldn't be much scoring.”

WACO- had a chance to win the game in regulation, but a last-second shot by Hunter Hughes fell short. Danville had chances to win it at the buzzer in the first and second overtimes.

Hughes hit two clutch shots for WACO in the second overtime. The Warrior sophomore nailed a corner 3-pointer to tie it up midway through the period, and a reverse layup in the final 40 seconds to knot the contest back up again.

“That's a big credit to Hunter,” Kissell said. “He works really hard in the offseason. He had the confidence to take those shots.”

The last lead chance of the game came early in the third overtime when Danville’s Cadence Williams sank a 3-pointer to put the Bears on top. WACO was ice cold in the final minutes, as Danville won the final overtime 7-0.

“That Williams kid hitting that three changed the whole dynamic of the game,” Kissell said. “Now you're at almost a two-possession game, and they're able to slow it down.”

Hughes put up 11 points to lead WACO in the loss. Simeon Reichenbach scored nine points. Mason Miller had eight. Cody Graber scored five. Colton Leichty had three. Reece Oswald scored two, and Chase Waterhouse chipped in with one.

Danville was led by big man Sawyer Nelson, who went off for 20 points, 19 rebounds and six blocked shots to pace the Bears.

“I'm really proud of the guys to get this opportunity,” said Danville head coach Michael Soukup. “Just to coach this team all season long has been a joy.”

Danville (23-3) moves on to take on Lake Mills (24-1) in the Class 1A quarterfinals on March 7. WACO has to settle for a 20-5 record, and another memorable postseason run.

“The community is outstanding in their support,” Kissell said.“ It could be dance team, football, basketball, volleyball. They show up. There's a lot of love those kids feel all year.”