Mt. Edgecumbe claims 3A boys basketball title in thrilling triple overtime win over Barrow
· Yahoo Sports
Mar. 22—"It's hard to put into words," Mt. Edgecumbe head coach Marshall Vest said.
"Unreal," Braves senior Elden Andrew said, shaking his head.
Visit playerbros.org for more information.
"Amazing," his teammate Royce Alstrom added jubilantly.
That's how they described Mt. Edgecumbe's 98-97 triple overtime win over Barrow in the championship game of the Alaska State 3A Boys Basketball Tournament.
The high-paced game Saturday will likely go down as one of the best and wildest in the history of the tournament.
The title tilt had everything — star power, frenzied runs, dramatic plays and plenty of enthusiasm from the packed crowd at the Alaska Airlines Center.
In the end, it was a chaotic final defensive stand by the Braves that vaulted them to the championship.
The game contained so many twists, turns and momentum shifts, any one of about two dozen plays could have been the shining moment in a team's championship run.
"I'm so proud of these guys," Vest said. "All year long, they fight. They found a way. No matter what adversity we came up against, they just stayed together. They kept pushing. At the end of the day, that's what got us this win."
The two teams went toe-to-toe in the first half, with Barrow gaining a 41-34 lead after scoring 25 points in the second quarter.
The Whalers extended that lead in the third and held a 60-51 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
But the Braves didn't go away, cutting the Barrow lead to 60-58 in the fourth quarter. The Whalers scored the next six to extend the lead back to eight but couldn't put the Braves away.
With 11.9 seconds left, Barrow's Alex Fruean drove to the basket and scored to give the Whalers a 77-75 lead.
Fruean was a monster in the championship game, scoring 46 points and dominating in the paint for stretches.
But Mt. Edgecumbe's Kaden Herrmann knocked down two free throws with 3.8 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
"We found ourselves in holes," Vest said. "We just kept digging our way out. You know, there's no quit. We're all fight."
Barrow took an early lead in overtime, but Fruean was whistled for three fouls in the first two minutes of the session and fouled out.
Neither team could pull away in the overtime session, but the loss of Fruean started to wear on the Braves.
"After Alex fouled out, the mood shifted," Alstrom said. "Everybody wanted to drive in more and got more confident."
With Fruean on the bench, the Braves looked to be in control in the second overtime, but this time it was the Whalers who battled back.
Barrow's Jaziah Tivao made a 3-pointer in the final minute over the second overtime that spun all the way around the hoop and fell in to give the Whalers a 93-92 lead.
Herrmann was fouled and went to the line, where he made one of two free throws to tie the game.
Barrow had a last chance but couldn't convert, sending the game to a third overtime.
"We just didn't want to lose," Herrmann said. "We worked so hard for this, we had to go out and get it."
While the teams pulled back for some slower possessions in the overtime period, there were still stretches of frantic basketball with turnovers and baskets coming in quick succession.
"I just went in there running and gunning‚" Alstrom said. "Open shots, I'm shooting."
Once again in the third overtime, Mt. Edgecumbe built a lead as Andrew made an early 3-pointer for a 98-95 Braves advantage.
But Darren Salazar scored on a drive for Barrow to cut the Braves' advantage to 98-97.
Mt. Edgecumbe had a shot to seal the game at the free-throw line but couldn't convert.
Barrow had one final chance but had a shot blocked and recovered a loose ball after a scrum. After a timeout, Barrow inbounded with 6.5 seconds remaining, but couldn't get off a shot.
Guy Goldsberry led the Braves with 26 points while Herrmann added 24.
On the bench after the game, Herrmann added his account to one of the most astounding games in the history of the championship round at the state tournament.
"My whole body is tired," he laughed.