Burger finished with 29 points and 7 rebounds in a 74-68 win over Covington Catholic.
A quick look at Friday night’s game between the No. 3 team in the NKSB Top 10, Holy Cross, and the No. 6 ranked team, Covington Catholic…
Overall: Though the match-ups are already set and both teams will meet in the first round of the 35th District Tournament, neither team held any effort back as Holy Cross squeaked out a 74-68 win in overtime over Covington Catholic. The Indians opened up a 14 point lead in the first half, but CovCath answered after intermission to grab a second half lead down the stretch. Both teams had their chances to win in the final moments of regulation, but missed free-throws led to a 62-62 tie to force overtime. Holy Cross was able to overcome the absence of Antonio Campbell in the fourth quarter and Jake Burger fouling out in the end of overtime to win a meaningless game in some ways, but an emotional lift and an impressive ending to a huge week for the Indians, who are coming off an All-A State Championship. Covington Catholic had some huge performances of their own from Zack Tobler and Nick Ruthsatz. Tobler has come a long way and is becoming their go-to scorer after starting the beginning of the season on the bench. He had a huge night with 28 points as the Holy Cross defensive attention sucked to penetrating guards and he lived off great passes from his teammates. Ruthsatz scored in bunches and was integral in both of the Colonels’ runs, the first coming at the end of the first half, and the second that saw him hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter to give Covington Catholic their first lead of the game at 48-47. It was Campbell and Burger however, who led the way for Holy Cross. The duo matched the Colonels’ basket-for-basket before each exited the game. The entire fourth quarter and beginning of overtime was spent trading the lead, as neither team could take control.
While the regulation spotlight was shared by Ruthsatz, Tobler, Burger and Campbell, Holy Cross’ Christian McClendon owned the overtime stage scoring seven of his nine points in the final four minutes. McClendon got scoring started immediately in overtime with a nice step through move and finish at the rim on a fast break. He then converted another layup on a great feed from Burger. Then with 29.7 left, he stepped to the line with a three-point lead and knocked down both free throws to push the lead out to two possessions at 73-68. He would add one more free throw in the final seconds and the Indians got a stop down the stretch on the defensive end to hold on for the 74-68 win over their rival.
Star of the Game: Following up his All-A State Tournament M.V.P. performance, Jake Burger was at it again for the Indians Friday night going off for 29 huge points against the Colonels. Burger was impressive taking defenders off the dribble, posting up on the block, and hitting big-time jumpers while also playing tenacious defense, forcing turnovers. His effort and hustle was unmatched as he willed his team to a fourth quarter come back and forced overtime when it looked like CovCath was going to steal a win on the road. When the Indians lost their big man in Campbell to a hip injury, Burger stepped up and carried them down the stretch. Burger left some points out on the floor with missed free throws, or this night could have been even bigger.
Top Performers:
Covington Catholic – Zack Tobler 26 pts (13 reb), Nick Ruthsatz 18 pts (5 ast), Sawyer Pauly 12 pts (7 reb)
Holy Cross – Jake Burger 29 pts (7 reb), Antonio Campbell 23 pts (8 reb), Christian McClendon 9 pts (6reb)
Turning Point in the Game: There were actually a few turning points in this one with six lead changes and seven ties. Holy Cross jumped out to a quick 9-0 run in the first quarter, but the Colonels clawed their way back in the second quarter. The Indians held on in the second though with a three pointer by Travis Thompson before halftime to go in with a 10-point lead. In the third quarter, Ruthsatz hit three three-pointers, including one that gave them their first lead of the game. The fourth quarter was very tight and ended in the tie that sent the game into overtime, and in the overtime period, Burt Pouncy hit two free throws late in overtime with the Indians up one. Facing a three-point deficit, CovCath could not convert on their end, and McClendon iced the game with two free throws to push the lead out to 73-68 with less than 30 seconds.
Why Holy Cross Won the Game: Holy Cross is a bit deeper than Covington Catholic is, and while they have a couple of really solid primary scorers, their role players take advantage of opportunities and deliver when they are called upon. McClendon, Pouncy, Thompson and Fortner all played major roles in the victory, though the numbers may not necessarily reflect it. When Campbell went down with a hip injury in the fourth quarter, the entire team stepped up and replaced the production, especially Burger. But when Burger fouled out in overtime, it was Pouncy and McClendon hitting their free throws down the stretch to conserve their marginal lead. Holy Cross’s two best players were better than the Colonels’ two best. Burger and Campbell were outstanding as each took turns wearing down the CovCath defense. They were both clutch for Holy Cross whenever they needed baskets and came up in huge situations down the stretch. Defensively, they pressed all night, and though Covington Catholic found some easy baskets with Tobler often on the receiving end, they still forced 25 Colonel turnovers to combat a solid Covington Catholic scoring attack.
Why Covington Catholic Lost the Game: If it weren’t for Zack Tobler’s huge performance for the Colonels, they have no shot at winning that game in the second half. However, Tobler missed two huge free throws with 6.9 seconds left in the game with the score tied at 62 that could have won the game. Neither team shot the ball well at the charity stripe, but the Colonels will look back at this game as one they could have stolen on the road. They forced several Holy Cross turnovers as well and actually outscored in the Indians in points off turnovers 22-21. They had absolutely no answer for Tony Campbell inside though, and if Campbell doesn’t go out with the hip injury, the Indians probably win in regulation. While Tobler is a nice weapon inside, the Colonels don’t have anyone big enough to disturb Campbell on offense. They played Holy Cross shot-for-shot, but in overtime they were unable to come up with the big baskets they were able to convert in the second half. They had a big turnover at the beginning of the overtime and they lost a valuable possession. They also struggled defending Burger as he scored at will before fouling out with 1:16 left in OT. It will be interesting to see what adjustments Coach Ruthsatz has in store for the Indians come the district tournament.
Up Next: Holy Cross travels to Highlands and Covington Catholic heads to Cooper this Tuesday with both tip-offs set for 7:30.
