In the nightcap at New Castle, a crowd of over 7000 saw the home side lead from wire to wire to clinch a spot in Saturday night's championship game.
The game started with some interesting matchups, as Mt. Vernon elected to put the 6'5 Erick Shepherd on New Castle's leading scorer, 5'8 Andrew Garrett. The strategy looked to pay dividends early, as the first two times Garret drove the lane for layups, the shots were sent back by Shepherd.
The Trojans would get a boost from 6'6 junior Titen Bennett, who came out of the gates firing. Bennett hit a pair of three pointers and a baseline jumper off the catch for eight first quarter points. Andrew Garrett would also solve the riddle of Erick Shepherd by stepping outside and nailing a three.
In the second quarter both teams would be in attack mode. Mt. Vernon would find the going a bit tougher, as they repeatedly attacked the rim only to come up empty handed despite a lot of contact from New Castle defenders. Andrew Garrett would also work his way to the hoop and convert tough layups and free throws when fouled, giving New Castle a nine point halftime cushion.
The Trojans would step on the gas coming out of the locker room as they began the third quarter on an 11-1 run, opening up a 45-26 advantage. They would continue with a double figure lead throughout the quarter, as every time Mt. Vernon made a play, New Castle would respond, often by the hand of Andrew Garrett. The senior found Mason Gillis for a couple of baskets underneath.
Mt. Vernon would be in the bonus for the entire fourth quarter, and started off by attacking the paint to get to the stripe. But again, every Mt. Vernon basket was answered by New Castle. The margin would get to six with just over 30 seconds remaining, but time would run out as the hosts held on to advance to the sectional championship game against Connersville.
Mt. Vernon 12 13 21 30 - 76
New Castle 18 16 25 26 - 85
Mt. Vernon: James McCloud 17 points; Erick Shepherd 16 points (5/14 FGs, 6/7 FTs), 13 reb, 2 blk; Michael Ertel 15 points (5/17 FGs, 1/9 3Ps, 4/5 FTs), 5 ast; Michael Thompson 14 points (3/9 FGs, 2/6 3Ps), 7 reb, 4 ast; Miles Wayer 14 points (3/6 3Ps, 5/5 FTs), 2 stl;
New Castle: Andrew Garrett 27 points (9/15 FGs, 1/2 3Ps, 8/11 FTs), 5 ast; Mason Gillis 16 points (6/6 FGs, 4/5 FTs), 8 reb; Titen Bennett 14 points (5/9 FGs, 2/4 3Ps), 6 reb; David Froedge 13 points (2/6 FGs, 8/8 FTs); Luke Bumbalough 7 points; Spencer Ogle 3 points; Niah Williamson 3 points; Octavian Pearson 2 points