St. Joseph rallied from a 13 point halftime then held off a late Hammond charge in regulation to force overtime, where the Indians controlled the extra frame for a 79-71 win in the South Bend Washington regional.

 

South Bend St. Joseph got huge contributions from their senior class, who did not want their careers, or that of their coach Mark Johnson, who has announced his retirement at season's end, to come to a close. Notre Dame signee JR Konieczny scored 24 points but was just 6/21 from the field. He was picked up by classmates Jack Futa and Will Terry, who combined for 38 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists.

 

Hammond, who was playing without star guard Reggie Abram due to a leg injury, looked to be in control as they raced out to 21 first-quarter points, ten of which came from Harold Woods. The Wildcats would extend their lead in the second period, as a 3-2 zone frustrated Konieczny, who was just 3/12 from the field in the opening half. Hammond extended their lead by going through senior forward Darrell Reed, who scored 8 points in the quarter. The lead would peak at 14 following a big-time transition slam from sophomore Jordan Woods with a minute left.

 

St. Joe came out blazing in the third quarter, as a 9-0 run to start the third quickly got them back in the ball game. While much of the attention in the Wildcat zone defense was paid to Konieczny, Jack Futa and Will Terry went to work dismantling the Hammond defense from the inside out. The 6'5 seniors perfectly executed high-low passing and navigating the middle of the Wildcat setup. Terry would score 10 points in the third quarter, several of which came via dump-off passes from Futa.

 

The Indian defense also tightened up, as the only Hammond points in the third came from threes by Julius Byrd and Trent Askew, and a pair of foul shots from Byrd. A change from a 1-3-1 defense to man to man took away many of Hammond's passing lanes that they were able to exploit in the first half, slowing down the Wildcat offense and allowing St. Joe to coax them into jump shots, most of which fell off the rim.

 

A 15-2 run to open the 4th quarter looked like it could be enough for the Indians, who led by 9 with five minutes led and were in complete control of the action. A Harold Woods three from the corner came at the perfect time for the reeling Wildcats, who then set out on a charge of their own. A 16-7 run over a 3:45 stretch for Hammond would end with a Vynce Overshown three-point play to tie the game at 63 with just over a minute left. Darrell Reed would be fouled, but his missed front end of a one and one would give possession quickly back to St. Joe.

 

The Indians would get a point-blank look that would roll tantalizingly off the rim, and Hammond would hold for the final possession. The Wildcats were out of sorts at the end, and a rushed Darrell Reed three would miss the mark, sending the game into overtime.

 

In the extra frame, again it was the play of Jack Futa and Will Terry that helped extend a St. Joe lead, and a huge three-pointer from junior guard Cole Hatkevich provided some comfort for Mark Johnson's squad. St. Joe would ice the game from the foul line, and score the win to advance to semistate next week.

 

 

St. Joseph  14   9  18  22  16  -  79

Hammond     21  15   9  18   8  -  71

 

St. Joseph: JR Konieczny 24 points (6/21 FGs, 1/6 3Ps, 11/15 FTs), 4 rebs, 2 asts; Will Terry 21 points (10/14 FGs, 1/1 FTs), 8 rebs, 4 asts; Jack Futa 17 points (7/8 FGs, 3/3 FTs), 6 rebs, 7 asts; Cole Hatkevich 11 points (3/4 3Ps, 2/2 FTs), 2 asts; Connor Litka 5 points (2/5 FGs, 1/2 FTs), 6 rebs; Adam O'Dell 1 point (1/2 FTs), 2 rebs

 

Hammond: Harold Woods 23 points (8/20 FGs, 2/9 3Ps, 5/8 FTs), 7 rebs, 2 stls; Darrell Reed 20 points (9/14 FGs, 2/3 FTs), 7 rebs; Jordan Woods 17 points (7/13 FGs, 3/4 FTs), 4 rebs, 12 asts; Julius Byrd 5 points (1/6 FGs, 1/3 3Ps, 2/2 FTs), 3 rebs; Vynce Overshown 3 points (1/4 FGs, 1/1 FTs); Trent Askew 3 points (1/2 3Ps), 4 rebs