(Jaylen Mullen from spring of 2021)

 

On Wednesday, North Daviess and Sullivan met in Elnora for a battle of top-tier 1A and 3A teams.

 

Jaylen Mullen scored the first five points for North Daviess, and the Cougars dominated the offensive glass in the opening quarter. North Daviess collected five offensive rebounds in the first eight minutes but could not convert during the extra chances. The Cougars were just two of eleven from the field.

 

The game plan was clear for Sullivan. Jeff Moore wanted the ball in the paint. Jackson Hills often saw the ball in the post, and senior point guard penetrated the lane whenever the ball was not thrown into the post. Kelley scored seven points in the opening period to give the Golden Arrows an 11-6 advantage heading to the second.

 

Hills scored twice in the lane early in the second quarter, and Eli Gettinger knocked down two triples. Gettinger also picked off a skip pass that led to a Luke Adams fastbreak layup. Suddenly, Sullivan held a 23-14 lead midway through the second.

 

Hills continued to use his strength advantage to score inside, making it look easy. When Kelley jumped the passing lane for an easy layup, Sullivan’s lead expanded to 29-16 with 2:18 remaining in the half.

 

Mullen put North Daviess on his back for the rest of the half as the junior guard scored the final eight points for the Cougars. It would have been nine, but his foot was on the line once. For the half, Mullen scored 17 of North Daviess’ 24 points.

 

Sullivan led 31-24 at the break.

 

The third saw both teams struggle to put the ball in the hoop. Sullivan maintained its lead through the quarter as Hills continued to produce inside for the Golden Arrows.

 

Late in the stanza, Logan Wilson drove and kicked to Markus Britton in the corner for a North Daviess three-pointer. That cut Sullivan’s lead to 38-34, but Kelley found a cutting Adams for a layup before the period ended.

 

The Golden Arrows took a 40-34 lead to the fourth.

 

Britton started the fourth with another three for North Daviess. A few minutes later, Mullen made two free throws to give North Daviess its first lead since the opening quarter. Mullen went scoreless in the third quarter but scored eight points in the fourth.

 

Facing a deficit for the first time in a long time, Sullivan went to the Jackson Hills well. He gave the Golden Arrows the lead right back. Each time Sullivan needed a bucket, Hills delivered.

 

Despite that, North Daviess built a four-point lead with 1:30 left in regulation.

 

Kelley drew a foul on a mid-range shot. He split those free throws, and then Logan Wilson missed the front end of the bonus for North Daviess.

 

Down three with 15 seconds left, Sullivan found Kelley for a three from the right side. The senior splashed the three to tie the game at 52.

 

North Daviess had a chance to get a shot before regulation ended but could not execute.

 

Free throws dominated the overtime period. Britton gave North Daviess the first lead of overtime with a free throw, then Kelley made two to give Sullivan the lead back.

 

The swing went back to North Daviess as Devin Collins hit a half hook from the left block before Kelley answered by driving to the right block for a score. However, it did not take long before Collins gave ND the advantage with a score in the lane.

 

Seconds later, it was Kelley’s turn again. He drove and drew a foul before splitting the free throws to tie the game at 57.

 

With under a minute to play, Logan Wilson made an excellent play to score going to the basket.

 

Sullivan ran a few actions before getting the ball to Kelley. He penetrated the North Daviess to get a good look in the lane, but Kelley’s shot was off the mark. Mullen chased down the rebound, and Sullivan could not foul before the buzzer.

 

North Daviess won 59-57.

 

Mullen finished with 25 points on 9-12 shooting from the field and 4-4 from the free-throw line. Collins added 11 points and three rebounds, while Logan Wilson contributed seven points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Lance Wilson added eight points and nine rebounds, and Britton tallied seven points.

 

Hills led Sullivan with 24 points and six rebounds, while Kelley had 19 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Adams added eight points, three rebounds, and three assists. Gettinger tallied six points and two rebounds.

 

North Daviess finished the regular season at 20-3. The Cougars play Washington Catholic on Wednesday. Sullivan ended the regular season 21-2 and opens sectional play with Washington.