Of the two games played at Southport High School Friday night, Pike against Southport was the more anticipated game. It did not disappoint with a dramatic four overtimes played. Pike outlasted Southport for the 92-86 victory. Pike will play Ben Davis for the Marion County Tournament championship on Saturday night at Southport.

The first minute of the game set the tone for how the officials were going to call the contest. Ball State-bound forward Tahjai Teague picked up two fouls in the first 88 seconds. He played just two minutes in the first half. Malik Bennett picked up his second foul three minutes into the semifinal. The referees stayed consistent with their whistle. There were 19 fouls called in the first half.

Pike likely felt great at halftime. The Red Devils were up 32-28 despite getting one point and one rebound from Teague due to his foul trouble. 2016 guards Justin Thomas and Derek Hawthorne were the reason for Pike's lead. Thomas impacted the game in multiple areas while also scoring nine points. Hawthorne was able to extend Southport's defense with his outside shooting. He scored eight points in the first 16 minutes of the game.

2016 center Joey Brunk was stellar from the start for Southport. He went four of four in the first quarter on his way to 11 first half points. He was one of the only players that did not get into foul trouble. Brunk played 47 minutes on the night because of that fact.

Paul Scruggs started off as the primary ball-handler for Southport. In the second half, he slipped into foul trouble. Scruggs committed his fourth foul with 3:17 left in the third quarter. Southport struggled against Pike's pressure once Scruggs was out of the game. 

The largest lead of the game was seven points. The entire contest was played within a two possession game. The teams were tied multiple times in the fourth quarter. The teams were tied at 57 with two minutes left in the game. Neither team scored from there.

The fun really picked up in the overtime sessions. The first overtime was highlighted by Pike holding the ball with the game tied while Southport was in a zone. Pike was able to get what it wanted when Justin Thomas drove the lane and got a good look at an eight-foot runner. The ball bounced around the rim for seconds before bouncing out. 

The second overtime had even more twists and turns. Thomas drove the lane drawing the bottom Southport defender in the zone leaving Jeff White open for a layup at the basket. Southport had the ball down two with 15 seconds left. Bennett dribbled the ball up the floor and buried a three at the top of the key with six seconds. That put Southport up 69-68 with 5.2 seconds left.

Thomas got the ball with a full head of steam up the court. He found an opening in the defense and had a chance to get into the lane. On his drive, Scruggs pulled his jersey with 0.6 seconds left. Thomas hit the first to tie the game but missed the second that could have won it.

Southport jumped out to a 75-69 lead in the third overtime. For this game, that was a massive lead. Pike erased that deficit quickly. Justin Roberts hit a three-pointer with 1:40 remaining to tie the game at 76. Eli Walton collected Bennett's missed shot and converted it for a three-point play. Roberts answered with another three-pointer. 

Bennett drove the lane to find his teammate Brunk at the basket where he was fouled. Brunk had a fantastic game, but he did have some struggles at the line. He had missed his previous four free-throws when he stepped to the line with Southport down two points with under 30 seconds to play in the third overtime. Brunk was able to hit both free-throws though. Roberts had a good look on the other end but it did not go.

The fourth overtime saw more players foul out. Malik Bennett fouled out for Southport at the 3:47 mark. He finished the game with 24 points. It was his ball-handling that Southport missed the most against Pike's quick guards - Thomas and Roberts. Thomas played well on both ends of the court. Indiana Basketball Source had Thomas with 27 points and four steals while the Southport stats crew had him with 30 points.

Pike won going away 92-86. The game featured 25 lead changes and 17 ties. The overtimes were played at a high level with a little bit more rhythm on the offensive end than the regulation. 

The Red Devils will play Ben Davis for the Marion County Tournament on Saturday night at Southport.

Pike 15  17  13  12  4  8  12  11---92

Southport 16  12  18  11  4  8  12  5---86

Pike via Indiana Basketball Source- Thomas 27 points, Roberts 19, Derek Hawthorne 18, Jeff White 13, Tahjai Teague 7 points, 5 rebounds, Durante Lee 5 points, Jalen White 1, Jordan Marshall 2

Southport - Joey Brunk 32 points, 14 rebounds, Bennett 24 points, Paul Scruggs 16 points, 5 assists, 6 turnovers, Eli Walton 7, Demari Davis 6, Blake Evans 1