Versailles survives huge scare in sectional victory
By George Starks

TIPP CITY- If it would have been a boxing match, the Tale of the Tape would have been nearly identical.

In the seasonal record space, it was Versailles coming in with 19 wins against three losses while Arcanum’s record was showing the exact same amount of wins with one more defeat.

Versailles entered as the MAC Champions while Arcanum was the runners-up in the Cross County Conference behind Miami East.

In the Tigers corner stood the MAC Coach of the Year, Jacki Stonebraker.

In the Trojans corner stood the CCC Coach of the Year; Rachel Fearon.

Both teams battled like true champions as the Tigers escaped with a 64-56 win and a sectional title.

The opening quarter and the second frame was like a tale of two teams.

Versailles rolled into the second quarter holding a 17-3 advantage.

At the half, the Trojans had stormed back, forcing a 29-29 tie.

“That first quarter, we looked great. It looked like we came to play. We just didn’t look very good the rest of the game,” said Stonebraker. “The second quarter just fell apart on us. We gave up 24 points in the quarter. and I don’t think that’s happened all year. We fell apart defensively, and I really felt like we didn’t take care of the basketball.”

In that deadly second quarter, the Trojans broke the huddle, looking like a team that wanted to win.

It was freshman Stevie Johnting (nine points) that led the charge, draining three triples, with the last one coming with 2:16 left in the frame, pulling the Trojans to within a 27-24 count.

At that point, Versailles got in the face of Johnting, but it was Alexis Abner that stepped up in the final moments of the half, hitting in the paint and then connecting on a foul shot with 5.9 second remaing to force the tie.

While the Tigers never trailed, Stonebraker was not happy with the play of her girls.

“We never trailed and I feel like we were in control everywhere except on the scoreboard,” said Stonebraker. “I really wanted to celebrate this win with the girls, but I also know we didn’t play very well either. We’re finally out of Tipp City. We’ve not been out of Tipp City in four years. We just have to go back to the drawing board and get ready.”

At the end of the third, it was the Tigers clinging to a 49-43 advantage as freshman Brittany Kinney started to light things up from three point range, keep the Trojans within striking distance.

In the final eight minutes, the Trojans started to get back their second quarter form as senior Abbey O’Donnell came to life in the paint and took control over her domain.

It took the Trojans and O’Donnell over five minutes, but with 2:40 remaining, O’Donnell hit two from the foul line, giving the Trojans new life once again, forcing a 55-55 deadlock.

Twenty-four seconds later, the Tigers regained the lead when senior Katie Heckman got an offensive rebound and scored on the put back.

Arcanum would get to within one at 57-56, but would never force another tie.

Leading the way for the Tigers was Heckman with 24, and Emily Harmon with a dozen as the inside presence made the difference for the Tigers.

“Our game plan going in was to take the ball to the post,” said Stonebraker. “They played a great defensive game against us but they just couldn’t hang with our size. We’ve had games like this in the past, and we’ve rebounded. Now we have to get ready for the district.”

It was a night when no one deserved to lose, but one team had to go down to defeat.

“Everybody came out to play ball tonight,” said Fearon. “We were down 17-3 at the end of the first quarter, but all day yesterday we talked about coming out and playing four quarters of basketball. We played hard, especially in the second quarter. We put up 24 points, and we had a lot of momentum going in at half-time. We felt confident, and that brought us right back into the game.”

Fearon acknowledged both Abner and Johnting for their efforts in the second quarter.

“It’s great to have a sophomore (Abner) and a freshman (Johnting) that can step up like that,” said Fearon. “It’s no secret that we are young and Versailles has the experience. We’ve played only one senior most of the year.”

On the night, the Trojans knocked down 16 of 19 free throw attempts, a season’s best.

“We’ve told the kids how important free throws are and tonight was the best night we’ve had from the line all year,” said Fearon. “I think they realize now what that does for you.”

With the win, the Tigers (20-3) will play for a district title at Springfield on Saturday, March 1.

Arcanum bows out as sectional runners-up and a 19-5 mark on the year.