They co-op a three-time defending state championship cross country program but put on different colors in the winter months.
Separated by five miles on Highway 54, longtime rivals Wheatland and Hermitage will meet again on Saturday (at 5:30 p.m.), this time with the championship of the 83rd Annual Humansville Tournament at stake.
It will mark the 13th meeting between the two Polk County League schools since the 2010-11 season, with Hermitage holding a 10-2 series advantage. Seven of those contents have been decided by nine or fewer points.
Here’s a recap of Thursday’s semifinal action.
Wheatland slips by Fair Play
The Mules, after struggling with Fair Play’s press in the third quarter, took better care of the ball in the fourth quarter and hit their free throws down the stretch to clinch a spot in Saturday’s finals.
Senior guard Zac Sutt scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the first half and went 11-for-13 at the free throw line. As a team, the Mules made 15 of 20 free throw attempts.
Wheatland saw its modest seven-point halftime lead erased midway through the third quarter after struggling against Fair Play’s full-court trap.
“We just had to attack the middle (of the press) a little bit more and look for ball reversal,” said Mules coach Brian Pearson. “We kind of lost our focus in what we want to do in our press-breaker and once we got that back, I felt we could move on into our offensive sets.
“We’ve really bought in to the half-court defense, allowing one tough shot and blocking out, then going down and running our offense,” Pearson said. “The kids have done a good job buying into that.”
PHOTOS: WHEATLAND VS. FAIR PLAY
The Mules (3-0 overall) got a big fourth-quarter lift from sophomore post Devin Koening, who scored eight of his nine points in the final frame. His basket with under two minutes remaining put the Mules ahead, 46-42.
Fair Play (1-2 overall) answered with a bucket from Justin Smith to make it 46-42 but a rebounding miscue by the Hornets just seconds later proved costly.
Wheatland’s Mitch Bigham was fouled and made one of two free throws with 1:11 remaining. He missed his second attempt but the rebound was tipped out to him and he quickly converted an uncontested layup to give Wheatland a 49-44 advantage. Fair Play never got within one possession again.
“We played bad at the start, weren’t playing together on offense or defense and had some bad passes,” said Fair Play coach Lynn Long. “Then, we had a spell where we played pretty well and got back into it, but then reverted to those bad habits at the end.
“We didn’t give ourselves a chance in the final minute. We had guys trying to do things on their own, took some bad shots and made bad passes.”
Sutt was the only Mule in double figures and scored 15 of Wheatland’s 25-first half points.
“That’s all we talked about before the game – he’s their key and we’ve got to stop him,” Long said. “That’s not one guy’s job. If he scores, he scores on us. Other guys had to help and we didn’t help enough. Instead of getting back and trying to stop him in transition, we were reaching and stuff like that.
Pearson said the Mules got another solid game from senior Hunter Jones. After Sutt, multiple guys are capable of scoring double figures for Wheatland on a given night.
“Hunter Jones has been averaging around a double-double,” Pearson said. “He plays bigger than he is. Doesn’t get a lot of recognition because he doesn’t do anything fancy, he just gets down and gets it done for us.”
Wheatland 53, Fair Play 49
Wheatland 15 10 13 15 — 53
Fair Play 13 7 15 14 — 49
Wheatland – Zac Sutt 25, Mitch Bigham 9, Devin Koenig 9, Hunter Jones 8, Tristen Shaddox 2
Fair Play – Devon Rovenstine 11, Justin Smith 10, Camden Welch 10, Kohner Thomas 8, Logan Underwood 5, Ryan Rutledge 3, Kendal Wright 2
Hermitage blitzes Halfway in 71-32 rout
Hermitage’s stifling 2-2-1 full-court press set the tone from the onset as the Hornets scored at will in the first half of an eventual victory over PCL foe Halfway. Dillon Meyer scored a game-high 26 while Jeff Salmon and Victor Le Verdier added 14 points apiece for the Hornets, who improved to 3-0 overall.
Hermitage raced out to a 33-8 first-quarter lead, converting repeated turnovers by Halfway (1-1 overall) into uncontested layups.
Last season, coach Joe Nicholson and the Hornets used their press as an added wrinkle of sorts in the second half of games, but that may be changing this year.
“There were two or three times last year where we got behind and didn’t come back, so this year we decided we’re going to come out with a little more energy and this (press) helps us do that,” Nicholson said. “Our plan’s been to come out and get ahead, play with an early lead. We’re betting playing ahead than behind.”
Perhaps also influencing that change is the Hornets’ lack of height. Gone are past big such as 6’6 David Isles (2014, 6’6” Anthony Winborn (2015) and 6’4” Cory Nicholson (2016).
Dillon Meyer, a 6’1” guard who has added some muscle since last season, is the Hornets’ default post player.
“Dillon’s playing just as well as those other guys who played inside at about half their size,” Nicholson said. “I think we still play like we’re a big team, even though we’re not,” Nicholson said. “Maybe no one’s told our guys.”
Hermitage 71, Halfway 32
Halfway 8 14 5 5 — 32
Hermitage 33 19 14 5 — 71
Halfway – Nate Porter 12, Hayden McCarthy 7, Kody Jenkins 4, Caleb Gallivan 3, Kody Agee 3, Ryan Gallivan 3
Hermitage – Dillon Meyer 26, Jeff Salmon 14, Victor Le Verdier 14, Austin Hostettler 10, Easton Sabala 7
Humansville Tournament Schedule
Friday, Dec. 2 (consolation semifinals)
Skyline JV vs. Dadeville, 5:30 p.m.
Humansville vs. Everton, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 3
7th place game, 1 p.m.
5th place game, 2:30 p.m.
Halfway vs. Fair Play (3rd place game), 4 p.m.
Wheatland vs. Hermitage (Championship), 5:30 p.m.
