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By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Springfield, Mo. — Eminence senior Ethan Drake knocked down four 3-pointers in Saturday’s Class 1 championship matchup with Walnut Grove.
His final attempt, a mortar shot from the right wing with just over a minute to play, turned out to be the game-winner in the Redwings’ 79-72 victory.
After leading by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter, the Eminence offense started to sputter due to Walnut Grove’s frantic full-court pressure.
The Tigers, 2017 state champions, displayed exceptional resolve in true crisis mode, scratching and clawing their way back thanks to Logan Thomazin’s late onslaught. The 6-foot-2 senior scored 11 of his team-high 21 points in the final frame and finished his career nationally-ranked for 3-pointers made (sixth) and attempts (third).
Dawson Meinders’ layup at the two-minute mark tied the game at 72-72, completed the furious Walnut Grove rally and evaporated a 17-point lead in less than five minutes.
During the Tigers’ eruption, Eminence head coach Pete McBride urged his team to keep its composure.
“[Walnut Grove] just applied so much pressure, and the game got tight, fast,” McBride said. “They hit some shots and we made some mistakes to help them, but just trying to keep the guys as calm as I could in such a big moment, I thought, was important. They know what’s on the line, and if I’m over there in panic mode, it doesn’t help.”
What did help was Drake’s bomb shot, as Walnut Grove would not score another point in the contest.
Tigers head coach Darin Meinders noted Drake’s 3-pointer was a crushing blow after Walnut Grove seized momentum during the long rally. The 6-foot guard finished with 14 points.
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“If we would have ever got the lead on them after that comeback, the result could have been different,” Meinders said. “Give them credit. It’s a tie ballgame and [Drake] hit a huge three. If I had my druthers of him shooting a three, or them throwing it into [Trent] McBride, I’m going to let him shoot a three. If that beats us, it beats us.”
The Redwings’ leading scorer at 18.4 points per game, Trent McBride spent most of the game terrorizing the Walnut Grove interior. The 6-foot-6 junior finished the game with 23 points and 13 rebounds, despite subbing in and out of the third quarter due to foul trouble.
Coach McBride talked about the early subbing strategy.
“I think there with three in the third, we need [Trent] for his offense,” Coach McBride said. “If he gets four there, he’s out until the last four minutes of the game, so we tried to offense and defense as much as we could to have him in there as a threat — he might not even score, but he gets so much attention down there it opens up some other guys.”
Fellow junior Grant Dyer was a primary beneficiary, pouring in a game-high 25 points with 9 rebounds.
After the game, Coach McBride talked being prepared for when, not if, Walnut Grove’s rally materialized.
“We played really well in the third quarter and early in the fourth and built a really nice lead, but [Walnut Grove] are champions,” Coach McBride said. “Credit to them for fighting — and we knew they would — and made a really, really hard push at the end, and we had to make some big plays down the stretch under pressure to get it done.”
Eminence shot 24-52 from the floor and converted 7 of 13 3-point attempts.
When asked to reflect on an impressive season, Trent McBride brought up childhood memories between his teammates.
“We’ve been dreaming about this since we all got together in kindergarten,” Trent McBride said. “It’s just a dream come true, really.”
Despite the loss, Coach Meinders praised his team for its tenacity and willingness to compete until the bitter end. Walnut Grove finishes the season 22-11 and says goodbye to a pair of standout seniors in Hunter Gilkey and Thomazin.
“We’re down 16 and could have laid down and got completely blown out,” Coach Meinders said. “These kids found a way to battle back and tie it up with a minute left. It hurts right now — it’s not fun — but this group has played for three state championships in the last three years, and they left it on the floor tonight.”
Dawson Meinders and Ryan Keith joined Thomazin in double figures with 19 and 18 points, respectively. The Tigers shot 24-66 from the field, including 13-43 from beyond the arc.
Class 1 Championship Final: Eminence – 79, Walnut Grove – 72
Eminence 19 25 15 20 — 79
Walnut Grove 17 19 11 25 — 72
Eminence scoring: Grant Dyer – 25, Trent McBride – 23, Ethan Drake – 14, Wade Dyer – 9, Kyndal Copeland – 5, Robert Keeling – 3
