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By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Dora Falcons took down the defending state champion Eminence Redwings Saturday, 64-59, to claim the Class 1 District 3 title and advance to the Class 1 state tournament.
“It was one of those games that if we played each other 10 times, it would probably be 5 and 5,” said Dora head coach Rick Luna. “We are just lucky we got them twice this year. We won (our district) last year and then they beat us in the sectionals.”
Sophomore Isaac Haney put up 38 points for Dora, including six threes.
“We knew it was going to be huge, facing a team of that caliber,” said Haney. “Any time you come up with a victory like this, it is very easy to get complacent, it is very easy to celebrate. That’s not what we’re here to do. We want to get back in the gym, we want to work hard, and we want to stay together and just keep moving forward.”
Coach Luna said his team knew it would be a battle going into the contest.
“They came out with a great game plan,” he said. “Pete does a great job with those kids, and those kids, you don’t think about it, but they retained four guys who were on a state championship team last year so they’ve been there, done that, and so we knew they weren’t going to give up.”
The game opened with Haney hot out of the gate as he quickly drew a foul, drained a three, and drew another foul. Grant Dyer connected from downtown to put Eminence on the board, and Reese Parrish added a deep shot to tie it up at 6. Gavin Keeling, Wade Dyer, and Trent McBride scored unanswered baskets until Haney hit another three, then Parrish added another of his own. Three pointers continued to fall as Mason Luna and Haney each connected. But Grant Dyer and Trent McBride’s work at the charity stripe kept Eminence in the lead. McBride was fouled as he tossed up a shot from behind half court at the buzzer and made two shots. The Redwings were up 20-15 after one.
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The Falcons tied the game in the first three minutes of the second quarter with a Haney layup and foul shots, and Bryson and Mason Luna buckets. The teams went back and forth until Haney hit another three, then added more from the free throw line. Dora went into the locker room with a three-point lead, 34-31.
Haney continued to do his thing in the third, but McBride and Wade Dyer came up clutch late in the frame. With two minutes to play, Eminence trailed by 6. Dyer put up back-to-back buckets and McBride a stick-back at the buzzer to tie the game at 48-all heading into the fourth.
“Just to get tied up going into the fourth, we made a huge push and had to dig deep because it could have gotten away from us, and it just comes down to a few plays,” said Eminence head coach Pete McBride. “We made a few passes that turned into baskets for them, which you can’t do, and it kind of set the tone for the game, but we got back in it, too.”
In the fourth, Haney quickly added another three – his only one in the final frame – followed by another bucket. But while the Redwings were able to limit him to seven points in the fourth, his teammates combined for 12 total points, seven from the free throw line. But the damage was done; Eminence was never able to overcome the five-point deficit.
“We knew if we could just get the lead, they would have to come out and get us,” said Coach Luna. “They did a good job spreading the floor and working back cuts all night long, and we finally took the lead, and then they had to come out to get us. Our guards are as quick as their guards, and we had a couple of mismatches and tried to take advantage of those.”
“Matching up with Trent and the two Dyer boys is tough,” he added. “They probably felt like they had the mismatches on that. Trent is the reigning player of the year and both Dyer boys are very good and class acts, and it was tough.”
“It was a battle like we knew it was going to be,” said Coach McBride. “Haney came out and had an awesome first half and we had to make some adjustments on him, which kind of opens other guys up, but I’m happy defensively, I thought we did a great job. It was just a good game and could have went either way. We didn’t execute in-bounds plays a couple of times and it really hurt also. But they’ve got a great team and we’ve got a bunch of champions on my team, too, so someone had to lose today.”
Pete’s son, Trent McBride, was the leading scorer for the Redwings with 21 points in the final game of his senior season.
“The basketball gods have been good to us,” said McBride. “We’ve won 23 games and just have got a phenomenal group of seniors, and dealt with adversity every year – we’ve never had a year we don’t – and had to deal with injuries and stuff, but just a great group of kids that love each other and enjoyed playing together. And I’ve loved coaching them.”
The Falcons take on Chadwick in sectional play on Feb. 26 at 6 pm in Mountain Grove.
“We are looking forward to the next game, taking it one day at a time,” said Coach Luna. “Hopefully we can make a deep run.”
Scoring for Eminence: Trent McBride, 21; Grant Dyer, 18; Wade Dyer, 12; Reece Parish, 6; Gavin Keeling, 2.
Scoring for Dora: Isaac Haney, 38; Mason Luna, 12; Kyle Hambleton, 6; Bryson Luna, 5; Auston Luna, 3.
