By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
MANSFIELD, MO – After splitting a pair of games during the regular season, Friday’s Class 2 District 10 final between No. 2 Hartville and No. 3 and Norwood had all the makings of an instant classic.
The battle of state-ranked heavyweights lived up to its billing – and then some – thanks to a little fourth quarter Cogdill magic.
Payton Cogdill’s last-second putback sealed the 50-48 Hartville victory and notched a 12th district title in the past 13 seasons for the Eagles (Norwood won in 2022 en route to a state championship).
“It was really just, ‘get a shot up,’” the senior Cogdill said of the final missed perimeter shot from teammate Boone Garrison. “Boone – I thought it was going in from the beginning – he’s cash all the time. He happened to miss it, and I crashed like I always do.
“I gotta go get it and put it back in – it’s all that simple. It was straight bliss. That’s all it was – straight from God. It was awesome; it was amazing.”
Even more amazing was the fact Hartville might not have been in a position to take a winning shot without another Cogdill in the lineup.
Junior Mason Cogdill poured in a game-high 20 points for Hartville; however, none had more impact than a pair of momentum-killing daggers from the fourth quarter perimeter.
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Despite never holding a lead in the game, Norwood repeatedly threatened to do just that in the final frame and, each time, Hartville somehow responded with a big basket of its own.
With 5:15 to play, back-to-back buckets from Peyton McDaris and Cooper Vaughan cut the Hartville lead to a single point at 34-33.
Seconds later, Mason Cogdill splashed a 3-pointer from the wing to extend the Eagles’ lead to 37-33.
Norwood closed the gap to one point a second time with 2:33 remaining.
Carder Kelley’s free throws made it 39-38; however, the younger Cogdill played spoiler yet again with another 3-point from almost the exact same spot on the floor.
“(Garrison) creates well for others,” Mason Cogdill said. “He got me an open look both times, and all credit to him. (Norwood) made their shots, and we kind of laid down on defense a little bit, but we picked it back up. We locked down and we did what we had to do.”
Despite Hartville again extending its lead to four points, Norwood simply would not go away.
A pair of McDaris free throws finally tied the score at 48-48 with 34 seconds left in the game.
McDaris, a senior, led the Pirates with 15 points, while Vaughan added 13.
After the pair of free throws knotted up the score, the state was set for Peyton Cogdill’s heroics.
Hartville head coach Brett Reed called the final play for Garrison; however, he certainly wasn’t displeased with the end result after the game.
“We drew up a play,” Reed said. “Actually it was for our point guard to attack, and he’s a good shooter. Peyton Cogdill, like he’s done all year – he just bails us out left and right – he got a big offensive rebound and put-back for the win. It’s a hustle play.”
Peyton Cogdill joined his brother in double figures for the Eagles with 13 points.
While the fourth quarter featured plenty of nail-biting drama for the 1,200-plus capacity crowd, the first half story told an entirely different tale.
Thanks to effective perimeter shooting and a smothering defense, Hartville jumped out early and led by as many as 15 late in the second quarter..
Once again, the Cogdill brothers set the tone for the Eagles, scoring 17 of the team’s 24 points in the half.
“Having these two guys, I mean, they’re just all grit and toughness,” Reed said. “That’s just the way they were raised. I’ve enjoyed having them, and I wish I could fix their birth certificates where I could keep them a little bit longer. I don’t think their parents are going to be having any more kids any time soon, but I can ask.”
After defeating No. 3 Norwood, the state playoff road doesn’t get any easier for Hartville (22-5) with a trip to No. 1 Eugene awaiting in a March 3 sectional-round matchup.
“Going to those places and playing a game on the road is not to our advantage,” Reed said. “We’re not scared of it – we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win, but I don’t like that. I think I like the neutral sites better, and I’m sure Eugene coming to our place last year would say the same thing. We sold 1,000 tickets at Hartville for that game last year, and I think their gym maybe only holds 600, so I don’t know how everybody’s going to fit.”
Class 2 District 10 Final: Hartville – 50, Norwood – 48
Hartville 14 10 09 17 – 50
Norwood 07 05 14 22 – 48
Hartville scoring: Mason Cogdill – 20, Payton Cogdill – 13, Harmon Johns – 8, Jackson Ward – 5, Boone Garrison – 3, Gus Sinning – 1
Norwood scoring: Peyton McDaris – 15, Cooper Vaughn – 13, Carder Kelley – 9, Noah Drake – 7, Gunner Bradshaw – 4
