Greyhounds hang on to defeat Warriors in overtime thriller

By Harry Toufar The log jam at the top of the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference was so thick, it would take a lumberjack or two to break it up. Last week Tuesday, Loyal Greyhounds (then 5-3) and the Neillsville Warriors (also 5-3) squared off in the Neillsville High School fieldhouse. The winner was fated to remain in the log jam, while the loser would drift from the jam somewhat.

Loyal’s Cain Toufar and Bryce Deegan were the work horses in the early going. Toufar scored the first four points and handed off a nice assist to Deegan for his first points of the game. Toufar scored again for an 8-0 lead five minutes into the game. Neillsville managed two free throws only to have Deegan counter that with another basket. Rhett Lamovec entered the game and hit a 2-pointer before Landon Rakestraw scored for the Warriors. Rakestraw would prove to be Loyal's nemesis in the second half. Next, Toufar fouled trying for a basket. He calmly stepped to the charity line and sank both free throws, pushing the lead to 10. Neillsville’s Andrew Hoeser, held to two free throws, finally scored from the field with a 2-pointer and a 3-pointer.

With Neillsville adjusting their defense to account for Toufar, that opened up some space for Lamovec, as he scored Loyal’s next six points. Deegan connected for three, giving Loyal an 11-point lead. Reed Stieglitz connected for two free-throws, upping the lead to 13. Rakestraw scored for Neillsville with Stieglitz hitting a floater as the buzzer sounded, giving the Greyhounds what appeared to be a comfortable 26-13 lead.

However, as it happened in their first meeting, Neillsville came out of the locker room on fire. The Warriors scored six straight points while Loyal kept turning the ball over and missed some shots. Loyal coach DeSmet had to call a time out to settle his team. Deegan responded by scoring with 13 minutes left, giving the Hounds a 10-point lead. The Warriors stayed in the hunt though, as they scored the next six points, cutting Loyal’s lead to four. Toufar scored to increase the lead to six. Rakestraw hit for three and Lamovec hit for two, giving the Hounds a 5-point margin with just under 10 minutes remaining. Neillsville managed two free throws, cutting the margin to three. What happened next usually is seen in a made-for-television sports show. Rakestraw, Neillsville's diminutive freshman guard, hit three straight 3-pointers from what could have been close to NBA distance, giving the Warriors their first lead, 41-35. Toufar stopped the Warrior run with two free throws, but Rakestraw drove the lane for another basket. After the game, DeSmet described his team as “having grit.” The following sequence is what he meant. Deegan, Lamovec, and Parker Smith all scored, taking the lead back. Neillsville recaptured the lead with two free throws. With 2:45 remaining, they sank a 3-pointer for a 4-point lead. Lamovec scored, bringing the Hounds to within two. Hoeser was fouled, sending him to the line for a one and one. He made the first but could not make the second, giving the Hounds a chance to tie. Loyal worked the ball around, trying for a shot, but were forced to take a time out with 11.2 seconds on the clock. The inbound pass was intended for Deegan, but he did not have a good look, so he passed to Smith, who squared himself to the basket and hit nothing but net.

As the Greyhounds faithful were going nuts, Neillsville had taken a time out with 2.9 left. Running the baseline, Hoeser could not get the ball to a teammate, forcing the coach to call a timeout. On the next attempt, Lamovec got a hand on the pass, but could not get off a decent game winner. They were heading to overtime.

In overtime, Lamovec made one of two free throws and followed that with a basket, giving the Hounds a 1-point lead. Hoeser again was at the line and made a free throw to tie. With 4.1 on the clock, Deegan was sent to the line to shoot two. His missed the first, but calmly sank the second. Neillsville inbounded the ball to Rakestraw. Because of his earlier heroics, every one was holding their breath as he let one fly from beyond half court. The magic was not there, as his shot was off the mark, giving the Greyhounds a hard-fought 53-52 victory.

Lamovec and Deegan led the Greyhounds in scoring with 15 points apiece. Toufar was right on their heels with 14 and a team-leading 10 rebounds. Smith finished with five points and Stieglitz rounded out the scoring with four points.

DeSmet was quick to praise his team after the game. “They showed a lot of confidence and courage,” he said. “They are always in the game.”