HOLMES TOWNSHIP — A close score in a rivalry game is classic.
Hitting a shot to win it with 2.4 seconds left is an unforgettable experience.
Wynford senior Drew Johnson did just that.
With the score tied at 51-51, the ball swung to Johnson in the left corner. He launched a 3-point shot that found nothing but net to give the Royals a dramatic 54-51 victory over Bucyrus in a Northern 10 Athletic Conference game at Dr. Michael A. Johnson Gymnasium Saturday night.
That shot capped a huge night for Johnson, who finished with a game-high 20 points, including five 3s, four of which came in the climactic fourth quarter.
“On that last shot, they were focused on Weston (Prenger),” Johnson said. “He did a good job of penetrating, not worrying too much about the clock.”
In a twist of irony, Johnson received the pass from younger brother, Reed, a freshman.
“It’s kind of ideal, brother-to-brother for that last shot,” Johnson said. “I give all the credit to Wes and Reed for setting it up.”
A final wrinkle — this all unfolded in the gym named for the Johnson brothers’ grandfather.
The Royals got the ball on a Redmen turnover with 22 seconds left.
“I, at first, wanted to go at them a little bit, because we had a foul to give,” Wynford coach Adam Guinther said. “Wes was lobbying to play for the last shot.”
Guinther had faith in his senior’s judgment, and it paid off.
“Trusting the freshman — the Johnson-to-Johnson connection —freshman brother to senior brother on that last pass was awesome to stand right here to get to watch,” Guinther said.
“I’m proud of my kids for fighting,” Bucyrus coach Brian Hargis said. “I’ll take this one. That’s what I basically told them in the locker room. That end-of-game situation — that’s on me.”
It was a game of runs. Wynford (3-14, 2-10 N10) got off to a 12-4 lead to start the game, before Bucyrus (1-17, 1-11) got it back to 12-10 by period’s end.
The Redmen then used an 8-3 run to start the second quarter to take an 18-15 lead. But the Royals responded to regain a 29-23 advantage at halftime. The tone was set for the game.
Wynford was still up 36-29 when Prenger hit a 3 with 5:26 left in the third period. However, those were the last points of the frame for the Royals.
Bucyrus registered the final 12 points of the third to take a 41-36 lead after three, and the first three of the fourth period to build a 44-36 edge.
“They had a (15-0) run. I think it was 36-29 and all of a sudden it was 44-36,” Guinther said. “I didn’t take any timeouts to break the momentum. It was just kind of a weird feeling. I trust my instincts sometimes.”
“We switched to man (defense),” Hargis said of the run. “We just didn’t lose shooters in that stretch. The ball went through the hole a little bit. We got to the line.”
Prenger stopped the bleeding for the Royals with a pair of free throws and they continued by scoring seven in a row to trim the deficit to 44-43.
Lincoln Blizzard hit a 3 for Bucyrus and Demaris Munn-Page added a bucket to push the Redmen lead to 49-43 with 2:51 left and they appeared to be out of the woods.
Johnson had other ideas. The eventual hero hit 3s on back-to-back in a span of 26 seconds to tie the game at 49-49. Prenger gave the Royals the lead with a pair of free throws before Munn-Page scored to tie it at 51-51, setting the stage for Johnson’s heroics.
“I knew we could get to the rim,” Guinther said. “We had them in a little bit (of foul trouble) where we were going to get to the bonus. I thought if we could get some attacks, and we actually hit some shots.”
Prenger seconded Johnson’s 20 with 13 points and Jaxon Vance grabbed 11 rebounds.
“Credit to them,” Hargis said. “They spread it out and they took some tough shots. Johnson hit two big ones. Kudos to him.”
Munn-Page had 19 points to lead Bucyrus. Georgie Floyd added 14 points and Dylan Coppler finished with 10. Munn-Page, Coppler, and Da’Shawn Cosey had seven rebounds each.
“He’s physical. God, he’s strong, and he got to the rim on us,” Guinther said of Munn-Page. “But we were making him uncomfortable. We were playing him almost 90 degrees. We started off 45.”
The win for Wynford made it a sweep of their neighbors on the season and the significance was not lost on Guinther.
“Those are the two that you have to get if you’re going to survive here as a coach,” Guinther said. “It’s a rivalry. I’m aware of it. I’ve not been ingrained in it, but I understand what rivalries are.
“We didn’t want to make it too big, but we didn’t want to minimize it either,” Guinther added. “I thought we had a nice balance of an approach to the game.”
Bucyrus limited turnovers to eight and forced the Royals into 16. The Redmen also shot the well and still came up short, making the loss all the more frustrating for Hargis.
“The turnover battle — it’s a plus for us to be under 10,” Hargis said. “We just lost some shooters there. Credit to their guys. They’ve got some shooters. Johnson played well. Prenger played well, even the roles guys. Vance made a couple tough 3s (in) the first half. That’s what you get in a rivalry game.”
Wynford also won the junior varsity game, 51-42. Jace Stuckman had 16 points for the Royal, while Reed Johnson and Gavin Koehler had 12 each.
Ivan Pirnstill topped the Redmen with 14 points and Carter Bierce added 10.
Box score
Bucyrus 10 13 18 10 — 51
Wynford 12 17 7 18 — 54
Stats
Bucyrus (1-17, 1-11 N10): Shots 21-52; 3-pt. shots 4-14 (Demaris Munn-Page, Ivan Pirnstill, Lincoln Blizzard, Georgie Floyd); Free throws 5-12; Rebounds 26 (Demaris Munn-Page 7, Dylan Coppler 7, Da’Shawn Cosey 7); Turnovers 8. Scoring: Demarius Munn-Page 8 2 19, Ivan Pirnstill 1 0 3, Lincoln Blizzard 1 0 3, Georgie Floyd 6 1 14, Dylan Coppler 4 2 10, Carson Witten 1 0 2.
Wynford (3-14, 2-10 N10): Shots 18-47; 3-pt. shots 10-30 (Drew Johnson 5, Wes Prenger 2, Jaxon Vance 2, Hunter Routson); Free throws 8-12; Rebounds 39 (Jaxon Vance 11, Wes Prenger 9); Turnovers 16. Scoring: Drew Stanek 2 2 8, Wes Prenger 3 5 13, Hunter Routson 1 0 3, Jaxon Vance 3 0 8, Drew Johnson 7 1 20, Reed Johnson 1 0 2.
JV: Wynford 51-42.