Furious rally gives Vandals upset OT win in regional semifinals

PANA — Facing a 17-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter made it seem that the Vandalia boys basketball season was all but over.

A 16-0 run, which lasted just 2:09 and was sparked by a seven-point possession 1:30 into the final period, changed the dynamics dramatically, and helped the Vandals tie the game at 49 and eventually win 55-52 in overtime.

"We never quit and kept battling," said coach Kevin Jackson. "I'm not sure where it came from, but it was a great job by those guys in that locker room. It was just a great job."

The seven points came after senior Bryan Hosick was fouled while shooting, but he then received two more free throws because Carlyle's Hunter Hartung was also given a technical foul.

He made all four shots, and junior Leyton Godoyo secured a three-point play 15 seconds later.

"You can't beat it, can you?" Jackson said. "That started the whole rally. We had been struggling to score, and when you get four free throws, you get some life."

Vandalia forced Carlyle to turn over the ball six times in the next two minutes, adding eight points off of those miscues, including five more from Godoyo, who had 10 points.

Senior Dathan Berning led the team in scoring, with 15 points, but a play he made with five seconds left in the overtime period was his best contribution.

The Vandals were clinging to a 53-52 lead when Godoyo missed a pair of free throws with 8.3 seconds left, but Berning managed to come down with an offensive rebound off Godoyo's miss, and then made two free throws himself to give the Vandals a three-point cushion with 5.8 seconds remaining.

Then came a scary moment, however, as senior Quenten Austin, who scored the first basket of overtime just three seconds after the extra period starter, committed a foul on an attempted 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Carlyle's Jordan Smith was unable to convert on the first shot, however, giving the Vandals the win and their first appearance in a regional championship game since the 2009-10 season.

In that game, the Vandals meet Pana, which has defeated the Vandals three times this season, including a 64-43 decision last Saturday.

"We haven't (beat Pana), but our guys believe they can," Jackson said.

The game is on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Pana. Also on Friday, senior Joey Dunn will shoot in the regional finals of the Country Financial 3-point shootout.