Cubs down Leopold in boys hoops thriller

BELL CITY, Mo. -- It was another banner night for the Johnson family at the Bell City gym, and this one belonged to Terrance.

The junior guard tossed in a desperation 3-point shot at the buzzer, completing a play that traveled the length of the floor in 4 seconds, to force overtime, and Bell City went on to defeat visiting Leopold 66-64.

Johnson stunned the Wildcats with his dramatic shot in the same gymnasium where his siblings have starred for years. His two older brothers, Dominitrix and Melvin, have their name on state basketball banners in the gym, while his sophomore sister Jasmine, an all-state volleyball player, has her name on a state volleyball banner as well.

Dominitrix, an all-state point guard, led Bell City to its only two state championships (2002, 2004), while Melvin was among the school's leading scorers last season and helped the Cubs to a third-place finish in 2007.

"We expect a lot out of him [Terrance] and we put a lot of pressure on him," Bell City coach Chris Miller said. "And he has a lot of expectations with his family."

Bell City's Terrance Johnson lets fly with a 3-pointer against Leopold to send the game into overtime Friday in Bell City, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

Johnson played JV last year and started the first couple of games this season, but the Cubs have been going with a little taller lineup as of late. Johnson, who is listed at 5 foot 7, didn't start Friday, but he hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with eight points.

"[Coach] wanted me to come off the bench," Johnson said. "I guess if we need a big shot, I'm the guy."

Johnson said the basket definitely was the biggest one of his career.

With Leopold leading 56-53, hopes were higher than expectations as Bell City's Leonard Schaefer prepared to make a desperation heave from his own baseline with 4 seconds left. The Cubs had trailed since Leopold's Anthony Seabaugh broke a 50-50 tie with a conventional three-point play with 2:37 left, and Bell City was down to its last chance.

"[Coach] just wanted us two shooters to start low and then just go, and then just throw it down there," Johnson said.

Schaefer, who was not guarded on the inbounds, launched a long throw to the left side that Johnson caught about two-thirds of the way down the court. Johnson then took a couple of dribbles toward the baseline as he tried to free himself from a couple of Wildcats and heaved the shot that went through the rim as the buzzer sounded.

"It was crazy," said Bell City 7-footer Skylor Blackler, who finished with 21 points. "He throws that stuff up there in practice every day and a lot of it goes in. I was just glad he was able to get the bucket."

Miller said the play went off without a hitch.

"That was probably the first time all year we had a play go exactly as we designed it," Miller said.

The victory improved Bell City's record to 2-3, while Leopold fell to 3-2.

"Give Bell City credit," Leopold coach Shawn Kinder said. "They got the ball down the floor and got a shot up."

Kinder said in hindsight he should have put the 6-6 Seabaugh on the baseline to guard the inbounds pass, but he was more bothered by two missed free throws in the last 26 seconds of regulation.

"If we would of hit free throws, the game would of been over," Kinder said. "[Southeast Missouri State coach] Ron Shumate used to say, 'Free throws don't win all the games, but they win all the close ones.' And there's a lot of truth to that."

Bell City was on the winning end of that adage. Blackler scored five of the Cubs' 10 points in overtime. All five of his points in overtime came on free throws after he went 0 for 4 from the line during regulation.

"Free throws is one of the things I've really been trying to work on, but I couldn't get one to drop today," Blackler said. "I was shooting them in warmups and I was shooting them before the JV game. I was glad I was able to get a couple to fall when they really, really mattered."

Blackler was a force on the boards, with many of his points coming off rebounds.

"He's a house," Kinder said. "He's a load for anybody -- any two of us. We figured he'd get his."

Jeff Long, the only other Bell City player in double figures, finished with a team-high 23 points.

"Their guards, I thought they did a good job of stepping up and knocking down big shots," Kinder said. "I haven't seen that out of them earlier this season, and they did tonight."

A pair of Blackler free throws broke a 62-62 deadlock with 54 seconds remaining in overtime. Leopold freshman Kyle Stroder, making his first varsity start, tied the game at 64-64 when he connected on a short jumper in the lane with 22 seconds left.

Blackler was fouled on Bell City's next possession, and the senior swished both attempts with 6 seconds left for a 66-64 lead.

Leopold came up short on its attempt to win the game as Lance Seiler missed on a 22-footer from the top of the key as time expired.

Bell City's only other victory came against Kelly, and Miller said the Cubs played their worst game of the year earlier this week in a 26-point loss to Advance. Blackler scored 21 points in that game,

"We've really been down and we haven't been playing good defense," Blackler said. "We just haven't really been competing. And tonight we came out and were a totally different team. We played unselfish and we played together for probably the first time all season, and it worked out for us."

Leopold 18 17 10 16 8 -- 64

Bell City 17 16 10 13 10 -- 66

LEOPOLD (64) -- Kyle Stroder 9, David Fluchel 10, Ryan Davis 2, John Bohnsack 17, Lance Seiler 9, Anthony Seabaugh 17. FG 23, FT 15-22, F 18. (3-pointers: Stroder 1, Bohnsack 2. Fouled out: none)

BELL CITY (66) -- Skylor Blackler 21, Jason Hess 2, Terrence Liggins 2, Leonard Schaefer 6, Terrance Johnson 8, Jeff Long 23. FG 24, FT 15-24, F 16. (3-pointers: Schaefer 1, Johnson 2. Fouled out: Hess)