Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

The Boys Basketball goes 1-1 at Cascade. On Friday Night the Boys Basketball Team traveled to Cascade and came away with a 51-46 win. The night started off well as Webo took the lead early and ended up leading at halftime by 3. The Stars then found themselves trailing by 1 to start the 4th quarter but timely stops and hustle plays led to the Stars pulling out the victory. Scoring for the Stars was Levi LeGrange 16, Luke Barta 15, Josiah Smith 10, Marcus Stepp 5, Marcus Fortner 4 and Gavin Hawkins 1. The JV Stars fell to Cascade 48-46 on a rebound and put back at the buzzer. Scoring for the JV Stars was Tristyn Faulk 25, Eli Mitchell 9, Marcus Fortner 4, Drew Gott 4, Gavin Hawkins 2, and Jackson Grimes 2. On Saturday the JV Stars beat Sheridan 50-48. The JV Stars trailed after the 1st quarter but took the lead in the 2nd and never looked back. Scoring for the JV Stars was Tristyn Faulk 18, Luke Adkins 12, Eli Mitchell 8, Drew Gott 4, Carter Hanna 4, Marcus Fortner 2, and Gavin Hawkins 2. Saturday, February 18th vs. Sheridan DOVER – What was setting up for a memorable senior night win, turned sour for the Western Boone boys basketball team on Saturday night. After fighting back from a double-digit deficit to take a lead with 15 seconds remaining, Western Boone was called for a foul on a desperation three-point attempt with a second left leading by one. Sheridan sophomore Owen Bell made two of the three free throws, giving the visiting Blackhawks a 42-41 win. “It was kind of the story of our season the entire game,” Western Boone head coach Dustin Oakley said. “The whole game, every loose ball, every crucial stop and rebound we needed – we just couldn’t get it. They got a tip out on a rebound and Marcus was just trying to get a rebound and making a play and accidentally bumped him. We let the refs make a call and it is what it is.” Western Boone trailed most of the game, falling behind by eight at the quarter and six at the half. Sheridan led by as many as 12 in the third quarter before the Stars started to chip away. WeBo took a 36-35 lead with three minutes left, before Sheridan came back with a 3-pointer to make it 38-36. The Stars had the response, with Levi LaGrange hitting a corner 3 to put the Stars up 39-38 with 2:23 to go. Sheridan reclaimed the lead on the next possession, and after a couple of empty possessions on both sides, LaGrange with 15.6 seconds left to give Western Boone a 41-40 lead. Sheridan came down and missed their initial shot, but back tapped the rebound and in a scramble for the ball picked up attempted an off-balance 3-pointer with 1.0 seconds left. Bell was bumped on the shot, and after missing the first free throw, made the final two to win the game. “We finally hit a few jump shots in the fourth quarter and they were playing a 2-3 (zone) that allowed us to attack the gaps and get to the basket,” Oakley said. “We got good looks and got to the line. We got some stops too. It felt like we were down 20 the whole game, and we fought back, held a team to 42 points and couldn’t win the game. It’s just tough.” LaGrange had 12 points and Kaden Bennington had 11 for the Stars. Before the game, Western Boone honored their seniors for their contributions to the program. “They are great athletes and they are so committed to what we do,” Oakley said. “The things they show the younger kids on how to commit in the off-season and in the summer – they have set the tone for the younger groups. They’ve been great examples and great young men for our program. It was tough to lose this game.” Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.