The Nashville Hornets battled back a nail-biting last two minutes in regulation to own overtime and defeat conference foe Pinckneyville 51-42 in the Class 2A regional championship in DuQuoin Friday night.
The Hornets led by as much as 15 points in the second quarter, but the Panthers were able to claw their way back into the contest during the second half. The last two minutes in the fourth quarter was especially harrowing with Pinckneyville inching closer. The Panthers took a 36-34 lead with 20 seconds left when senior Saxton Hoepker was able to scoop up an offensive rebound and lay it in for a “and one” opportunity.
While Hoepker did not connect on the free throw shot, the momentum was enough to propel the Hornets later on. In overtime, Nashville took over and never looked back. Senior Isaac Turner scored five points — one Hail Mary deep three and another incredible prayer that went in –to give the Hornets the lead.
Turner finished with a game high 28 points, and Hoepker put up 10. Other scores for the Hornets included Carter Schoenherr with 9.
Check out Hoepker’s game-tying shot that sent the game into overtime.
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