The Adair County Indians (28-5) knew this was the game to bring their all, and they did. The opening round of the 5th Region Boys Basketball Tournament was a game for the books for the Tribe, going up against a tough Central Hardin (19-11). The Indians made a second half show and throttled Central Hardin on the glass, and came out victorious with a score of 69-52.
With the sound of the buzzer, the Adair County Indians officially began their journey back to Rupp Arena. Senior forward Isaiah Cochran dominated and led all scorers with a double-double, 21 points and 13 rebounds. The line up added senior forward Brayton Coomer who cemented 15 points of his own. Also contributing were the two senior guards, Connor Loy and Lane Grant, Loy chipped in 12 points, and Grant who tossed in nine. Junior playmaker Dawson Gilbert came onto the court and aided the score with six points. After going toe-to-toe early on with Central Hardin in the beginning, the Indians began to fall behind when it came to making baskets, trailing 14-8. Going into the second period, the Indians knew they needed to put a plan into action.
The second quarter led to some adjustments for Adair County, making sure they were able to come back from their eight first half turnovers. The Indians were able to pull into the lead by a single digit, going into halftime with a tilt of 22-21. Little did anyone know, in the locker room head coach Deron Breeze, (in his 10th season), was making adjustments and laying out the framework for the last sixteen minutes of the game.
“They were jumping up on us by nine,” Breeze said. “That was kind of scaring me. Though we were responding well. We didn’t try and get the whole nine point deficit back in one possession, we knew we just needed to keep chipping at it and chipping at it, to finally take care of it.”
Returning to the court with a new mindset, the Indians produced a ravishing second half. On the defensive boards, Adair County created some major plays on the hardwood, holding the Bruins to only four defensive rebounds during the second half. Senior Carter White pushed Adair County to a nine point lead against Central 41-32 at the end of three-quarters to play. Heading into the final stretch, the team had a plan to keep the score up and growing, not taking anything for granted.
“I thought we were playing well,” White said. “We had a big stop at the end of the first half that kind of got us some momentum going into the second.”
Adair County played the final portion with everything they had, leading by double digits at the 5:48 mark in the final stanza. Keeping their heads in the game, Adair County played the final portion with everything they had. The Indians led by as many as 19, securing their win against Central Hardin, winning by final tally of 69-52. The Tribe now advances to the semifinals of the 5th Region Tournament held at Marion County.
Adair County shot 23-42 from the field for the game, and out rebounded the Bruins 19-4 in the second half alone. The Tribe also laced in 22 of 25 free throws throughout the game.
The next round the Indians will be playing is on March 17th at 4:30 pm central time at the Roby Dome in Marion County. They will be pitted up against the Colonels of Caverna, who won their match against Bardstown 66-42, during the opening round of the 5th Region Boys Tournament.
(By: Jenna George)