Mishawaka seniors again have Riley’s number, this time for 45-43 OT sectional title win

MISHAWAKA – The visiting Mishawaka Cavemen boys basketball team rode the shoulders of its senior class to a second straight Class 4A-Sectional 3 championship over host South Bend Riley Saturday night at The Cave.

The designated visitors for the game between conference co-champions, Mishawaka saw 6-foot-4 senior forward Brady Fisher sink three free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime where 6-foot-4 senior forward Trey Thomas hit the second of two free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Cavemen past No. 11 South Bend Riley, 45-43.

The victory moved coach Bodie Bender’s 19-7 Cavemen, which shared the Northern Lakes Conference title, into next Saturday’s Class 4A regional at Michigan City High School where they will meet 22-4 East Chicago Central, which won its own sectional with a 56-52 victory over Munster. Tipoff is at 5 p.m. (ET). It ended a remarkable season for coach Alex Daniel’s 21-5 Riley, which shared the Northern Indiana crown with Marian.

“I thought for us, we limited them from getting to the paint — Riley thrives on Payton Baird and Marvin Schindler getting to the paint,” Bender added. “Offensively, we did a good job working the basketball, getting some shots inside.”

More: Host Cavemen, Wildcats survive scares to play again for 4A-3 Sectional title

The Mishawaka coach brought his team into The Cave Saturday morning to talk things over about the evening’s game and then to shoot free throws for 20 minutes. In Friday’s 41-37 semifinal victory over South Bend Adams, Mishawaka made just nine of 23 from the line. Saturday, it finished 8 of 13.

“I wasn’t thinking about making the free throws, I was thinking on how we’d defend them after they went in,” said the confident Fisher. He finished with a team-high 14 points, and Thomas added 7 points.

But their efforts would have been wasted if not for the efforts of fellow seniors Cooper Pritchett and Rasauun Johnson. Pritchett had 8 points and grabbed his game-high 10^th and last rebound as time expired following Schindler’s final shot miss for Riley. Johnson, who missed the first two Mishawaka sectional victories for disciplinary reasons, made three baskets in the four-minute extra session as Mishawaka outscored Riley 7-5.

More: South Bend area IHSAA boys basketball sectional scores, pairings, tipoff times

“We knew we had to get every board we can, limit them to one shot,” Pritchett said. “We did that really well.”

Fisher agreed. “Cooper is one of those guys who will hustle for every ball,” Fisher continued. “But Rasauun’s presence in overtime was huge.”

Though he watched Mishawaka’s opening victories over LaPorte and Adams in street clothes, Johnson kept himself ready. Bender went to him in the first quarter, and though he missed four shots in the second quarter, Johnson came through in overtime.

“It’s been a tough week,” Johnson said. “When I got a chance to go out there, I was going to fight through the storm. I knew I wasn’t going to give up on this team. I love these guys.”

It’s the second consecutive Class 4A-Sectional 3 title over Riley for second-year coach Bender and his Cavemen, who beat the Wildcats 71-58 last season in the sectional title game at LaPorte High School. Mishawaka’s 2022-23 season then ended with a 59-46 regional loss to Hammond Central. Saturday’s victory also avenged a 62-49 setback to Riley Dec. 22 in the Phil Cox Memorial Holiday Tournament at Kokomo High School

Daniel’s Wildcats got a game-high 15 points by 6-foot-5 senior Payton Baird and 12 points by junior point guard Schindler.

“After a while, it’s not about this game but everything they did this year,” a disappointed Daniel said after the final game for Riley seniors Baird, Mancell Hill, Ayden Kent and LaPriee Gross. “After the effort they put in and all they did to get to this point, it stinks not to have a chance to move on. But I’m proud of them. The last-second shot just didn’t fall.”

Led by Pritchett’s game-high 10 rebounds, Mishawaka outrebounded Riley 28-24. Though the Wildcats hit seven three-pointers, the Cavemen outshot them 47.2 percent to 37.2 percent from the field.

Riley hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter, but Mishawaka rallied from an 8-2 deficit to escape with a 14-14 tie after the first quarter. The Wildcats took a 21-20 halftime lead on Baird’s baseline reverse basket and then used an 8-0 run to close out the third quarter with a 33-26 lead.

But the Cavemen didn’t panic, erasing the deficit with their own 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter for a 35-33 lead on Pritchett’s rebound bucket with 4:03 remaining in regulation. The lead seesawed back and forth until Riley’s Kishawn Wright gave his team a seemingly comfortable 3-point lead, 38-35, with the second of two free throws with 14.9 left.

But Fisher was fouled by Kent (his fifth of the game) while shooting a possible tying 3-pointer. Fisher made the first two, then after Daniel called a timeout, made the final one. Johnson then stole the inbounds pass by Riley but saw his game-winning effort from the corner fall short, sending the game into overtime tied at 38-38.

Riley twice had the lead in the extra session — the first time on Schindler’s second 3-pointer for a 41-40 lead at 3:05 of the overtime period and 43-42 on a Baird bucket with 1:21 left. But Johnson answered both with driving layups and Johnson then found an open Thomas, who was fouled with 8.2 remaining. After missing his first, Thomas made the second for a 45-43 lead that stood up after Schindler’s miss and Pritchett’s final rebound.

MISHAWAKA 45, SOUTH BEND RILEY 43 (OT)

At The Cave, Mishawaka High School

MISHAWAKA (45): Brady Fisher 14, Cooper Pritchett 8, Trey Thomas 7, Anthony Nelson 2, Jackson Snyder 8, Jack Troyer 0, Rasauun Johnson 6, Landon Johns 0, TOTALS 17 8-13 45.

SOUTH BEND RILEY (43): Marvin Schindler 12, Mancell Hill 7, Ayden Kent 0, Payton Baird 15, Jaylen Barbara 5, Brandon Williams 3, Kishawn Wright 1, TOTALS 16 4-7 43.

Mishawaka | 14 | 20 | 26 | 38 | 45

South Bend Riley | 14 | 21 | 33 | 38 | 43

3-point goals: Mishawaka 3 (Snyder 2, Fisher 1), Riley 7 (Baird 2, Schindler 2, Barbara 1, Williams 1, Hill 1). Shooting: Mishawaka 17 of 36 for 47.2 percent; Riley 16 of 43 for 37.2 percent. Rebounds: Mishawaka 28 (Pritchett 10), Riley 24 (Hill 5, Baird 5, Barbara 5). Turnovers: Mishawaka 9, Riley 5. Total fouls (fouled out): Mishawaka 9 (none), Riley 12 (Kent). Records: Mishawaka 19-7, Riley 21-5.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA 4A sectional Mishawaka vs. South Bend Riley final score