Firebirds senior Nathan Dudukovich missed the second of two free throws with 23.7 seconds left in the game, but Lakota West senior forward Christopher Barber alertly challenged for the rebound and turned it into a scrum that produced a loose ball. Dudukovoich recovered it and turned it into a wide-open layup for the go-ahead points.
“He’ll tell you he tried to miss that second free throw,” Lakota West coach Jim Leon joked after the game. “Hustle plays make the difference.”
“I definitely did not try to miss it,” said Dudukovich, who finished with a team-high 12 points. “That was a great hustle play by Barber. I knew I had to get that loose ball.”
Great pre-game pic courtesy of @MichelleLloyd77 @LakotaEastAD pic.twitter.com/CDbbqC07Pi
— Scott Kaufman (@LakotaWestAD) January 21, 2023
Barber also partially blocked sophomore guard Trey Perry’s desperation jumper from the left baseline at the buzzer to seal the win.
Lakota East, which won at Lakota West, 59-46, on Dec. 16, went 4-of-16 from the field in the second half, including 2-of-5 on 3-pointers. Junior forward Derek Jackson produced the Thunderhawks’ only fourth-quarter point on a free throw with two minutes left in the game.
“Everyone’s going to be talking about Dudukovich’s play, but at some point, you’ve got to make shots,” Lakota East coach Clint Adkins said. “We had turnovers on three straight possessions. It hurts. That last play hurts, but we scored one point in the fourth quarter.”
Lakota East slipped to 7-8 overall and 5-5 in the GMC going into a game at Middletown on Tuesday. Lakota West had lost six of its last seven games and is scheduled to play at first-place Fairfield on Tuesday.
“This could make a huge difference for us,” Leon said, noting that Fairfield has won 22 straight home games. “We beat Sycamore at Sycamore, and they’re a good team. It’s been a struggle, but hopefully, we’re turning the corner. At this point, it’s all about the tournament – tournament, tournament, tournament.”
A capacity crowd filled the 2,400-seat Lakota East gym. The school stopped selling tickets before the game started, and most of the Lakota East students wore orange T-shirts and many of the coaches donned some piece of orange apparel in support of the Dragonfly Foundation, which helps pediatric cancer patients and their families.
They saw a gritty basketball game. Both teams set season lows in scoring. Sophomore guard Trey Perry led Lakota East with 12 points despite missing six of eight 3-point shots. Lakota West survived missing six of 11 free throws.
“If you don’t play great defense, it’s going to be a short tournament,” Leon said.
Senior guard Julian Mitchell scored six points to lead Lakota East to a 23-20 halftime lead. The Thunderhawks led by as many as six points, 23-17, with 1:23 left in the half before Bryson Curry sank the first of two free throws and missed the second, which was rebounded by the Firebirds, setting up Lavender’s six-foot jumper with 13.3 seconds left in the half.
Dudukovich, who scored four points in Lakota West’s 57-43 non-conference loss at Kettering Fairmont on Monday, also had six on two 3-pointers for the Firebirds before halftime.
The Thunderhawks went 5-for-9 on 3-pointers in the first half, led by Mitchell’s 2-for-2.
Lakota East increased its lead to a game-high seven points, 28-21, on Mitchell’s 3-pointer with 5:38 left in the third quarter.
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