Tigers seal sectional title with clutch free throws

HURON -- Huron flexed some fundamentals then climbed the ladder to cut down a net. The Tigers made seven of eight free-throw attempts in the final 65 seconds and committed just one turnover in the fourth quarter of Friday's 57-51 Division II sectional final victory over Clear Fork. Sixth-seeded Huron took a bye in the first round and hosted the seventh-seeded Colts. "All the stuff we've been through with this group and we finally get to cut down the nets," said happy Huron coach Bobby James. "We got fortunate with the draw to get a home game and played a very good team." The Tigers, who played only 16 regular-season games due to coronavirus quarantines, were patient on offense and got plenty of good looks, either at the rim or 3-point line. Huron finished an even 50 percent from the field -- 19 for 38. Tyler Adams led Huron with 14 points. Jacob Lamb, Dylan Hohler and Cole Parker each had 11. "We spread it out and were able to get to the basket," James said. "We were able to dribble drive and finish at the basket or find our shooters and we ended up winning the game at the end at the free-throw line." The victory puts Huron (11-6) in the Ashland District semifinals against top-seeded Shelby at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Huron had to work for its sectional title. The Tigers bolted to a quick 6-0 lead on baskets by Lamb, Parker and Adams and led by seven three times in the first half. In a game where possessions seemed to be at a premium, the last shot of the half was huge. Huron, leading 25-22, called timeout with 4.4 seconds on the clock. Marc Hurst took the inbound pass, took a couple and found Adams cutting off a screen. The slender senior set his feet and launched a 3-pointer at the buzzer. He made it, was fouled and made his free throw with :00 on the clock. The result was a 29-22 Huron halftime lead. Adams scored 12 points in the first half. "Coach (Shayne) Fischer put that in. We've never run it this year," James said. "Tyler came off that screen feeling pretty good in the first half and he did a great job knocking it down. I haven't seen too many of those." The points proved to be very important when Clear Fork rallied in the third quarter behind Brady Tedrow, whose aggressive drives to the basket helped the Colts grab a 34-32 lead. Tedrow finished with a game-high 24 points. "The third quarter they took it right at us," James said. "We were having a hard time keep 45 (Tedrow) out of the lane." A Tedrow drive gave Clear Fork a 38-37 lead with 7:24 to play. Huron regained the lead on a Luke Rager jumper. The lead swelled to 48-42 on a Parker 3-pointer and a Hohler fast-break layup. Holding a 50-47 lead, the Tigers began the last-minute parade to the free-throw line. Lamb split a pair before Hohler, Parker and Hohler again converted both ends of one-and-ones to hold off the Colts. "I think it's been three years since we won a sectional (in Division III) so this was great," James said. CLEAR FORK (6-15) Ben Blubaugh 0 0-0 0, Luke Labaki 3 0-0 7, Jared Scott 6 1-2 13, Merritt Burgholder 3 0-0 7, Brady Tedrow 8 6-8 24. TOTALS 20 7-10 51 HURON (11-6) Jacob Lamb 4 3-4 11, Marc Hurst 0 2-2 2, Dylan Hohler 3 5-6 11, Tyler Adams 5 1-3 14, Cole Parker 3 3-4 11, Luke Rager 2 0-0 4, Luke Lagando 1 0-0 2, Tait Fischer 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 19 14-19 57 Clear Fork 10 12 14 15 -- 51Huron 14 15 8 20 -- 57 Three-point goals -- CF 4 (Tedrow 2, Labaki 1, Burgholder 1); Huron 5 (Adams 3, Parker 2)