Trojans defeat McClean County in double overtime

By CHARLIE HUST

Fueled by a career-high 33 points from Max McMain, the WCHS Trojans out-lasted McLean County 90-85 in double-overtime last Tuesday night in Calhoun. It was Webster’s third straight win.

The junior guard drilled a career-best seven 3-pointers, nailing 7-of-10 attempts from behind the arc. He also added four assists and three rebounds.

“Wow, what a game. One of the best offensive games I’ve seen or been a part of,” stated WCHS head coach Jon Newton. 

The see-saw battle saw Webster cling to a slim lead most of the way, holding a 14-13 edge at the first break and a 29-28 advantage at intermission. Senior center J. D. Newton had the hot hand early, hitting back-to-back jumpers to start the game. Then the Trojans rode the hot shooting of McMain the remainder of the first half, hitting six 3-pointers.

“I could tell early that Max had a good rhythm to his shot and he was feeling very comfortable,” stated Newton.

McLean senior Will Hudson heated up in the third quarter and scored 10 of his team-high 24 points to give McLean a 19-17 edge and tie the game at 46-all heading into the final eight minutes.

And that final quarter was a ‘shoot-out’ as the Trojans’ got a 3-pointer from McMain and a rebound-putback from J. D. Newton to earn a 68-65 lead with 0:10.5 left in the game. But Hudson nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into the first extra period.

Webster (3-2) drew first blood in first overtime on back-to-back baskets from Mason Roland and Zac Shoulders. But again the Cougars rallied and tied the game at 77-77 to force the second extra period.

The Trojans used their depth and accurate free throw shooting in the final five minutes to claim the victory.

“I’m very proud of the guys for the way they played and their composure down the stretch. We should have put it away (victory) in regulation and then in the first overtime, but poor blocking out and rebounding cost us time-and-time again,” Newton continued. “You have to give McLean credit, they’ve got guys that have started now for 3-4 years and they really have a tough team. They were coming off of a big, 27-point win over defending Region 3 champions Ohio County.”

Roland turned another solid performance with 21 points and a team leading seven assists. J. D. Newton contributed with a season-high 18 points plus five rebounds and four steals. Zac Shoulders was also in double figures with 13 points plus five assists. Jake Fritz added three points while Cole Hazelwood concluded the scoring with two points.

“I thought our guys took several steps in the right direction tonight especially overcoming the adversity and getting the big road win,” said Newton. “We had great balanced scoring and I was very pleased with how we fought throughout the game.”

Webster was 28-of-55 (50%) from the field, including 8-of-19 from behind the 3-point arc. Roland led the Trojans at the free throw line, hitting 13-of-16 attempts with most of those coming in the crucial overtime periods. Webster finished 26-for-37 from the charity stripe while the Cougars were 17-for-27 from the line and 8-for-23 from 3-point territory.

McLean County (3-3) held a huge 33-20 rebounding edge but couldn’t handle the Trojans’ relentless defensive pressure, committing 18 turnovers compared to only five for WCHS.