Published: December 30, 2008 11:52 pm      

Wildkats rally to force overtime, then fade

WESTFIELD — With 1:57 left in the third quarter Kokomo looked beat in its first ever visit to Westfield. The hosts held an 18 point lead and Kokomo lacked energy on both ends of the floor.

From that moment forward, the Kats began a furious rally thanks to relentless full-court pressure and timely shooting. They would ultimately send the game to overtime, but fell short, suffering their fourth consecutive loss 73-68.

“We needed one stop with 13 seconds left,” said Kokomo coach Brian McCauley. “We needed to contest that shot with 13 seconds left and get the rebound and we didn’t. Now we simply have to move forward. The guys have to realize that they can’t just turn on a switch at game time and expect to win. They have to be ready every night.”

That one stop McCauley referred to came at the end of regulation. Patrick Hopkins had completed the comeback by tipping in Tyrone Brown’s miss with 13 seconds left to give Kokomo a 60-59 lead. It was Kokomo’s first lead since 2-0 and Hopkins’ basket was the final points of a 15-3 run over the final five minutes of regulation.

Westfield still had time and it looked to center Jeff Howard to get the lead back. Howard drove to the basket and was fouled by Hopkins with 2.6 seconds left. He would hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Colton Summers nearly ended things even more dramatically with a desperation heave from 80 feet away that hit the front of the rim.

Unfortunately the foul on Hopkins was his fifth and he had to take his game high 20 points and 11 rebounds to the bench. It was Hopkins’ first game after an ankle injury suffered Dec. 19 against Marion. Kokomo missed his interior presence greatly in the extra session as Howard and Zach Mally made the Kats pay on the offensive glass.

The teams traded the lead throughout the overtime session. Kokomo’s final lead came on a backdoor cut by Brown that made it 65-64 with 2:30 left, but Westfield answered with consecutive baskets by Adam Albright and Mally. Kokomo only managed a 3-pointer by Summers the rest of the way as Westfield hit on five of eight free throws to salt it away.

The bulk of the comeback was accomplished by Kokomo’s relentless pressure in the final 10 minutes. Kokomo finished the game with 12 steals, mostly by Hopkins and Arnett as the Kats barely allowed Westfield across the halfcourt line in the final quarter. Senior Ben Yeoman also played some large minutes defensively.

“Ben Yeoman is a case of a senior getting an opportunity and taking it,” said McCauley. “He is a great defender and came in without a ton of minutes. He took that opportunity and ran with it.”

The Kats placed four players in double figures as Arnett finished with 14 and Summers and Brown each had 11. Mally led all scorers with 21 on 9 of 14 shooting mostly inside. Jordan Meinen was particularly strong with 12 points on four 3-pointers. Three of those came on consecutive possessions in the third quarter that allowed Westfield to build its lead.

Kats change tip-off time vs. Noblesville

Kokomo High School Athletic Director Mike Wade picks his battles wisely. He’s opted not to take on the Indianapolis Colts.

Kokomo’s boys basketball team was to host Noblesville Saturday night. That game time has been changed to a 4 p.m. JV start (5:30 varsity) with the idea that fans from both schools will be able to get home in time to see the Colts and San Diego Chargers AFC playoff game that airs at 8 o’clock.

The Wildkats also play Friday night, hosting Frankfort. That game carries the normal 6 p.m. JV start.