Squire Boys Win Overtime Thriller; Claim County Title
03 Jan 2008

Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it any better.
The team with the worst record in the tournament, with a head coach walking the sideline for the first time in three weeks due to an automobile accident, not only wins the county championship, they do it in dramatic fashion, at the buzzer, in overtime, Hollywood style.
Spenser Penrod’s 15 footer as time expired in overtime gave the Squires an improbable county championship over Northfield 55-54.
With 6.9 seconds remaining in overtime, Northfield’s Jordan Culver hit two free throws to give the Norse a 54-53 lead.
Penrod got the inbounds pass, drove right down the middle of the floor, stopped near the free throw line, and let his shot go.
“It felt good the second it left my hand,” Penrod said.
The shot was good, hitting nothing but net, sending the Squires and their fans into pandemonium.
Penrod has dreamt about this moment his entire life.
“Every kid imagines this situation,” Penrod said. “You go out and shoot for a while, and that last shot is always a buzzer beater. If you can hit more than you miss, when you get into a situation like this, chances are you are going to make it. We’re on top of the world right now, the whole team is.”
Dan Bourne, who was named the tournament’s MVP, couldn’t have been happier for Penrod, and for the team.
“When he shot it, I thought, ‘Please, God, let it go in,’” the Squire senior said. “We deserve one.”
Squire coach Gary Goshert was glad Penrod got a second shot at it, after missing a shot at the buzzer at the end of regulation.
“In both of those situations, we didn’t have as much time as we would have liked,” Goshert said. “He missed it the first time, but got a little deeper the second time, and he made it.”
Manchester controlled the game from the start, finishing the first quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 13-8 lead. David Cable got an offensive rebound put back, followed by a three pointer, while Aaron Medley scored on a dish from Nolan Holloway to end the run.
Cable was 6-6 from the field, including two three pointers.
Northfield kept it close in the second quarter, cutting the lead to 18-17, but the Squires pulled ahead 26-20 at halftime, thanks to an 8-3 run, including a basket and free throw from Cornelius Cuffy, a basket from Bourne, and a three pointer from Corey Thomas.
The Squires tried to pull away early in the second half, as Bourne and Cable both hit three pointers, but the Norse answered every Squire basket with a score of their own.
Hollywood came calling in the fourth quarter, as every good script needs a conflict to overcome. For the Squires, it was rebounding and free throws.
The Squires gave up 10 offensive rebounds to the Norse in the fourth quarter, and missed eight free throws.
“It was tough for us because we had tremendous problems on the defensive boards,” Goshert said. “Obviously, we showed a lot of character, and didn’t fold up the tent, so to speak.”
Northfield, however, had their own problems, missing nine three pointers in the fourth quarter.
A 15 second stretch in the fourth quarter was a microcosm of the struggles for both teams.
With the Squires leading 45-43, Culver missed a three pointer, but Nathan VanDuyne grabbed the offensive rebound and scored, getting fouled in the process, tying it up at 45-45. He missed the free throw, but was able to get the rebound, and was fouled again.
He hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Corey Thomas grabbed the rebound for Manchester, and was fouled.
Thomas missed the first free throw, but tied the game up at 46-46 with 1:05 remaining.
Northfield held the ball for the final shot, but turned it over with six seconds remaining, leading to Penrod’s final shot of regulation, which just missed.
In the overtime period, VanDuyne scored inside, but Medley answered with two free throws.
VanDuyne scored again to give the Norse a 50-48 lead, but Penrod gave the Squires a 51-50 lead with a three pointer with 2:18 left in overtime.
VanDuyne gave the lead back to the Norse with two free throws with 20.8 seconds remaining.
Bourne got the ball on the right baseline, and drove to the hoop, getting fouled, and giving the lead back to the Squires with two free throws with14.1 seconds remaining.
Culver drove to the basket with 6.9 seconds left, and put Northfield ahead once again with two free throws, leading to Penrod’s heroics.
“Northfield is an excellent basketball team,” Goshert said. “For us to come here, doing what we’ve been doing…we are a work in progress. We’re still working on the little things, but we’re getting better.
“There is nothing like the county tourney championship to give them a little confidence, not only in each other, but in the whole system, and it’s going to do nothing but help us,” Goshert added.
“We played like a team, and that’s the key,” Cable said, echoing his coach’s sentiments. “If we can play like we played tonight, we can play with anybody. When we play like a team, we are one of the best out there. Winning County is huge.”
Freshman Cornelius Cuffy, playing in his first Wabash County Tournament was happy for the seniors, who had never beaten Northfield, going back to seventh grade.
“I’m a freshman, this is the seniors’ year,” Cuffy said. “I don’t look to score, I just pick up rebounds. I’m getting used to playing with all these guys.
“I kind of got the picture of how big this is from the crowd that came tonight,” he continued. “We like that our fans showed a lot of support. Everybody on the team really appreciates the support…we really need it throughout the season.”
“This is a special time every year,” Goshert concluded. “After this, I know these guys can believe in themselves.”
Bourne led the Squires with 20 points and five rebounds, while Cable had 14 points and eight rebounds. Penrod had seven points, Medley had five points and three rebounds, Corey Thomas had four points, five rebounds, and four assists, Cuffy had three points and four rebounds, and Nolan Holloway had two points and five assists.