Warriors win opener in double OT

FORTVILLE

If Tuesday’s season opener between Mt. Vernon (Fortville) and Whiteland is any indication, it could be a very interesting 2016-17 boys basketball season for both teams.

It took all 32 minutes of regulation and then two overtimes to declare a winner. When the dust settled, it was the visiting Warriors emerging with a 75-70 victory against the Marauders.

Whiteland’s win came thanks to a balanced scoring attack and timely shooting from the free-throw line down the stretch.

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The Warriors had four players score in double figures, and they were 9 of 10 from the free-throw line in the two overtime periods.

Both teams had chances to end the game in regulation. Mt. Vernon’s Michael Ertel, who finished with 30 points before fouling out in the second overtime period, missed a jumper, and James McCloud, who finished with 13, missed a putback that would’ve propelled the Marauders to the win.

In the first overtime, Mt. Vernon raced out to a 56-54 lead after a pair of free throws from Logan Smith. The Marauders still held a 57-56 lead with fewer than two minutes to go, but Whiteland senior Michael Valle scored two of his team-high 18 points with 14 seconds left to knot the game at 58-58 and send it to another extra period.

In the second overtime, Whiteland’s balanced scoring attack became too much for Mt. Vernon to handle, as Aaron Gross knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 63-60 lead they did not relinquish. Gross scored eight of his 16 points in the second overtime.

Ertel had 17 points in the first half for Mt. Vernon, but Valle and Brennan Neal each scored 12 at the other end to help the Warriors to a 35-32 lead at the break. Whiteland closed out the half on a 10-5 run.

A three-point play by Ertel gave Mt. Vernon a 44-43 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation — but Whiteland refused to go away quietly. The Warriors got baskets out of both Gross and Riley Higdon en route to a 54-52 advantage with just more than three minutes to go.