With 3.9 seconds left and the ball in their hands, the Mount Vernon sophomore boys basketball team had one final chance to flip the outcome.
Instead, Center Point-Urbana escaped with a 56-55 win Friday night at Center Point-Urbana High School, handing the visitors a one-point loss in a rematch circled on the schedule since the previous week.
The Feb. 13 matchup came eight days after an eight-point loss to Center Point-Urbana, a game in which the sophomore squad struggled offensively. At 11-3 entering Friday, the team viewed the rematch as an opportunity to respond.
“We played CPU, and this game was very important because we lost to them last time and tried to make a statement,” guard Brendan McNeal said.
Center Point-Urbana dictated the pace early. The home team pushed the ball in transition and built a double-digit lead in the first quarter, forcing the visitors to regroup.
“CPU definitely set the tone in the first quarter because they beat us with transition points,” forward Jackson Krug said.
Despite the slow start, the visitors remained within reach. Center Point-Urbana led by about six points at halftime, but the message in the locker room focused on defensive urgency and finishing possessions.
“CPU was up by about 6 at halftime, the coach said we have to hustle back and stop the transition points,” Krug said.
The tone shifted in the second half. Rather than trying to erase the deficit all at once, the visitors chipped away possession by possession. A 7-0 run in the fourth quarter tightened the gap between the two teams and renewed energy for the Mustangs.
“We had a momentum switch in the fourth quarter after we started communicating and working as a team,” McNeal said.
Freshman Jace Thede helped fuel the push on the offensive end, repeatedly finding ways to score in traffic and keep the pressure on Center Point-Urbana’s defense.
With the clock winding down, McNeal delivered one of the biggest shots of the night, knocking down a deep contested 3-pointer with one second left on the shot clock. The basket trimmed the deficit to one and set up a tense final stretch.
“I hit a deep contested 3 with 1 second on the shot clock, which put us down by 1,” McNeal said.
