For nearly three quarters Bridgeport not only was competing with Class AAA top-ranked Huntington, but the Indians were having their way. Then, in the blink of an eye the game turned into a nail biter that the Highlanders pulled out by a 59-57 score late this evening in the Little General Shootout at the Charleston Civic Center.

 

The turnaround assured the game would come to the wire. And when it did, the Highlanders made the most off that opportunity.

 

The loss drops Bridgeport to 13-1 on the year. Huntington moves to 15-0.

 

Once the sting of the setback is gone and the Indians can appreciate their effort, they’re going to look back at the stage of the contest where the Indians went from in control to completely reeling in the blink of an eye. With a little more than two minutes to play in the third period the Tribe was up 43-31 when things went south, and they went south in a hurry.

 

Huntington not only closed the period on a 12-0 run thanks for a 1-2-2 pressure defense, but only allowed Bridgeport to get one shot off during that time frame. The final turnover of the period would prove devastating with just seconds left as Huntington would get the ball inbounded quickly and get off a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game up at 43 heading into the decisive final eight minutes.

 

Turnovers would prove to be the difference in the contest. Bridgeport committed 15 turnovers that led to 20 Highlander points, while BHS forced just five turnovers that it produced four points.

 

The late third period flurry left Bridgeport on the ropes and the Highlanders appeared to be ready to deliver the knockout punch. Early in the fourth quarter, Bridgeport suddenly found itself down 50-45. Then, the Indians decided not to go gently into that good night.

 

Donald Kummer got things started with a 3-pointer, Logan Smith drained a pair of free throws and Nick Greely – who dominated the game with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting – scored inside. Suddenly, BHS was not only back in the game, but back ahead 52-50.

 

Although Bridgeport would not lead again, it would not succumb to Huntington’s attempts to end the game early. After Dunn-Martin hit a triple with just over two minutes to play for a 57-54 lead, Smith would answer back.  Kummer drew the defense and skipped the ball to Smith who buried the long ball to tie the game.

 

After that, Huntington would work out the remaining time in the game. Twice, the Highlanders called timeouts – the last with under 20 seconds remaining – to set up for a potential game-winning shot. Although Bridgeport got the initial stop, Howard’s offensive rebound atoned for any bad feelings about the miss.

 

Kummer and Hunter both finished with 10 points for Bridgeport. Kummer added six assists for the Tribe. BHS not only shot 45 percent from the floor, but also shot 12-of-14 at the foul line as part of a solid overall effort. The Achilles Heel proved to be turnovers.

 

In the first period and in the first half, Huntington had just one lead – 2-0 on a Howard offensive rebound and basket on the game’s first possession, which would be a harbinger of things to come. After that, Kummer got the Indians’ offensive going with a 3-pointer for an early 3-2 advantage. Following Kummer, Haddix then got the Tribe out to a 10-6 advantage thanks to scoring seven straight points.

 

Then, the Indians looked to establish Greely in the post. And the Tribe did just that. The 6’6 post player scored the final eight points of the period as the Indians – who led by six points on two occasions in the opening frame – held on to an 18-14 advantage after one period of play.

 

Whatever Greely found in the first quarter, he didn’t lose it in the second. In fact, Greely actually increased his output in the second period with nine points as the Indians managed to go up by eight points on three different occasions thanks to Greely’s inside play and a pair of baskets off the bench by Mackenzie Holmes.

 

The Tribe’s final eight-point advantage came at the second period buzzer and courtesy of Kummer. After BHS missed a shot as the clock wound down, Kummer managed to track down a loose ball and bury a shot just ahead of the horn for a 33-25 lead.

 

Greely’s 17 points weren’t the only impressive part of the first half. Bridgeport managed to control the boards to the tune of a 25-14 advantage.

 

The dominance continued well into the third quarter as Greely scored five points, Kummer added a pair of free throws and then Haddix knocked down a 3-pointer for a 43-31 lead with a little more than two minutes to play in the first half. It was at this point that Huntington turned up the pressure and turned its fortunes around.

 

Dunn-Martin finished with 14 points. Bonamico guarded the standout who has verbally committed to Division I Akron and forced him into a 3-of-14 shooting night, but in the end it wasn’t enough.

 

Editor's Note: Nick Greely, who finished with 28 points, is shown above, while Donald Kumme had another solid floor game and is shown in the middle photo. Logan Smith, pictured below, had all of his five points late - including a game-tying three that appeared to have the game ready for overtime. File photos by Tyler Maxwell of www.benqueenphotography.com.