BB 1A SECT. 59: #2 Edinburgh downs Lutheran, 57-45, for crown

By Steve McClure
Contributing Writer

EDINBURGH – No, no, no. Not this time, when it mattered most.

The Class A second-ranked Edinburgh boys basketball team was not about to let happen March 3 what had occurred back in late December. This time, the Lancers came out strong and finished even stronger in capturing the Edinburgh Sectional championship with a 57-45 victory over Indianapolis Lutheran.

Edinburgh (21-2) fell victim to the Saints during the regular season, 57-53, in a game where the Lancers uncharacteristically were not themselves. They shot only 32.7 percent in that contest, while Lutheran hit 21 of 37 from the field led by J.C. Faubion's game-high 27 points.

But this time the shots fell early and often, and the momentum never shifted entirely to the Saints (10-12). Feeding on adrenaline from another capacity crowd (2,100), the Lancers advanced to the Martinsville Regional for a March 10 semifianl against No. 11 University.

"Our goal in the first half was to keep everyone out of foul trouble, and we did a good job with that," said second-year coach Drew Glentzer. "In the second half, I thought we were pretty good defensively because we forced them into making some adjustments as well as went to some double-teaming when necessary.

"When we put together some baskets and we got ahead, I thought they'd have a hard time guarding us when we spread things out."

The Lancers hit 20 of 42 from the field for 47.6 percent, led by senior center Jordan Burton's 20 points (he also grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double). Meanwhile, senior guard Kyle Wuest finished with 17 points and four rebounds.

Faubion, a 6'4" junior guard, scored all 14 of Lutheran's first quarter points as the Saints took a 14-12 lead. Edinburgh started with a zone defense but went to a straight man-to-man in the second quarter.

Wuest drew the defensive assignment to stop Faubion, which would not be easy. The result? Faubion was held to seven points in the second quarter, but the Saints held on at the half for a 21-20 advantage.

Faubion, who finished with a game-high 32 points, scored only two in the third perio. He got back on track in the fourth in a big way, but not quite big enough.

Coming out to begin the final stanza, Jordan Burton knocked down a pair of free throws to give Edinburgh its biggest lead at 40-28. By spreading the floor on offense in the fourth quarter, the Lancers had the luxury of being very selective with their shots. At the same time, Lutheran picked up its seventh team foul with 7:04 remaining, putting the Lancers into the one-and-bonus from the stripe.

As Edinburgh attacked the baskets to either score or be fouled (the Lancers won the rebound battle, 26-21), Wuest took the helm and scored three key free throws with time running down. Senior point guard Corey Burton also hit a pair with 1:44 left to give Edinburgh a 49-37 lead.

But just when it appeared the Lancers had the game and sectional championship locked up, back came Faubion and his Saints teammates.

Faubion connected on 9 of 9 at the free line and added a pair of field goals. But he missed on back-to-back 3-point attempts as Wuest continued to pressure the ball.

As the celebration continued on the Lancers' home court, Glentzer said the determination of his five senior starters would not deny them their second sectional crown in the last three years.

"I told the kids at halftime that this is the last game you seniors are going to play in this building, and I think they took that to heart."

The box score:

Edinburgh  12  8 18 19 -- 57
Lutheran    14  7  5 19 -- 45

Edinburgh -- Jordan Burton 20, Kyle Wuest 17, Corey Burton 7, Caleb Allen 5, Patrick Kennedy 5, Ryan Burton 2, Zack Burton 1, Trent Tatlock 0. Totals: 20 16-30 57.
Lutheran -- J.C. Faubionk 32, Bryce Brockett 3, Brian Fallinger 8, Noah Cutshaw 2, Mike Sass 0, Beau Barham 0. Totals: 14 14-10 45.

Three-point shooting: Edinburgh 1-6 (C. Burton), Lutheran 3-12 (Faubion 2, Brockett). Rebounds: Edinburgh 26 (J. Burton 11), Lutheran 21 (Faubion 7). Fouls: Edinburgh 12, Lutheran 20 (Brockett fouled out).