By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
The Rossville Bulldawgs said before the season that they wanted to make it back to the Class 2A state tournament after getting a taste of it last season.
Rossville senior Cameron Miller (11) scored a game-high 24 points in the Bulldwags' 67-51 sub-state win over Maur Hill-Mt. Academy. [File photo/TSN]
They’re one step closer to that goal fending off the Ravens Wednesday night in a sub-state semifinal, 67-51.
“Play Rossville basketball man,,'' Bulldawg coach Brandon McDonnell said. "Whether it’s pretty or ugly, it’s about surviving and advancing. As long as we can stay playing together and not bicker at each other too much … sometimes we have that slippage and that’s human nature. You’re going to get mad at each other every once and awhile and that can’t happen for too long. It happened a little bit tonight and then they regrouped.
“We haven’t been in this conversation for so long as a program. Of course, if we made it last year we want to go right back because we want to let people know it wasn’t a fluke. We got one more game and when we win that, let’s go to state.''
For nearly three minutes with the game was tied at 3-3 before Rossville gained its first lead of the game at 9-8 after senior Cameron Miller made two free-throws.
The Bulldawgs went on a 12-2 run to lead by 11 (21-10), forcing Maur Hill-Mt. Academy into a timeout with 1:04 left in the first quarter. Rossville led 23-14 after one quarter.
Then the Bulldawgs couldn’t miss from beyond the arc, with 12 of ther 13 points in the quarter off 3-pointers, two from Miller and one apiece from Jack Donovan and Conner Bush.
The Bulldawgs led 35-22 after Miller’s second triple and took a 36-23 lead into the break.
“What we try to tell the fellas is the game has to settle eventually,'' McDonell said. "You still got the butterflies, trying to figure out what defense they’re in, what seams we can penetrate and just getting into a flow.
“Sometimes for us it takes until the second quarter to get into that flow and that’s what happened tonight.”
After four quick points to begin the third quarter, including a two-hand slam from Miller in transition, Donovan and Bush would knock down 3-pointers and Rossville would build a 19-point lead.
Rossville led 52-40 at the end of three quarters. Bush had nine points and Donovan finished with 16 points.
“Whenever everyone is scoring the same amount, it means we’re sharing the ball and getting open looks as much as we can, but sometimes it’s going to be lopsided but hey, a win is a win,” said Miller, who finished with a game-high 24 points.
The Ravens got it down to nine (52-43), its first time trailing under 10 points since the end of the first quarter. But the Bulldawgs would not let it go any further than that.
Jakoby McDonnell missed an and-one opportunity but Miller grabbed the miss and put it back home for two, putting Rossville back up 12 (58-46).
“That moment (the dunk) changes the momentum, gets the crowd into it, gets us fired up and then we’re good from there,” Miller said.
Despite that lead evaporating a little bit, McDonnell said that shows the confidence the kids have in not letting the game get away from them.
“We’ve been down 20 and came back within one point. It’s not about, ‘Oh, they’re coming back we’re going to lose, it’s more of you’ve been here before and learn how to play with the lead,’’ McDonnell said. “Sometimes we get trigger happy from three and I have to call out a play that results in us getting down hill.”
Rossville (16-7) will play Kansas City Christian (16-9) at 5 p.m. Saturday at Mission Valley.
KCC advanced with a 56-53 win over Jefferson County North.
ROSSVILLE 67, MAUR HILL-MT. ACADEMY 51
Maur Hill-Mt. Academy 14 9 17 11 – 51
Rossville 23 13 16 15 – 67
Maur Hill Mt. Academy (16-9) – Raplinger 4 8-10 16, Korbelik 2 0-2 6, Campbell 3 0-0 8, Wurtz 5 1-1 12, Zimmerer 1 0-0 2, Wilson 2 1-2 5, Te Timoll 1 0-0 2.
Rossville (16-7) -- McDonell 6 1-3 13, Donovan 6 1-2 16, Bush 3 1-4 9, Miller 8 5-6 24, Lewis 1 1-2 3, Johnson 1 0-1 2
3-point goals -- Maur Hill Mt. Academy 5 (Campbell 2, Korbelik 2, Wurtz 1) Rossville 8 (Donovan 3, Miller 3, Bush 2). Total fouls -- Maur Hill Mt. Academy 13, Rossville 12. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
