CONWAY, Ark. -- It took Hendrix College and Central Baptist College 50 minutes to come up with a verdict and the Warriors came out on top, 83-76, after a pair of overtimes. Hendrix junior forward Michael Bertrand knocked down a pair of clutch free throws with just one second remaining to send the contest into its second overtime and the Warriors outlasted the Mustangs in the final minutes.
Hendrix stretches its winning streak to six games and improves to 6-1 overall, while Central Baptist ends a three-game winning streak and falls to 10-6 on the year. The Warriors will now look to their first opponent of the Land of Magic Classic, Dickinson College, on Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. CT in Daytona Beach, Fla.
By the end of regulation the two teams had tallied 10 lead changes and nine ties. The Mustangs boasted the largest advantage of the first half at 10 points with 4:34 remaining, however, the Warriors closed with a 12-2 run to make it 31-31 at the break.
Hendrix grabbed the largest lead of the second half at seven points with 11:54 remaining, however, Central Baptist never gave up and knotted the affair on a free throw shot with 0:24 left in regulation.
The Mustangs held a slight lead for the majority of the first overtime. It looked as if Central Baptist had earned the ‘W’ as they clung to a two-point lead with just 0:01 second remaining.
Warriors’ head coach Dan Priest used a 30-second timeout to gather his team and draw up a full court Hail Mary play. Hendrix junior guard Cal Rose (Blytheville, Ark./H.S.) heaved the ball the length of the court to Bertrand (Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands H.S.), who managed to draw a foul with 0.2 left on the scoreboard and a chance to knot the game. Bertrand toed the charity strip for two shots and with ice in his veins, he drained them both, sending the game into its second overtime.
Hendrix senior forward David Foley (The Colony, Texas/H.S.) opened the final five minutes with a layup from Bertrand. Bertrand and Foley then knocked down a pair of jumpers in the paint from senior guard Ryan Wible (Gilbert, Ariz./Mesquite H.S.). The Warriors made good on their free throws in the final two minutes and ended the exciting game with a 5-0 run.
Bertrand led the way with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds. Foley was close behind with 17 points and 11 boards, while Rose added 14 points and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Hendrix first year forward Nick Heathscott (Conway, Ark./St. Joseph H.S.) rounded out the double-digit performers with 10 points. Wible and junior guard Janson Hightower (Owasso, Okla./H.S.) paced the squad with five assists.
For more information on Hendrix Athletics please visit www.HendrixWarriors.com or contact Brian Rejer, Sports Information Director, at (501) 450-1426.
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