Tigers nip Hornets in thriller

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 18 January 2016 at 12:00 am

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Lyndonville’s Eddie Schildt, who had the game winning steal and free throw in the final second, puts up a layup against Oakfield-Alabama defender Ryan Douglas. The action took place during the Tigers narrow win over the host Hornets this evening.

In a down to the wire thriller, Lyndonville nipped host Oakfield-Alabama 66-65 this evening to make it five straight Genesee Region League victories.

Eddie Schildt capped off a huge 30 point scoring night when he made a free throw with just nine tenths of a second remaining to snap a 65-65 tie and give Lyndonville the victory.

Schildt, who has been battling an illness, set up the game winning tally himself as he stole an Oakfield-Alabama inbounds pass attempt with two seconds to go, went straight to the hoop and was fouled on the layup attempt.

“Our play was for Eddie to try and get a tip and a steal and that’s just what happened and he went right to the basket and got fouled. Then he made that first free throw which was huge,” said Lyndonville Coach Lee Dillenbeck.

Lyndonville had rebounded from a 65-62 deficit to rally into a tie as Eric Neace scored on a layup with 1:12 remaining and Schildt made one of two from the foul line with 27 seconds to go.

The teams then traded turnovers in the hectic final 10 seconds before Schildt made his clutch steal and ensuing game winning free throw in the final second as the Tigers improve to 7-2 in the league and 10-4 overall.

“We gutted it out in the fourth quarter,” said Dillenbeck. “We’ve been battling some sickness and Eric was in foul trouble but down the stretch we went to Eddie and Eric. I’m really proud of the way we stuck together.”

Neace finished with 14 for the Tigers as Nick Hinkson added 10, Corey Hydock 9 and Zach Johnson 3.

Jon Harris scored 16, Reice Woodward 15, Dalton Carlsen 12 and Allen Chatt 10 for Oakfeld-Alabama’s balanced attack.

Lyndonville’s Nick Hinkson puts up a layup past Oakfield-Alabama’s Reice Woodward.

The Hornets grabbed a 12-9 lead at the end of the first period but the Tigers answered back with a big 23-11 scoring burst in the second quarter to rally into a 32-29 half-time advantage.

Dominating play inside, Lyndonville got 10 points from Schildt during that stretch on four layups and a rebound bucket, along with two layups each by Hinkson and Neace and a three by Johnson.

The Tigers seven point lead of 32-25 late in the period was the largest by either team all night.

The Hornets went back up by four, 46-42, late in the third period after a three by Carlsen but the Tigers answered with a 7-0 run on back-to-back layups by Schildt followed by a three by Hydock to move back on top at 49-46 and the contest was tight the rest of the way.

The Hornets regained a 52-49 lead at the three-quarter mark on a last second three-point play by Woodward.

Eric Neace scores on a layup for Lyndonville as Jordan D’Alba tries for the block for the Hornets.

Lyndonville again answered the challenge by opening the final period with a 6-1 run to regain the lead at 55-53. Two layups by Schildt ignited that rally.

A three-point play by Schildt upped the Tigers lead to three at 58-55 but the Hornets countered with a 10-4 run to rally back into a 65-62 lead with a minute and a half to play. Woodward had five points to lead that rally which also included baskets by Jordan D’Alba and Harris.

However, the last rally and the victory belonged to Lyndonville as the Tigers used a basket by Neace and a free throw by Schildt to pull even at 65-65 and then a steal and free throw by Schildt with just 0.9 remaining to claim the wild victory.