The 10th player off the bench ended up having the biggest impact for Hartford on Thursday night.
Josh Dunn — a 5-foot-9 reserve guard — scored six straight points in the late stages of the fourth quarter to help propel the ninth-seeded Jaguars to a 51-45 victory over Lyndon.
“I’m still shaking from it,” Dunn said after the game.
Though he didn’t play in the first or third quarters, Dunn certainly didn’t look nervous late. With his team leading 40-38, he confidently banked in an 8-foot jumper with 3:52 left, and followed that with a pair of free throws 25 seconds later.
The junior scored again on the next possession, pulling up for a jumper to complete a personal 6-0 run and push Hartford’s lead to 46-38 with just under three minutes remaining.
“I knew I’d probably get back in there,” Dunn said, “so I was just thinking about keeping focused to see what was going on.”
Blake Edwards and Scott Gardner combined to make 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Hartford (4-8) benefited by getting off to a good start against fifth-seeded Lyndon.
The Jaguars jumped out to a 23-16 halftime advantage, led by Keegan Crawford’s eight points. The 6-5 forward was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field in the opening 16 minutes.
Lyndon (5-6) used full-court defense to storm back, as a Derek Banzhaf free throw completed a 9-2 run that gave the Tigers a 31-30 lead in the third quarter.
It wouldn’t be enough. A Crawford layup broke a 36-all tie in the fourth quarter, and Dunn scored the next six points to build Hartford’s lead.
“I did like the way the kids responded after halftime,” Lyndon coach Michael Massey said, “but it was too little, too late.”
Crawford led Hartford with 12 points, while Edwards added eight.
Jeremy Testerman paced Lyndon with 13 points, while Banzhaf also hit double figures with 10.
Hartford picked up its second victory of the tournament despite coming in as the second-lowest seed.
“I told our guys everybody in this league has a good team,” Massey said. “From 1-10, it’s a pretty good league, especially for this size of schools. You’re going to have to bring it every night or you’re going to get beat.”
The Jaguars will face Waverly in the fifth-place game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
HARTFORD boys 51, LYNDON 45
Hartford 10 13 11 17 — 51
Lyndon 7 9 17 12 — 45
Hartford (4-8) — Keegan Crawford 6 0-0 12, Blake Edwards 2 4-8 8, Justin Farr 3 1-2 7, Josh Dunn 2 2-2 6, Scott Gardner 1 3-5 5, Adam Williams 1 2-2 4, Cody Barrett 2 0-0 4.
Lyndon (5-6) — Jeremy Testerman 4 5-6 13, Derek Banzhaf 4 1-2 10, William Whitaker 2 1-4 5, Kade Neilson 1 2-2 4, Shea Kirsop 2 0-0 4, Alex Wendling 0 4-4 4, Quinton Testerman 1 1-4 3, Dylan Filburn 1 0-0 2.
Halftime — Hartford 23-16. Total fouls — Hartford 21, Lyndon 18. Fouled out — None.
Waverly boys 59,
Flinthills 47
Waverly dominated the second and third quarters in the 12-point victory over Flinthills.
After falling behind 12-11, the Bulldogs outscored the Mustangs 17-10 in the second quarter and 19-10 in the third to build a healthy 47-32 advantage.
Flinthills won the final frame, but it wasn’t enough to put itself back into the game.
Waverly had four players score in double figures. Heath Redding led the way with 16 points, while Matt Coursen added 13.
Casey Church contributed 11 points — with nine of those coming off 3-pointers — and Dentin Chapman chipped in 10.
Kiel Riemann led all scorers, posting 17 points for Flinthills. Jimmy Michal knocked in 13.
Waverly will play in the fifth-place game at 1:30 on Saturday against Hartford.
WAVERLY boys 59, FLINTHILLS 47
Flinthills 12 10 10 15 — 47
Waverly 11 17 19 12 — 59
Flinthills (5-10) — Kiel Riemann 6 4-4 17, Jimmy Michal 6 1-2 13, Jeremy Jackson 2 0-0 5, Micah Womacks 2 0-0 5, Cody Oates 1 1-2 3, Grant Vogt 1 0-0 2, Tony Elmore 1 0-0 2.
Waverly (6-8) — Heath Redding 6 4-4 16, Matt Coursen 4 5-10 13, Casey Church 4 0-0 11, Dentin Chapman 3 2-2 10, Mike Sarver 1 2-2 5, Kyle Hamm 2 0-0 4.
Halftime — Waverly 28-22. Total fouls — Flinthills 15, Waverly 11. Fouled out — None.