The Wayne High boys basketball team was hoping to join the girls in the finals of the Mid State Conference, but came up short in an overtime thriller Friday, losing to Hartington Cedar Catholic 77-74 in action at Northeast Community College.
The game was close throughout the contest. The Trojans took an early 7-2 lead, but Wayne responded with a Beau Bowers basket and a Payten Gamble trey to tie the game at 7-7. Wayne took its first lead of the game at 12-11 on a Gamble 3-pointer, and after Cedar retook the lead, Tyler Gilliland hit a three to make it 15-13 before the Trojans tied at 15-15 after one period.
Cedar Catholic led by as many as eight late in the half, but Jack Evetovich nailed a long three at the buzzer to help Wayne cut the lead to 30-25 at the half.
Wayne carried that momentum into the third quarter, with Evetovich and Mason Lee scoring to make it 30-29. Wayne retook the lead at 35-32 on a three by Evetovich and another Lee basket, but Cedar came back and led late before Gamble hit a three to make it 38-38 going to the fourth quarter.
Cedar led by as many as four, but Wayne came back to take a 50-49 lead on a Gamble trey midway through the fourth period. Gilliland hit a three with under a minute to go to give Wayne a 57-56 lead, but Cedar Catholic hit a free throw to tie the game and send it into the first overtime.
The lead continued to ping-pong back and forth between the two teams. Wayne took a 68-66 lead on a Gamble layup late, but Cedar Catholic was fouled with less than 10 seconds left after a wild series of passes and hit two free throws to force a second extra period.
As it was in the other five periods, neither team established control of the scoreboard. Grayson McBride’s three tied the game at 74-74, but Cedar hit a pair of free throws, added another with six seconds left and watched as Wayne’s hopes to tie the game with a late three missed the mark, giving Cedar Catholic the win.
Gamble finished with a career-high 35 points, hitting seven 3-point shots in the losing effort. Evetovich and McBride each had 11, Gilliland had eight, Lee scored five and Bowers and Ryan Jaixen each had two.
Wayne will face Pierce in the consolation game on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. at Northeast Community College.
