Boys basketball: Spencerville survives LCC’s last-second shot attempt

SPENCERVILLE — Spencerville handed No. 3-ranked Lima Central Catholic its second consecutive loss Friday night.

Following Sunday’s loss to Delphos St John’s, LCC looked to get back on track during its trip to the “Walk-In Closet,” but the Bearcats had a different idea. Spencerville’s big first half fueled their 54-52 non-conference victory.

“It always feels good to win, especially against a really good team,” said Spencerville coach Kevin Sensabaugh. “In the first half, we were outstanding defensively and played well in the second half, but they made some tough shots. We handled the ball late, and they had to come get us.”

Spencerville led by as many 15 points in the game. The Bearcats held a 50-40 edge with 4:47 remaining in the fourth quarter before the Thunderbirds came roaring back. Carson Parker hit a 3-pointer with 8.5 seconds remaining to pull LCC within 53-52.

Evan Osting, who scored 11 points for the Bearcats, hit one of his two free-throw attempts for the final score. LCC called a timeout with 4.1 seconds to go to set up a play, but Parker’s 3-point try missed as time expired.

Grady Smith led the Bearcats (9-3) with 13 points, with 10 of those by halftime. Carter Sudhoff had 10 for Spencerville.

Carson Parker and Jordan Priddy each scored 24 points for the Thunderbirds (11-2), who won their first 11 games of the year before the recent stumbles to Delphos St. John’s and Spencerville.

Both teams traded shots early, as there were five lead changes before the hosts took charge. LCC’s Carson Parker led the charge in the opening frame, claiming all seven of the T-Bird points.

It was a different tune for the Bearcats; all throughout the night they spread the wealth. Owen Sensabaugh, Carder Orr and Michael Woods each connected on baskets, while Smith, a sophomore, continued to play an important role off the bench.

Smith outdid his career high he set last Friday night with a 13-point performance against the Thunderbirds. Smith knocked down a pair of big three-point makes in the first quarter to build a 12-7 advantage for Spencerville.

“Grady (Smith) has always been able to shoot it,” Sensabaugh said. “It took it some time to adjust to the speed of the varsity game, but he has adjusted to it. If he didn’t make those big threes for us tonight, I don’t know that we come out on top.”

Parker continued to try and wheel the Thunderbirds, as he collected the first 11 points of the game for his squad. All four of his second-quarter points came in the second quarter at the charity stripe, before Jordan Priddy chipped in a pair of baskets for the lone field goals.

Smith continued his record night with his third triple. Bearcat freshman Will Sensabaugh erupted from beyond the arc, hitting back-to-back from deep. At the break, Spencerville led 26-15.

“I saw I was open and had confidence,” Will Sensabaugh said. “I just let it fly and tried to not turn the ball over.”

Once the third quarter began, Lima Central Catholic began to chip away at the deficit. Spencerville led by as many as 15 but never trailed the T-Birds in the second half. Jordan Priddy continued to get hot, nearly outscoring the Bearcats in the quarter. Priddy’s 14-point third quarter brought LCC within eight points at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Parker and Priddy combined for 15 points and brought LCC within one point of the Bearcats late. Thanks to Carter Sudhoff and Evan Osting’s fourth quarter performance, the Bearcats were able to fend off the T-Birds. Sudhoff was 3 for 3 from the field in the frame. Osting knocked down key free throws to seal the victory.

Spencerville 54, Lima Central Catholic 52

LCC 7 8 18 19 – 52

Spencerville 12 14 15 13 – 54

LIMA CENTRAL CATHOLIC

Jordan Priddy 24, Carson Parker 24, Billy Bourk 2, Angelo Collins 2.

SPENCERVILLE

Grady Smith 13, Evan Osting 11, Carter Sudhoff 10, Will Sensabaugh 9, Owen Sensabaugh 4, Michael Woods 4, Carder Orr 3.

Nate Stidham wrote this for LimaScores.com.