SHELBYVILLE — Leading by two with 4.1 seconds left, Danville’s Travis Carroll stepped to the line.
He’d either sink two free throws and send the Warriors to their first regional title in 10 years, or come up short and likely allow a grueling game against a physical Mt. Vernon team to continue.
Carroll delivered.
His two pressure-filled shots from the charity stripe fell through the net, and the Warriors held on for a 47-43 victory over Mount Vernon Saturday at Shelbyville High School.
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“I just had to calm down a little bit,” Carroll said. “I knew those free throws were really important and I had to make those two.”
The Marauders (22-3) crept to within two — 45-43 — on a P.J. Hubert layup with 4.1 seconds to play.
Mt. Vernon was out of time-outs and needed to stop the clock. After Hubert’s basket, the Marauders’ Daniel Turner was given a technical foul for grabbing the ball and attempting to call time-out before Danville could inbound.
That sent Carroll to the line, and sealed the game for the Warriors.
Defense dominated the game, as Mt. Vernon’s 43 points were a season-low, and Danville’s 47 tied for its second-lowest output on the year.
Carroll spent much of the evening being harrassed in the post. Four Marauder defenders were listed as 6-foot-5 or taller, including 6-foot-8 center DeArmond Davis.
“They’re big, they’re long, and they’re athletic,” Danville coach Brian Barber said of the Marauders. “They take away a lot of passing lanes and do a good job in their half-court defense.”
Despite the extra attention, Carroll totaled a team-high 15 points and 15 rebounds. Jordan Weidner added 12 points — all in the second half.
Luke Fields hit a three-pointer to put the Warriors ahead 10-8 and give them the lead for good with 1:29 left in the first. But Danville was never able to stretch its advantage to more than nine points.
Hesitant offense stalled Danville in the second, as it passed around the perimeter on most possessions. The Marauders forced eight turnovers in the period and limited the Warriors to just six points.
But shots wouldn’t fall for Mt. Vernon. The Marauders went 2-of-12 from the field in the second and trailed 16-14 at halftime.
“In the second quarter, I thought we got a little passive,” Barber said. “We quit attacking the basket and Mount Vernon got some momentum.”
Weidner — who was held scoreless in the first half — scored eight points in the third to help Danville stay in front 29-26 heading into the fourth.
“I thought Jordan did a really good job in the second half,” Barber said. “He got the ball to open guys and worked for the ball.”
The Marauders twice cut the lead to two points in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get in front.
Earlier Saturday, the Warriors used two late free throws from Weidner to escape Brebeuf, 47-46.
Danville advances to play 3A No. 6 Washington (21-3) at 1 p.m. in Saturday’s semistate at Southport.
kevin.leibrock@flyergroup.com
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