Sullivan Falls Short At Sectionals

Sullivan’s boys basketball team fell Tuesday in the Class 4 sectionals to Lift for Life, losing 65-49.

The Eagles were unable to recover from a slow start and by the time the offense found its rhythm, Lift for Life had already pulled away.

It was a tough end to what turned into a successful season for the program.

The Eagles were coming off a 41-25 win over St. James in the Class 4 District 3 tournament.

Sullivan came in on a four-game winning streak and had won seven of nine their last nine.

Sullivan secured the ball in the first quarter after winning the initial tip off. Luke Todd was the first to draw a foul for Sullivan and the first to put points on the board as he tallied two free throws. 

Tre Brown of Lift For Life netted a three point basket to break a 2-2 tie and Head Coach Dino McKinney decided to take a timeout to speak with his team with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. 

The Hawks made a layup and followed it up with a free throw. Lewis stole the ball back for Sullivan but Todd missed the three point basket. Gavin Dace picked up a rebound for the Eagles and turned it into an inside layup. 

Brown scored another two points and Johnson followed it with two free throws and that ended the first quarter with Sullivan trailing 12-4.

Sullivan was outscored in the second quarter and went into the half trailing by double digits. 

The Hawks had a turnover after they missed a pass. Sullivan took their time to set up the perfect play and it paid off when Todd netted a basket from beyond the arc. 

Lift For Life missed a three but drew a foul. Sullivan had sixteen fouls at that point in the game. Avion Bass netted a free throw and Lohden secured the rebound. He missed a three point basket and Sappington attained the rebound. Grissom scored another layup but Sappington answered back with a layup of his own. 

He drew the foul but came up short on the free throw attempt. Lohden missed another three point but Johnson answered with two free throws. 

McKinney took another timeout with a little over five minutes left in the first half. 

When the action returned, Lohden spun and drew the foul from the Hawks' Brown. Aiden Kirk drew a foul from Johnson and Kirk netted a free throw for Sullivan. Lift For Life took a timeout and Grissom secured a basket from beyond the arc. 

The Hawks began to open up in the scoring so Coach McKinney decided to take a break with two minutes and thirty seconds on the clock. Logan Watters sailed in a three point basket and Gabe Dace stole the ball away from Grissom to give Sullivan an edge. He missed a three point basket but secured the rebound and scored an inside layup instead. 

Bass scored and Watters answered back with two free throws. Torrey Davie made a layup at the buzzer and the score was 30-17 to end the first half. 

In the third quarter, Sullivan was outscored again. 

The Hawks scored eight unanswered points to begin the second half and Sullivan was shaken. 

McKinney took a timeout to talk with his team and Watters netted two free throws for Sullivan after the plays resumed. Lift For Life scored four more unanswered points and Watters drew the foul after a successful pump fake. He scored two free throws and Bass answered back with a layup. Lewis netted a free throw and Gabe Dace stole the ball back after Sullivan lost the possession. 

Lewis netted a three point basket from beyond the arc and Gabe Dace was the next to land a three point basket. Lift For Life's Johnson made a free throw and they began to try to run the clock. Watters scored a fantastic three point basket at the buzzer and the score was 48-31 to enter into the last quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles actually outscored the Hawks in points but still came up short.

Rashad Singleton stole the ball from Sullivan and scored on a layup. He then scored another layup before Lewis answered back with a three point basket. Todd stole the ball away from Bass, but Grissom nailed a three point shot with a little over four minutes left to play in the game. 

Sappington snapped another layup for Sullivan and Lift For Life's Dennis Olds answered back with a layup. The Hawks ran the clock by passing the ball around and eventually hooked another layup in. 

Sullivan decided to take a timeout after Sappington laid a ball through the hoop. Lewis and Todd tallied two more three pointers each for Sullivan and Sappington snapped another layup for Sullivan. Lift For Life finished the game with a layup.