By Noah Dalton
MITCHELL — Mitchell High School snapped a five-game losing streak on Tuesday, beating Medora 62-59 at The Hive.
The Bluejackets controlled much of the game, but a fourth-quarter comeback from the Hornets made it close down the stretch.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, Mitchell began to hit their stride in the second, holding Medora to just six points on their way to taking a 15-point lead into the break.
“We were containing defensively really well. We weren’t gambling, trying to go for steals. We were just containing, forcing them to go left,” said Mitchell coach Clint Roesler. “They’re not a strong driving team left, and we were doing a really good job of that, and it was causing them turnovers.”
At points in the third, the Hornets looked poised to make a push back into the game. Multiple times, they reduced the Bluejackets’ lead down to single-digits, but each team Mitchell had an answer. They closed the period up by a sizable lead, 47-33.
The fourth quarter saw Medora finally sustain the momentum they’d occasionally had earlier. With just over a minute left to play, they had erased the advantage completely, with a three-pointer from Kade Wright evening the score at 57-57.
Mitchell’s Gavin Robinson responded in kind with three points of his own just seconds later, his coming by way of a basket and ensuing free-throw make, as he was fouled on the attempt.
The Hornets were heard from again on the next possession, with Hudson Johnson knocking down a tough mid-range fadeaway to make it a one-point game with 40 seconds left.
Two more free-throws from Robinson after an intentional foul on the next possession served as the final points of the night, ultimately securing the Bluejackets’ win.
“We went back to our advantages,” Roesler said regarding the team’s success in closing out the win.
Robinson was the leading scorer for the night with 31 points, accounting for over half of Mitchell’s total points. Behind him were Parker Felton, who scored nine points and Kaden Mullis, who added seven points.
Medora was led in scoring by Wright, who scored 20 points. Aiding him were Jaxon Brittain, with 15 points and Johnson, who scored 14, eight of which came in the fourth during the team’s comeback.
Next, the Bluejackets will hit a tough stretch in their schedule, with their next five games all being played on the road.
The first of those matchups will be Friday, Feb. 13 against Loogootee, who finished second in Mitchell’s annual Cement City Classic event earlier this season. The Bluejackets finished the event in fourth place.
They’ll look to add another win to their season record, now at 6-11, though the Lions and standout player AJ Foster will serve as a difficult opponent.
“Loogootee is a well-coached team. The A.J. Foster kid who gave us some fits last year in that double overtime game is back. He’s a senior.
They kind of run a style that’s very similar to us. A lot of stuff goes through him just like a lot of stuff goes through Gavin for us. I like our matchup against them from a personnel standpoint,” Roesler said.
“We’ve got to continue working on some things. They’re going to set a lot of middle ball screens, and we’ve got to make sure that we’re able to defend and recover at a quick rate and not over help. I think it will be a fun game,” he continued.
