Byng boys edge Tecumseh

BYNG — Byng’s young Pirates continue to prove they are a much better team with senior point guard Sentro Burns on the floor than they are without him.

Burns scored a team-high 17 points to lead a balanced attack and got a huge basket and a big assist in overtime to lead Byng (10-9) to a 59-58 upset of Class 4A No. 8 Tecumseh Friday night. The victory — the Pirates’ seventh in nine games this season with Burns in the lineup — snapped an eight-game Tecumseh winning streak and avenged a 66-39 loss to the Savages at Tecumseh (without Burns) in the third game of the season.

In the girls’ game, Tecumseh rallied to beat the host Lady Pirates, 47-41.

BOYS

Byng 59, Tecumseh 58 (OT)

Tecumseh (17-2) rallied from a 12-point second-quarter deficit to tie the game at the end of regulation, but the Savages never had the lead in overtime.

Byng moved in front 52-50 on a pair of free throws by Brandon Fortner, and after Tecumseh tied it on the ensuing possession, Fortner hit a mid-air lay-in off a nice lob from Burns to put the Pirates in front for good. Eli Bailey — Byng’s leading scorer on the season but held to four points Friday — extended the lead to 56-52 with a pair of free throws, and Burns answered a Tecumseh basket with a tough jumper in transition to put the Pirates up by four again with just over a minute remaining.

Henry Weaver, who had a game-high 23 points in the loss, drained his second 3-pointer of the game on Tecumseh’s next possession to make it a one-point game, then the Savages had a chance to win it when Bailey was whistled for a controversial traveling call while hitting a layup with 20 seconds to play. The teams then swapped timeouts with five seconds left before Weaver missed a jumper at the buzzer.

Taylor Lehman had a career-high 15 points for Byng, including seven in an opening quarter that ended with the Pirates up 24-14. Fortner also had seven points in the first quarter en route to 13 for the game, and Burns added six during the opening salvo.

But Tecumseh — one of four top-10 teams in Byng’s area for the upcoming 4A playoffs — reeled off nine straight points and outscored the Pirates 12-7 in the second period to trim the deficit to 32-26 at halftime, then the Savages held a 25-20 edge in the third and fourth quarters to force the extra period. Byng had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but turned the ball over with three seconds left.

In addition to his 17 points, Burns had seven assists and three steals, and Fortner added five rebounds in the win.

“Sentro played well and really controlled the game — he was just solid all night long,” Byng coach Trent Miller said after seeing his club win its third straight game. “My kids played hard and really laid it on the line. Every one of the kids who stepped on the floor really sold out.

“It was a good win for us,” he added. “Hopefully, it will be a catapulting win for the rest of the season and the playoffs.”

Ryan Williams added eight points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Pirates, and Francisco Hukill (14 points) and Trey Dorsey (12) were also in double figures for Tecumseh.

GIRLS

Tecumseh 47, Byng 41

Byng (11-8) carried a 35-33 lead to the fourth quarter, but the Lady Pirates turned the ball over on four straight possessions early in the final period to fuel a pivotal 9-0 run that gave the Lady Savages the lead for good.

“We just turned it over too many times down the stretch,” Byng coach Matt Fike said. “We did some good things defensively and offensively, but you can’t turn the ball over late against a good team.”

The Lady Pirates had just one field goal in the fourth quarter, and they were just 13-for-38 from the field and missed 10 of their 23 free throw attempts.

“We can overcome a few turnovers if we make free throws, or we can overcome not making free throws if we don’t turn the ball over, but we can’t overcome both,” Fike said.

Although junior center Presli Manuel scored a game-high 18 points and junior Dayton Hendricks added a career-high 14 for the Byng, they combined for only 10 in the second half after accounting for all but three of their team’s 25 points in a first half that ended with the Lady Pirates up 25-22.

Montana Rickey scored 13 points to lead the Lady Savages, who won for the fifth time in six games to improve to 12-7.

Both Byng teams return to action Tuesday at Lindsay.

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