ELIDA — A three-point goal by Isaac Bowers with a mere :09.7 remaining in the contest capped an unbelievable comeback by the Spencerville Bearcats, 50-49, over the Coldwater Cavaliers in the Elida Division III Boys’ Sectional Finals on The Union Bank Court in the Elida Fieldhouse Friday evening in Elida.

The Bearcats were down 39-24, with 3:13 left in the third period when Seth Kahle’s hoop put the Cavs up by that margin. This compelled Bearcat mentor Kevin Sensabaugh to call for a timeout.

“I told the guys not to panic,” Sensabaugh commented. “I told then to push a lot. We turned up the defensive intensity in the second half.”

T.C. Horner hit two free throws and a basket and then Brandon Suever, on a stick-back hoop, got Spencerville to within nine. An old-fashioned three-point play by Logan Nourse got the Bearcat quintet to within six after three and the “Black Pack” and the Spencerville faithful were roaring.

“Brandon played a heck of a game,” Sensabaugh commented.

Nourse scored on a drive to start the fourth stanza, Horner canned the second-of-two free tosses, Nourse hit a trey from the right side to knot the tilt at 39 and put the Spencerville squad up by two with a hoop at the 6:09 mark. Coldwater was not deterred, as Ryan Geier got a put-back hooper to tie the contest. Bowers and Geier traded buckets and then Jarod Ball hit a triple to give the ‘Cats a three-point edge.

“Jarod was unbelievable,” Sensabaugh stated.

Back came the Cavs. Eric Lefeld sank a hoop and Cory Klenke’s old-fashioned three-point play with just 81 ticks left on the clock put the Mercer County quintet up two. Nourse hit one-of-two from the free toss lane with 1:02 left in the contest. Cory Klenke missed the first of a two-shot opportunity with :29.5 left, but made the second to give the Coldwater team a two-point edge. This set up Bowers’ heroics with :09.7 left. The Cavaliers called for a timeout after the Bowers’ three, but missed a three and a desperation rebound shot.

“It’s a case where you get the basketball into your playmakers,” Sensabaugh commented.

The Bearcats took a 9-5 lead when Bowers connected on a fielder at the 5:35 mark, causing Coldwater mentor Mike Kanney to signal for a timeout with 5:34 left in the first. Whatever Kanney said to his Cavs must have worked, as triples by Klenke and Kurt Riethman and a stick-back goal by Kahle put the Cavs up five. However, a Nourse fielder trimmed the Coldwater advantage to three after one.

A Kahle fielder gave the Cavaliers a 19-13 edge and Sensabaugh signaled for a timeout. Coldwater went up by eight on two free tosses by Lefeld with 1:42 left. A driving fielder by Suever pulled the Bearcats with :01 on the clock pulled Spencerville to within six.

“Coldwater even banked one in during the first half — they were hot,” Sensabaugh commented.

A T.C. Horner hoop in the lane and a Nourse goal pulled the Bearcats to within two with 6:11 left. Then Coldwater went on a 13-0 tear, with Riethmans’ three and three foul shots by Klenke on a foul by Bowers and a technical foul on Horner. This seemed to give Coldwater the momentum, as goals by Tony Harlamert and Kahle propelled the Cavaliers to that 15-point advantage.

Coldwater finishes the season with a 12-10 mark. The Cavs sank 15-of-48 from the field (31 percent), two-of-10 from three-point land (20 percent) and eight-of-12 from the free throw line (67 percent), and outboarded Spencerville, 35-23, but made 19 miscues to 13 for the ‘Cats. Klenke paced the Cavaliers with 13 and Riethman added 11.

Spencerville improves to 15-6, with the Spencerville quintet hitting 20-of-43 (47 percent) from the field, five-of-16 from three-point range (31 percent) and five-of-eight from the charity stripe (63 percent).

“We didn’t shoot well tonight,” Sensabaugh concluded.

The first tilt was equally as exciting, as a triple by Tyler Post with :26.6 left gave the St. Henry Redskins a 52-49 win over the Lima Central Catholic Thunderbirds. The ‘Skins were paced by 18 by Mitch Niekamp and 14 by Post. St. Henry hit 19-of-41 from the field (46 percent), 11-of-14 from trey-land (79 percent), 60 percent from the free throw line (three-of-five), but made 11 turnovers to LCC’s 10.

The Thunderbirds were led by D.J. Evans’ and Neal Shines’ 18 markers. LCC connected on 18-of-55 from the field (33 percent), six-of-10 (60 percent) from three-ball land, 50 percent from the charity stripe and outrebounded the ‘Skins, 26-22.