Lamar leads Bloodhounds in crazy comeback win

FORT MADISON - It was going to be an early wake-up call for Fort Madison’s boys basketball team on Saturday.
So of course the Bloodhounds had to add a couple of overtimes onto their game against Washington on Friday night.
They got to sleep on a 90-87 win that keeps them in line for a Southeast Conference championship.
“I’ll tell you this,” coach Ryan Wilson said, “that 6 o’clock alarm will be a hell of a lot better after this win.”
The Bloodhounds (9-7 overall, 7-2 conference), who have a noon game against Mount Vernon on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, needed an extra eight minutes to vanquish the Demons (7-11, 4-5), but the win kept them tied with Keokuk for the conference lead heading into Thursday’s game at Wright Fieldhouse.
The Bloodhounds trailed by 16 points in the first half, and outside of a couple of early leads in the first two minutes didn’t lead again until the first overtime, and still made big play after big play.
“So resilient,” Wilson said. “There are some guys that just … they have some goals in mind.”
“I say we go win the conference,” said forward Dayton Lamar, who scored 30 points, including hitting the shot with less than a second left in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 69. “Go to state, get past districts, win everything.”
This win had everything, from both sides.
There was Lamar’s shot off the lob inbounds pass from Julian Dear. The 34 points from Washington’s Logan McDole, whose four-point play with 17 seconds left in the first overtime nearly won the game for the Demons. The seven–points-in-less-than-a-minute by Fort Madison’s Nolan Guzman near the end of the first half that put some life into the Bloodhounds. 
And then there was Fort Madison’s Kenden Bowie, whose basket in the lane with 39 seconds left gave the Bloodhounds an 89-87 lead, whose free throw with 15 seconds left provided what would be the final margin, and then whose blocked shot on Kael Williams’ 3-point try with four seconds left completed the win.

The first half was played at a furious pace, with Washington leading 46-35 at halftime. The Demons had eight 3-pointers, including two in the first two minutes from Nic Stone and two from Seth Shepherd.
“Didn't play any defense, didn't pay attention to our scouting reports,” Wilson said. “You know, we talked about who the shooters were. Our plan was not to let (Stone) and (Shepherd) catch and shoot. Well, by God, what happened? A couple guys knocked them down, then everybody feels like they're gonna knock them down, then they're shooting the ball in the ocean. And sure enough, next thing, know, we're down 16, then our guys just kind of put their feet in the mud and decided to gritty up a little bit and cut it back to 11 (at halftime).”
The Bloodhounds were more methodical in the second half, clipping points off the Demons’ lead. A 9-1 Fort Madison run got the Bloodhounds within 57-55 at the end of the third quarter.
“We said it was going to be one possession at a time, one rebound at a time, one defensive stop at a time,” Wilson said.
“I think it was honestly us being more aggressive because we weren't (in the first half),” Lamar said. “We were honestly playing back a lot, not really getting up in their face. I think we were more aggressive (in the second half). That was the key to victory.”
Lamar had been dominant inside all game, so of course the play to tie the game was designed to go to him. The pass from Dear, Lamar said, was perfect. Lamar caught the ball in the air, but instead of putting up a shot right away came down, then went back up for a little better look and hit the shot before the buzzer sounded.
“Just like we drew it up,” Wilson said.
Fort Madison led by four points twice in the first overtime and was up 79-76 when McDole shot from the right side. He was fouled by Dear as he released the shot, and it rattled in as he fell to the court. His free throw put Washington up by one, but Guzman drove to the basket with seven seconds left and was fouled. He made the second of two free throws, and the two teams headed to the second overtime.
McDole’s 3-pointer put Washington up 83-82, then Dear answered with a three. Lamar scored inside with 2:10 to play for a four-point Bloodhound lead, but Washington would tie the game again.
That set up the closing seconds for Bowie, who finished off the win with the last three of his 13 points.
Guzman had 19 points. Dear had 16.
Stone and Rajan Roth each had 13 for the Demons.