By Stu Swartz
Goshen’s fourth straight victory to start the 2007-08 high school boys basketball season makes a statement on the area scene.
Steals by junior Ethan Hussey and senior Cam Snyder put the finishing touches on a Redskin 45-42 win over the Penn Kingsmen in the GHS home season opener Saturday night.
The Redskins battled back from as far as nine points down to defeat a team they lost to by 25 just nine months ago in the championship game of a Class 4A sectional at Elkhart.
“Our locker room is ecstatic,” said Goshen coach Brian Bechtel. “Before the season, I thought we would surprise some people but now these kids go on the floor expecting to win.”
The thriller was tied 30-30 going into turned out be an unbelievable fourth quarter.
3-point bombs by 6-0 senior Ryan Bartley and the 6-2 Hussey put Goshen on top 36-32 with 5:47 to play. Penn responded with six straight points for a 38-36 lead at 4:01.
Bartley drove the right side to score for the tie, Snyder put Goshen ahead 40-38 by hitting from the left corner at 2:06 and, after a Penn turnover, Bartley hit a ‘3’ from the left corner for a 43-38 score with 1:39 to go.
The Redskins missed chances to ice it at the free-throw line with missed at 0:56 and 0:54.
Penn standout 6-1 junior guard Tommy Kurth drove the middle to scored at 0:45, getting the Kingsmen within three.
After a Goshen turnover, Kurt hit two free throws at 0:22 and the Redskins’ lead was down to 43-42.
A long Goshen pass was stolen, but a Penn shot was missed and rebounded by Hussey. The ball then went out of bounds and the Kingsmen regained possession at 0:03.
After numerous timeouts, Hussey stole the Penn inbounds pass and was fouled at :01. He hit two free throws for the final points and another long Penn pass was pilfered by Snyder to set off a Goshen celebration.
“We have been building this team with defense and finished this game off with defense,” said Bechtel. “These kids are committed to playing stingy defense and getting stops.
“On the last play, we wanted to make sure we switched on every screen. We were expecting a lob and wanted them to throw it deep.
“Ethan made a great play in tipping the ball. We spend a whole season talking about situations and it’s great to see the kids execute.”
The amazing Kurth scored Penn’s first 16 points of the game before being slowed by the defense of Bartley and 5-10 senior Jordan Short.
When 6-6 senior Penn Choiniere scored back-to-back buckets, the Kingsmen had their largest lead at 21-12 with 3:33 until halftime. The Redskins got within 26-21 by the break.
Goshen surged at the start of the third quarter with Snyder and Bartley hitting ‘3s’ from the top of the circle and 6-2 junior Marshall Crawford scoring from the right corner for a 30-26 Redskin lead.
The Redskins held the Kingsmen scoreless for the first 4:47 of the third period. Two scores by Penn 6-6 senior Pat Hess tied the score going into the frantic fourth.
Crawford and Bartley both scored 11 points for Goshen, Snyder 10 and Hussey seven. Both Snyder and Hussey had eight rebounds as the Redskins won the board battle, 29-21.
Goshen had just two turnovers through three quarters and then four in the fourth. Penn finished the night with seven including the critical ones toward the finish.
Kurth closed the night with 28 points and only two other Kingsmen scored.
“Kurth was a one-man wrecking crew,” said Bechtel. “They attacked us off both the makes and misses.
“Our guards were challenging those shots by Kurth. I though Bartley and Short did a good job on Kurth and we put Hussey on him for the last play because Ethan has long arms.”
Penn coach Dean Foster said of Goshen’s turnaround, “Those are the same players they had last year, but they have physically matured. They matured a great deal emotionally last season.
“For what they have been through the last couple years, it says a lot about the Goshen kids.
“This game came down to the fact Goshen was able to defend our out-of-bounds plays and we had our two big men (Choiniere and Hess) on the bench with fouls.
“Goshen deserves credit for struggling early with its shooting and hanging in there. They caught us and then took the lead. It’s a good example for our kids that a game is never over.”
The Redskins, 4-0, are idle until hosting the DeKalb Barons next Saturday night.
Junior Varsity
The Redskin JV also moved to 4-0 by trimming Penn, 38-35, in the Whiteman gym.
Tyler Kolbus scored 19 points for GHS, Andrew Bowers seven, Scott Landis and Brock Bender both four, Jon Good and Alex Aguilar both two. T.J. Wright had three assists, Aguilar and Bowers both two; Kolbus and Bender both four rebounds.
