Something had to give.
Both Hastings and Adams Central entered Tuesday’s game with only one loss. Hastings’ only slip prior to Tuesday came at the hands of Omaha Mount Michael, and Adam Central’s only fault was against C2 powerhouse Grand Island Central Catholic. Both teams came into the game looking to continue their cinderella seasons, but Adams Central was able to pull out the eventual win in one of the best games across the state so far this season.
The game opened on a 7-0 run, with Mike Boeve nailing a corner three. Tyler Slechta of Adams Central stopped the run with a contested layup. Hastings climbed up to a 16-8 lead, but a timeout and subsequent three pointer by Cam Foster of AC helped the Patriots tie the game at 18. Another Foster three led to an eruption of the Patriot faithful. Adams Central was able to draw on this energy and take a 28-20 lead into halftime.
There was clear animosity between the two sections of fans; throughout the game, screaming and shouting was commonplace in the crowded arena. Chants of “We’ve got spirit, how about you!” from Hastings were matched by “Scoreboard!” chants from the southwest side of the gym.
Adams Central quickly jumped to a 10-point lead after halftime, but Jake Schroeder was able to nail a short jumper to stop the run. Scoring throughout the third quarter was matched until a Gavin Lipovsky (Adams Central) dunk set the gym on fire. Connor Creech was able to hit a subsequent buzzer three to keep Adams Central’s lead to six at the end of the third quarter, at 36-42.
A very low-scoring fourth quarter kept the crowd on edge. Connor Creech entered foul trouble, accumulating his fourth foul with more than five minutes left in the match. Adams Central starting playing keep away with more than three minutes to go, much to the disdain of Hastings faithful. Gavin Lipovsky drove home another dunk to bring the lead to seven with two minutes left, but Connor Creech connected on a three to bring the lead back within four with 1:24 left on the clock. Hastings was forced to foul when AC didn’t shoot immediately, but Cam Foster connected on both free throws to open the lead back up to six. Creech continued to carry the Tigers with another three, but Dante Boelhoewer of Adams Central quickly answered with a layup.
A recurring theme throughout the game, Lipovsky erased Tiger momentum with a dunk to put the game almost out of reach. The Tigers could not overcome the five point lead with 15 seconds to play, as the Patriots were able to close the game with effective free throw shooting. JT Cafferty connected on a desperation three, but the clock ran out on the Tigers’ comeback attempt.
A 51-54 Patriot win obviously was not the result the Tigers were hoping for, but the rivalry between the two teams throughout the past four years has lived up to every bit of its annual hype. Hastings’ outgoing seniors have seen a 2-2 record against Adams Central, with score differentials of three, eight, three, and three respectively.
Adams Central continues their impressive season at 18-1, while Hastings drops their second game of the season and falls to 17-2. Hastings will get another chance at a powerhouse on Saturday, as they face an undefeated but unproven Bancroft-Rosalie/Lyons-Decatur team that has amassed a 19-0 record against primarily C2 and D1 opponents. The game will be held at the Heartland Event Center as part of the Heartland Hoops Classic.
