CENTERBURG — Luke Bean knows what it feels like to play in big games.
A four-year basketball and baseball player at Fredericktown, he’s seen the big stage. He’s played for conference, district and regional titles. He’s felt the heat and the pressure and the noise associated with high-level competition.
He’s comfortable under the brightest of lights. He showed it on Friday night.
The senior guard came off the bench and went nuclear from the perimeter, torching rival Centerburg for six threes and a game-high 18 points and leading Fredericktown to a 59-50 road win.
And it wasn’t just any ordinary win. The Freddies (6-5, 6-0) and Trojans (6-5, 5-1) came into Friday night tied for first place in the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference.
Fredericktown, gunning for its second KMAC title in three years, now holds a one-game lead heading into the second round of conference play.
“Before the game, we knew this was the most important game of the year so far, so we came in with a lot of energy. A lot of our fans were here. …” Bean said afterwards, still filled with adrenaline 15 minutes after the final horn.
“As soon as I made the first one, every time I shot the ball, I thought I was gonna make it. Every single time. So I just kept shooting it, and it was going in.”
THE GAME: Fredericktown dominated the first quarter with inside play.
Three of the team’s five starters scored on post touches, and senior forward Kaid Carpenter hammered home a break-away dunk that brought the road crowd to life. The Freddies led 15-4 at one point, but ended up taking a 15-8 lead into the second stanza.
That’s when Bean got going.
The senior hit five of his six threes in the period, including two in the quarter’s first 90 seconds to give Fredericktown an 8-point lead.
Centerburg didn’t go away. A swooping lay-in from senior point guard Grayson Reynolds and a corner three from sophomore forward Isaiah Sule cut the margin to 21-18 with 5:10 left until halftime.
But the Freddies finished the half strong. They closed the second quarter on a 11-2 run, following a timeout from head coach Derek Dibling, with 9 of those points coming on Bean three-pointers.
First it was a triple from the wing with a hand in his face. Then, 34 seconds later, another.
Bean relocated on the perimeter after making a post pass, and his defender lost him for half-a-second. That was all it took. As Bean hoisted another three-ball, fans on Centerburg’s side of the gym could be heard screaming, “Don’t leave him!”
It was too late.
That one splashed through, too, giving Fredericktown a 27-18 lead.
Bean’s final triple of the half came moments later, on a post kick-out. He netted the triple from the corner, right in front of Fredericktown’s raucous traveling student section, extending the lead to 11.
The Freddies took a 32-20 lead into the halftime locker room.
“It just felt great,” Bean said of the second-quarter run. “We were shutting their fans up and our fans were getting really loud, and the team was pumped up. It was just a great area to be in.”
Centerburg did not quit.
The Trojans went into attack mode in the third quarter, forcing turnovers on defense and capitalizing with quick, aggressive scores on the other end. Reynolds banged in two long jumpers, and senior forward Colton Martin knocked down four straight free throws to cut the deficit to 7.
Two more free throws from sophomore Jack Lawrence made it 38-33 with 1:25 remaining.
Bean splashed his sixth triple of the night moments later, stretching the Fredericktown lead back to 8 with a minute left in the quarter. And three straight points from senior Dom Thompson made it 44-35 heading into the fourth.
But the Trojans kept fighting.
Back-to-back and-one buckets from Lawrence and sophomore Trevin Harris narrowed the deficit to 49-44 with four minutes left.
Carpenter, Fredericktown’s leading scorer, fouled out with 2:23 remaining, and two more Centerburg free throws made it 51-48.
But that’s as close as the Trojans got.
Fredericktown closed the game on a 8-2 run, using two clutch lay-ins from senior Teegan Ruhl, a transition bucket from senior Brady Lester, and several key defensive stops to put the game on ice.
As the final buzzer sounded, Lester flexed and roared to the home crowd. There were chest-bumps and hugs and high-fives galore.
Fredericktown lost to Centerburg twice last season – costing the Freddies a shot at their second straight conference title. This wasn’t just any ordinary win.
“Last year, we didn’t play as good as we could have. We lost to them both (times),” Bean said. “So we just wanted to come in here and play the best basketball we could and beat them.”
Lester finished with 12 points for the Freddies, followed by Carpenter and Ruhl, who tallied 8 apiece. Martin led Centerburg in scoring with 16 points, while Reynolds added 12 and Harris added 10.
KEY TAKEAWAYS: Fredericktown’s second-quarter run – fueled by Bean’s electric perimeter performance – gave the Freddies the cushion they needed to survive Centerburg’s second-half blitz.
Dibling said he wasn’t surprised to see the senior step up when it mattered most.
“He is a shooter. He’s always been a shooter. … We see some glimpses of it (in practice). But nobody stepped up bigger than Luke tonight,” Dibling said of Bean.
“You could even almost tell pregame, he just had some bounce in his step. These guys understand the relevance and the magnitude of a game like this. And he’s just another senior. He’s played in big moments, on the baseball diamond and in basketball. He’s a gamer. Luke’s a gamer.”
And it wasn’t just Bean. Fredericktown’s entire senior class, eight men strong, came to play against Centerburg.
They’ve been through the wars, Dibling said. It showed on Friday night.
“They’ve been playing together for so long that you have this natural chemistry, (and) they just look for each other. They’re a really unselfish group. They’re not worried about who gets the credit,” Dibling said. “And they’ve been here before. So I really think that plays to our strengths in a game like it was tonight.”
This experience and toughness allowed Fredericktown to withstand multiple Centerburg runs. The Trojans pulled within 3 twice – early in the second quarter and late in the fourth quarter – but the Freddies never folded. They dug in their heels and fought back.
Fredericktown led the entire night.
“We talked about poise all week. We used the expression, ‘It’s not a knockout type of game. It’s a 12-round fight. We’ve gotta deliver our punches, but be ready to take ’em and then deliver the next one,’” Dibling said. “So I’m just super proud of the guys for keeping their poise in a hostile environment and doing what they needed to do.”
Fredericktown also played a cleaner brand of basketball down the stretch – taking and making quality shots, forcing turnovers and getting rebounds – to seal the deal. Dibling said that’s what it takes to win games like this in January.
“You really have to play mistake-free basketball. …” Dibling said. “All those little things you preach, this is where it comes back to haunt you if you’re not sharp on those things – the rebounding piece, the taking care of the ball piece. All those things really come back to haunt you in games like this because possessions are tough to come by sometimes, and it sometimes comes down to one or two. So you really can’t afford to give them away.”
The second round of KMAC play will begin next week. Centerburg will hit the road Tuesday to take on Northmor, while Fredericktown will head to Cardington.
The Freddies now control their own destiny. If they win their last six conference games, they will claim their second KMAC title in three years. But Dibling knows it won’t be easy.
“I think (the postgame message) is the same thing it’s been. We’ve gotta make sure tomorrow’s the best practice to-date, and then we’ve gotta make sure Monday is the best practice to-date. … We’re just trying to focus on one drill at a time, one practice at a time,” Dibling said.
“And these guys understand that. As good as tonight feels, the job is not done. The KMAC is pretty balanced, and the minute you stop preparing and aren’t ready, you get snake-bit. So you’ve gotta be ready to go.”
The Freddies and Trojans will meet once more this season – on Friday, Feb. 3, in Fredericktown. With a win, the Freddies could sweep their arch-rivals for the first time in years.
Bean said Friday he’s already looking forward to the rematch.
“Coming into their place – they’re known for a great student section and a lot of fans. So to get the job done here, and then we’ve got them at our place for the second game, I think it’s just great for us,” Bean said with a grin. “Because coming to Fredericktown isn’t fun, either.”
