MADISON TOWNSHIP — Grayson Purvis connected on the two biggest shots of his career Wednesday evening.
A junior swingman, Purvis rescued Ontario’s season when he scored all five of his points in a 25-second span late in the fourth quarter of a 62-59 win over Clear Fork in the first game of a Division II sectional semifinal doubleheader at Madison Middle School.
The seventh-seeded Warriors (13-10) snapped a two-game slide and will play No. 2 seed Shelby in the sectional championship game at 6 p.m. Friday at Madison.
The No. 11 Colts dropped their seventh straight game and finished 6-17 under first-year coach Tim Brafford.
Clear Fork opened a 56-47 lead when Adam Vanausdle hit 3-of-4 free throws after Ontario’s Gage Weaver was assessed back-to-back technical fouls and ejected from the game with 3:12 remaining. The Warriors trimmed the deficit to 59-58 when Purvis knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining. He gave Ontario a 60-59 lead when he scored on a layup with 43 seconds to play.
“When I got the ball on the wing, the (Clear Fork defender) was probably two steps off me and I just shot it. That went in and I just felt the whole gym shake,” Purvis said of his game-changing sequence. “My heart was pumping. I was just living in the moment.
“It’s a dream come true to me. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, hit a big-time shot. I’m glad it happened in a big game like this.”
Trailing 60-59, Clear Fork called its final timeout with possession of the ball and 8.9 seconds remaining. The Colts misfired on a pair of shots before Ontario’s Bodpegn Miller was fouled after corralling the rebound with three seconds to play. Miller connected on a pair of free throws and a desperation 3-pointer by Clear Fork’s Grant Spencer’s was off the mark, sending the Warriors to the victory.
“At no point did they come off the floor looking defeated, and at times this year we have,” Ontario coach Tim Mergel said. “There were some guys bickering at one another, but as a coach I don’t mind because it means they care about it.
“I’m a big believer in basketball rewarding energy and I thought we played with a lot more energy in the second half.”
The Warriors already were playing without senior guard Braxton Hall, who was in street clothes after suffering an ankle injury late in the regular season. Weaver was ejected with 3:12 to play and younger brother Carter fouled out with 1:22 remaining, meaning Ontario played its most meaningful stretch of the season without its three top scorers.
“I hadn’t seen that lineup many times,” Mergel said of the five players he had on the floor in crunch time. “(Purvis) makes the shot and we get a steal and he gets the layup and before you know it, we’re in the lead.”
Gage Weaver led Ontario with 14 points. Miller had 12 while Carter Weaver had 11 and Grady Schroeder added 10.
Vanausdle led the Colts with a game-high 16 points. Victor Skoog had 12 while Beau Dornbirer added 10.
“It is a continuation of a season of inexperience,” Clear Fork’s Brafford said. “We get the lead, both Weavers are gone and you would have thought it’s over.”
The Colts, who played without regulars Kaden Riddle and Pawie Ault, won six games after going winless last winter.
“It’s just a growing process and it’s painful for our guys,” Brafford said. “From where we started this year to where we are, we’ve made huge bounds. I think we’ll see the benefit of it next year.”
Ontario will prepare for a third meeting with Shelby. The Whippets swept the season series with the Warriors.
“They’re really good,” Megel said of the Whippets. “They’re a tough matchup. For us, it’s about competing and I don’t think we competed for 32 minutes. We’ve got to compete for 32 minutes.”
