Pushed to the end by ‘physical, skilled’ York, Webb survives
KNOXVILLE — Webb School of Knoxville’s weekend boys basketball opponent came into its game in Lee Athletic Center having earned just one win in its first five games.
However, by game’s end, York Institute of Jamestown was labeled “well coached, very physical” and “skilled” that “made a lot of shots” by Zach Gulmire, Spartans acting head coach.
This Division I-Class AA program fought off early Webb attempts to pull away, as the visiting Dragons made their move to catch the Green-and-White late in the third quarter and took this game down to the final seconds.
York missed a short lane jumper and putback attempt under the basket that probably would have won the game, as Spartan sophomore wing Lukas Walls — who scored nine points in the fourth quarter and a team-high 20 overall — grabbed a critical defensive rebound with just 2.6 seconds to play. His two subsequent free throws sealed a 67-64 Webb victory.
“We held our poise offensively. We executed down the stretch to get that win at the end,” said Gulmire, team assistant coach filling in for absent head coach Ricky Norris.
“… We screened a little better and just used each other better to get the shots that we were looking for,” he added.
Gulmire also pointed out how his defense “took a couple of big charges late that were big plays; I think Owen Feld (senior wing)took one. That was a momentum swinger, as they were on a little bit of a run.”
Webb, which improved its record to 6-1 overall, also had junior wing Luke Lentz and senior wing David Sanger reach double figures in scoring with 11 apiece. Feld added seven, followed by freshman wing Brandon Winton with six. Spartans Markeis Barett and John Tulsma each scored five.
Helping York (1-5) keep close, “They kind of junked the game up with their physicality — just making it an all-out battle,” Gulmire said. “They really take you out of a lot of things that you do.”
