Burgin loses heartbreaker

Arpan Dixit
Herald Staff
sports@harrodsburgherald.com

The Portland Christian Eagles (9-12) ruined homecoming night for the Burgin Bulldogs (9-15), defeating them at the buzzer to steal a 53-50 win on the road.

Isaiah Young for Portland Christian didn’t care that it was homecoming night. He just wanted to leave with a win, which ended up being in grand fashion. Young stumbled with the ball on the final possession, got up and nailed a game-winning three pointer as the ball bounced on the rim three times before falling in.

The Eagles celebrated by mobbing Young in front of the Burgin bench. It was a stunner for the Bulldogs, who were sent home with their third straight loss.

Despite Young hitting the game-winning shot, it was Luke Kennedy and Quincy Dye who led the Eagles in scoring with 12 points each.

“We defended really well and he actually slipped and lost his footing and that likely opened him up for a shot. It was almost like a step-back three-pointer,” said Burgin Head Coach Don Irvine. “We defended it the way we wanted to defend it, but give credit to them by hitting a tough shot at the end.”

Sophomore Wesley Tyler had a big game for the Bulldogs, finishing with 20 points and six rebounds. Burgin was trailing most of the second half by no more than eight points, when Tyler had consecutive and-1 plays which fired up his teammates and the crowd. While Tyler was able to get Burgin back in the game, free throws were a killer for the Bulldogs. They had a chance to take the lead late in the game, but weren’t able to connect at the charity stripe. Making those free throws might not have guaranteed victory, but it would have prevented Portland Christian from holding for the last shot of the game.

For full story, check out this week’s issue of the Harrodsburg Herald.