Nothing in baseball can match an ace pitcher, not even the weight of history.
FORT WAYNE – DeJoyah Johnson made sure South Side’s last-minute, late-season measuring stick had a successful outcome Tuesday.
The junior hit a shot with four seconds left to lift the Class 4A No. 4 Archers to a 51-49 home win over 3A top-ranked Mount Vernon (Fortville).
Johnson’s short runner came after a scramble for the ball in the waning seconds with the game tied at 49.
“I just knew we had to score in order to win the game because it was a tie game,” said Johnson, who led South Side with 17 points. “The ball was loose, so I grabbed it and went for the hole. We didn’t want to let up, especially at our house.”
South Side (19-1), which won the SAC championship, has won 18 in a row. Mount Vernon (17-4) had its seven-game winning streak snapped. The matchup came to be just before Christmas when the Marauders called to inquire about a game after having a team drop them. South Side, which was a game short of a full slate, agreed to play in the one-time matchup.
The South Side coaching staff had a chance to scout Mount Vernon last Saturday but had no game film to show the players.
“We knew we were going to have a fight, and we could have finished it stronger but what I love about my team is they are going to continue to fight and give us everything they can,” South Side coach Juanita Goodwell said.
The Archers led 37-24 late in the third quarter, but the Marauders rallied and took a 49-47 lead in the fourth.
“The fact we had the lead shows us we have some good things,” Goodwell said. “I am happy we were able to pull it off. If we would have lost, it’s the same thing. We would have looked at where we can get better.
“This is a great game for us to learn from because this is a tournament-(type) game. We had a decent lead, so we need to go back and look at what it was that we lost in that time frame. Was it us or was it them? That’s what we will have to learn and know how we have to prepare for the tournament run (starting next week at the sectional).”
Ariana Simmons added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Johnson said the team didn’t know a lot about the Marauders, expect their ranking and their front line, which had a 6-foot-2 and 6-1 player, with two more over 5-10.
“We are ranked high, and we really wanted to make noise so we came hard to play,” Johnson said. “They were tall, but we are a tough team too, and we didn’t let that determine anything because of their height.”
