Sectionals: Andes Pushes Past Cherry Valley

Daily Star Write Up

Underdog Andes advances to semis


STAFF REPORT

Not since Hickory has there been an underdog of this magnitude.

Andes, the smallest enrollment school in Section Four and possibly the state, is headed to the Class D boys basketball semifinals after downing fourth-seeded Cherry Valley-Springfield, 45-37, on the road Monday.

That's right, the 12th-seeded team that has seven players on its roster is headed for a rematch against top-seeded Davenport at 8 tonight at Oneonta State's Dewar Arena.

Coach John Bernhardt said he thinks it's the first time Andes has qualified for the Section Four Class D semifinals since making the final in 1989 _ two years after Hoosiers and Hickory star Jimmy Chitwood made their big-screen debut.

And Bernhardt made this Little Engine that Could story even more dramatic, by saying: "This might be the last year we have an Andes boys basketball team. The school has a committee that is looking into merging our program with some area school. This is kind of the end of the road. It doesn't look good in terms of returning a team."

In the first round, Andes faced a fifth-seeded Gilboa squad it had lost to three times this season but came away with a 52-40 victory.

This time, Eric Reed played the role of Chitwood on Monday, scoring a game-high 24 points.

He hit two of his four three-pointers as the Mountaineers bolted to a 16-6 lead after one quarter.

The Patriots closed to four or five points in the final quarter, but Reed went 6-for-6 from the line over the final eight minutes to keep Andes in front.

Reed also had five steals. Teammate Josh Bonifacic had seven points, 10 rebounds and five steals, and Cody Ruff four points and five assists.

"In the last two games, we've done a great job managing the ball," said Bernhardt, who received nine points from James Litaker. "We've been able to work the clock and that's been a huge factor."

If the odds weren't long enough for the Mountaineers, they have to play the top-seeded team on no rest.

"It's a shame, but it's the way it is," Bernhardt said of playing on back-to-back days, necessitated by numerous snow outs last week. "It's part of the lesson of the game. All the time you just have to keep grinding and that's what we have to do (tonight). We only have seven guys and they're going to be sore, but this is a wonderful opportunity. Just keep grinding."

Andes (11-9) opened the season with a 49-38 loss to Davenport (18-1).

"The first thing that stands out is Lee Fisher," Bernhardt said of the longtime Wildcats coach. "His kids play with great composure. They're a model for probing against a zone. They play with such patience with the ball and you have to respect that so much."

Jacob Hoag scored 14 points, and Kyle Flint contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Patriots, who end the season at 14-6.

Andes 45, Cherry Valley-Springfield 37

SECTION FOUR CLASS D

Quarterfinal

12-ANDES (11-9): Russell Koronowski 0 1-2 1, Josh Bonifacic 2 3-7 7, James Litaker 4 1-1 9, Peter Fabrykiewicz 0 0-0 0, Eric Reed 6 8-8 24, Cody Ruff 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 14 13-18 45.

4-CHERRY VALLEY-SPRINGFIELD (14-6): Kyle Flint 6 1-1 13, Todd Frasier 1 0-0 2, Shawn Cope 2 0-2 4, Seth Drugatz 0 0-0 0, Jacob Hoag 6 2-2 14, Alex Shuster 2 0-0 4, Ben VanAlstine 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17 3-7 37.

Andes16 9 7 13 _ 45

CV-S6 10 9 12 _ 37