VANDALIA — Indian Lake had its heart broken here Saturday night.
The Lakers led almost the entire way in this Division III Southwest District sectional final game against Versailles, but a basket with 2.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter propelled Versailles to a 43-42 victory.
Indian Lake led by nine points at halftime, but could not get shots to drop in the second half. The Lakers scored just 14 points over the final two quarters as Versailles chipped away down the stretch.
The Lakers had the ball and a one-point lead with less than 20 seconds to play in the game. Attempting to break a press defense from Versailles as they brought the ball into the front court, a Lakers pass bounced just wide and out of bounds in front of the Indian Lake bench, giving the ball back to Versailles with 15 seconds left on the clock.
On the Tigers’ final possession, Drake Ahrens dribbled the ball near the rim off the left side of the basket, pulled up and connected on a short jumper, fading away from the basket from near the baseline to give Versailles the lead.
Moments earlier, a three-point play from A.J. Griesdorn had put Versailles ahead for the first time since midway through the first quarter.
That lead lasted all of one possession, however, as the Lakers answered back in short order to pull back ahead. Indian Lake maintained a slim advantage over the final few minutes until the decisive final sequence.