Woods' putback propels Hampshire past Woodstock
It figured that Brennen Woods would score the winning basket at the overtime buzzer.
Hampshire's sophomore forward had done just about everything else to lead the Whip-Purs to an improbable 74-73 win against Woodstock in Fox Valley Fox Division action in Hampshire.
With time running out and Hampshire down a point, Drew Doran's long jumper caromed off the rim. But Woods raced down the lane untouched and put it in, the last of his 30 points on the evening.
"We did have something drawn up," said Hampshire coach Bob Barnett of that final play. "But it wasn't to bounce it off the glass so Brennen could come running down the middle of the floor and lay it in. That was not it. I'd love to take credit for that, but nobody's that good. No, we got lucky."
Woods also scored to tie it with 10 seconds left in regulation after Hampshire trailed by 7 with 2 ½ minutes left.
The Whips fell behind by 4 twice in the overtime. Two free throws by Matt Bridges (22 points) made it 72-70 with 15 seconds left. A steal by Jake Tuttle set up Woods' layup to tie it with 5.1 seconds left.
Tuttle then fouled Woodstock's Vannis Smith as he was driving to the basket. Smith the first free throw but missed the second, giving Hampshire a chance.
"We were just trying to get the ball into the middle and then stretch to the outsides to get an easy bucket," said Woods. "There was no time to think, it was just a reaction."
Woods also grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds. Tuttle finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks for Hampshire (13-2, 2-0).
Although Hampshire grabbed a 32-30 lead at halftime, Woodstock led most of the way in regulation. The Blue Streaks' inside duo of 6-foot-8 Nick Kubiak (13 points) and 6-5 Mason Sutter (11 points, 13 rebounds) gave Hampshire fits all night.
Bradon Abt added 13 points, including 8 free throws without a miss in the fourth quarter and overtime. Add to that Zach Cullum's 14 points that included 4 3-pointers and the Streaks' 51 percent shooting, and it looked as though Woodstock had the game in the bag. But the Whip-purs refused to give up.