Tanager boys escape late

With the form that the Vermillion High School boys' basketball season has taken, the thought of having a wild finish to the Jan. 4 Big Eight conference contest against the Trojans of West Central had to be in mind.

Within the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, Jeff Donnelly and Jordan Boots strapped on their playing shoes, combining to score 10 points and leading their Tanagers to a 72-70 victory. This two-point escape over their conference foe was the first of the season for Vermillion in the Big Eight.

After a minimal halftime lead of 39-37, the home team suffered from a second-half slip, trailing the Trojans by a score of 59-56 going into thefourth. However, the hard work and dedicated play of the Tanagers, with Boots and Donnelly in the driver's seat, would not allow for such a slump to continue.

Coach Jason Huska stated, "I'm very proud of our effort! They have a nice team with some good players."

Boots finished with 25 points and seven rebounds. Donnelly chipped in with 23 points and three steals. Broc Gauer and Ryan Powell produced a combined 21 points and six assists.

For West Central, Kelly Hofer scored 20 points and Bryce Snyder provided a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.