Baker boys fall in district title game

Kyle Wright

Florida Freedom Newspapers

JAY -- Baker's boys basketball team went from ecstasy to agony in just a couple of seconds Saturday night.

Pensacola Christian Academy's Matt Goetsch hit a pair of free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining to lift the Warriors to a 48-46 win against the Gators in the District 1-2A championship game.

Baker thought it had forced overtime on Chad Lawhon's free throw with 3.8 seconds to go.

Instead, Goetsch got a call on the left sideline and swished both ends of a one-and-one to give the top-seeded Warriors (20-3) their first district title.

"I told coach I was going to make them," Goetsch said. "We've been practicing free throws, and it was fitting to win it there."

Goetsch's older brother, Pensacola Christian College guard Marques Goetsch, is one of the best free-throw shooters in college basketball. Matt Goetsch doesn't put himself in his brother's class, but he hit the shots that mattered Saturday.

"I miss. I miss more than anyone else in the family," Matt Goetsch said. "I'm the runt of the family in free throws, but I guess I've got bragging rights for now."

Third-seeded Baker (15-12) held a 38-28 lead when Chad Donley scored on the Gators' first possession of the fourth quarter.

PCA rallied by punching the ball inside to Matt Goetsch (13 points), brother Mike Goetsch (15 points) and center Jonathan Andrews (11 points).

The Warriors took their first lead since the second quarter when Matt Goetsch's shot from the left block made it 46-45 with 22 seconds to go.

Baker worked the ball inside to Lawhon, who drew contact on a layup attempt. Lawhon hit the second of two free throws to tie things up, but the Gators' excitement would prove short-lived.

Baker coach Mike Martello didn't look at the last three seconds as the decisive moments. He pointed to the first eight minutes as the Gators' missed opportunity.

"We didn't set the tone at the beginning of the game like we have in games past," Martello said. "Being as young as we are and being in this big game situation may have had something to do with it."

Baker got momentum for the middle two quarters when Josh Rose sank a three-quarter-court shot at the end of the first period. Stephen Shelley scored the majority of his 17 points in the middle two quarters to stake the Gators to the lead.

Baker will go on the road Thursday for a regional quarterfinal.

"We just couldn't get the job done," Shelley said. We'll have to come back strong in the playoffs and hopefully do better."

Baker 11 17 8 10 -- 46

PCA 12 11 5 20 -- 48

BAKER (46)

Josh Rose 7, Colton Henry 2, Chad Donley 6, Chad Lawhon 7, Cameron Davis 5, Stephen Shelley 17, Jarrod Batson 2. Totals 17 9-15 46.

PCA (48)

Mark Heinold 5, Matt Goetsch 13, Mike Goetsch 15, Jeremy Riche 4, Jonathan Andrews 11. Totals: 16 13-18 48.