(Photo: Jordan Kartholl)
PARKER CITY, Ind. — The relief on Monroe Central basketball coach Justin Ullom’s face postgame Friday is evident.
He’s standing outside the Golden Bears locker room moments after their overtime victory against Cowan. Monroe Central sophomore Gavin Smithson-Burciaga's put-back bucket with 1.3 seconds left in the game, and the ensuing foul shot he’d hit, that broke the tie to give Ullom’s crew the 63-60 lead it’d win with still had their home crowd buzzing. The Golden Bears’ comeback after trailing the Blackhawks by 14 at halftime was complete.
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And yet while Ullom would praise Smithson-Burciaga's effort in addition to senior Will Jones’, as Jones led Monroe Central in scoring with 27 points, when asked what gave him the confidence his team wouldn’t fold in the second half despite their deficit Ullom didn’t name those two.