Boys Basketball: Hanover pulls off PCC thriller

CEDAR LAKE — As a senior and one of the region’s premier shooters, the mission is pretty simple each time out for Hanover Central’s Nick Bollenbacher.

“I feel my position on this team is to make plays and be the gamechanger,” he said after a wild contest against PCC rival South Central on Friday night.

Bollenbacher powered through to lead the Wildcats to a 62-57 overtime win in front of their home crowd. Sure, the upperclassmen knocked down shots again, this time leading all scorers with 32 points, but it was a clutch 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining that helped the Wildcats rally to a 51-51 tie to end regulation.

And after 2 of 7 from the free-throw line in regulation, Bollenbacher’s 3 of 5 in overtime helped close the door for good.

There were multiple moments when Hanover assistant coach Bob Burke, who led the team on Friday, looked to Bollenbacher for leadership. First was at the end of the half, when Bollenbacher had finished with three field goals and eight points.

“I looked to him at halftime and told him you have to lead the team,” Burke said. 

And after already answering with 13 points after break, Bollenbacher was called on for the dramatic 3-pointer.

According the Bollenbacher, the statement win, which included a slight altercation between the clubs at the end of the third, has the Wildcats (3-4, 2-1 PCC) on the right track.

“I think we’re starting to make that curve now and going back to our old ways and playing Hanover basketball,” he said.

The Satellites (2-3, 1-2) led by nine points in the final minutes of the fourth. They were led by 17 points from 6-foot-6 post player Marcus Kammrath, who fouled out with a little more than a minute to go in overtime.

“We did not execute down the last two, three minutes of the game,” South Central coach Dan Warkentien said.

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