Story from I70sports.com’s Seth Whitehead–
Wade Brannon got a heavily contested shot in the lane to drop with 1.1 seconds remaining Saturday to give the Vandals a thrilling 57-55 come-from-behind win over Meridian in their home-opener.
The Vandals (2-3) found themselves trailing by 11 early in the fourth quarter and lost their leading scorer when Tanner Robbins fouled out with 5:16 remaining. But at the exact moment that it seemed it simply wasn’t going to be their night, the Vandals put together a furious rally to stun the Hawks.
The Vandals’ comeback kicked off a with a 3-pointer by freshman Andrew Casey that ignited a 9-0 run that was capped by an Ian Whitehead turnaround shot to cut Meridian’s lead to just one, 51-50.
Meridian extended its lead back to three points with a bucket off a Vandals’ turnover moments later, but Brenton McCarty capped Vandalia’s comeback with a 3-pointer that evened the game 53-53 with 1:34 to go.
Kohnor Depew gave the Vandals their first lead since the first quarter with a putback with 1:02 to go, but Meridian evened the game at 55 with a steal and a fast-break bucket to set up a thrilling finish.
The Vandals still had plenty of time to respond, taking a time out with 5.6 seconds to go, and assistant coach Joe Vanzo drew up a play for Brannon. Brannon drew heavy contact from a pair of Meridian defenders in the lane, but managed to get the game-winner to drop with 1.1 seconds left. Meridian failed to get a shot off at the buzzer, setting off a wild celebration on the Vandals bench.
Robbins finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals despite sitting out the final five-plus minutes.
Whitehead led a strong effort from the Vandals’ reserves with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals. The Vandals got 21 points from their bench on the night. Brannon finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Vandals will return to action on Tuesday when they host South Central.
Vandalia Stats
Tanner Robbins — 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist
Ian Whitehead — 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Wade Brannon — 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Kohnor Depew — 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Brenton McCarty — 5 points, 2 rebounds
Isaac Sachan — 3 points, 3 assists, 2 steals
Andrew Casey — 3 points
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