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Howells vs. West Point2012 Championship game: Jan. 29, 2012, at West Point Guardian Angels
The 2012 Farmland Basketball League championship game was everything a basketball fan could ask for.
A large crowd nearly filled the south stands of West Point Guardian Angel to see Howells and the West Point Cowtippers duke it out to the final buzzer. The first half was a tight, back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to build a lead of more than three points before Howells took a 43-42 lead at intermission. The Cowtippers went cold in the third period, and Howells was finally able to get some separation, slowly building 10-point lead. However, West Point, playing in its second straight Farmland final, wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. The Tippers' Craig Randel caught fire from 3-point land. With 4:05 left in the game, he nailed his third 3-pointer of the period to pull West Point to within two points at 64-62. Justin Sindelar responded for Howells, scoring five straight points for his team, including a layup after stealing an inbounds pass. But yet another 3-pointer from Randel, his fourth of the period and sixth of the game, kept West Point within striking distance. Trailing by four with just over a minute left, the Cowtippers began to foul. Donnie Morrison and Bryon Janata combined to make 7-of-8 free throws for Howells down the stretch, but West Point was scoring nearly as easily on the other end. With the Howells defense playing tight on the perimeter to guard against the 3-pointer, the Cowtippers were finding open lanes to the basket for layups. Steve Hunke of West Point drove for three layups in the final minute, with his final basket making the score 76-75 in favor of Howells with 16.3 seconds left.
Howells inbounded the ball, but had trouble against the West Point pressure and called a timeout. After the break, Howells got the ball inbounds, but the Howells guard lost his balance and was called for traveling. The Cowtippers had one more chance with 7.9 seconds left. West Point threw the ball in from the sideline but couldn't get a clean look against the Howells pressure. With time ticking away, the Tippers found Chris Kreikemeier breaking open for an entry pass into the lane. As the final second ran out, Kreikemeier quickly flipped the ball backwards over his shoulder. His circus shot banked off the backboard, caught rim, and bounced harmlessly away. Howells hung on for the 76-75 win and the Golden Tractor trophy in its first season of Farmland play. The victory competed a Cinderella story for Howells after barely making the playoffs, then becoming the first No. 4 seed to win a Farmland playoff game. All-Farmland player Matt Eikmeier led Howells with 20 points while Morrison added 16. Randel had 24 point for West Point, who finishes as the Farmland runner-up for the second straight year.
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