I was stressing, no doubt about it. I was just holding my breath.
In the compressed geography of a gymnasium in Amboy, two programs met Friday night to settle a season's worth of rivalry, and the outcome rested finally on a single shot that climbed toward the rim and fell away. Indian Creek claimed the Class 1A Sectional championship 46-44, surviving a last-second three-point attempt by Marquette's Alec Novotney to advance toward a deeper postseason. The margin between triumph and heartbreak was, as it so often is in sport, the width of a basketball rolling off iron — a reminder that seasons of effort can hinge on moments no one can fully control.
- Marquette held the lead at halftime and into the third quarter, putting Indian Creek in the uncomfortable position of chasing a team that refused to yield.
- Senior Logan Schrader, quiet and ineffective in the first half, erupted for 13 straight second-half points, physically driving Indian Creek into a six-point lead entering the fourth.
- Marquette's Alec Novotney — 23 points on the night — refused to let his team die, converting clutch free throws twice in the final 25 seconds to pull within two each time.
- Indian Creek's missed free throws with 4.4 seconds left handed Marquette the ball and the moment, setting up Novotney's final three-point attempt that rattled the rim and fell away.
- Indian Creek advances to Monday's supersectional against Chicago Marshall at 27-6, while Marquette's season ends at 25-9, their first sectional title since 1987 still waiting.
The ball left Alec Novotney's hands with six seconds remaining, and Indian Creek coach Nolan Govig held his breath. Novotney had been hitting shots like that all night. This one hit the front of the rim, then the back, then rolled away. Indian Creek had won 46-44, claiming the Class 1A Amboy Sectional championship and advancing to Monday's supersectional against Chicago Marshall. Marquette's season ended at 25-9, their bid for a first sectional title since 1987 falling just short.
The game had been tightly contested throughout. Marquette led 18-15 at halftime and still held a two-point edge midway through the third quarter before Indian Creek's Logan Schrader changed the game's shape. The senior, who had struggled to find his rhythm in the first half, scored six consecutive points on hard drives to the basket, and junior Isaac Willis added a late jumper to give the Timberwolves a 33-27 lead entering the fourth. Schrader finished with 13 points — all in the second half. "My shot just wasn't falling in the first half," he said, "so I was trying to do the best I could with the other parts of the game." Govig called him simply "a baller" and perhaps the most talented player he has ever coached.
Indian Creek pushed the lead to 41-33 early in the fourth on a Payton Hueber three-pointer and a Parker Murry old-fashioned three-point play, but Marquette would not fold. Novotney converted free throws twice in the final half-minute, pulling his team within two each time. When Indian Creek misfired on two free throws with 4.4 seconds left, the door opened for one last Marquette chance. Marquette coach Todd Hopkins watched Novotney rise and believed the shot was going in. It wasn't. Hueber led Indian Creek with 14 points, Willis added 11 points and nine rebounds, and the Timberwolves now turn their attention to the supersectional stage — while Marquette is left to sit with a shot that nearly rewrote everything.
The ball left Alec Novotney's hands with six seconds left on the clock, arcing toward the basket in the kind of moment that defines a season. For Indian Creek coach Nolan Govig, those few seconds felt endless. Novotney, Marquette's senior guard and the game's leading scorer, had been hitting shots like this all night. The shot climbed toward the rim, and Govig held his breath.
It hit the front of the rim, then the back, then rolled away. Indian Creek had won 46-44, claiming the Class 1A Amboy Sectional championship on Friday night in a game that came down to the smallest margins. The Timberwolves advanced to Monday's supersectional matchup against Chicago Marshall. Marquette's season ended at 25-9, their bid for a first sectional title since 1987 falling just short.
The game had been competitive from the opening tip, the kind of battle both coaches had anticipated. Marquette led 8-7 after one quarter and held a 18-15 halftime advantage. Indian Creek trailed 27-25 with three minutes remaining in the third quarter, but that's when the game shifted. Senior Logan Schrader, who had struggled in the first half, took over. He scored six straight points, driving hard to the basket on consecutive possessions, and junior Isaac Willis added a 17-foot jumper in the final seconds of the quarter to give Indian Creek a 33-27 lead heading into the fourth.
Schrader finished with 13 points, all of them in the second half. He had been quiet early, unable to find his rhythm, but adjusted his approach after halftime. "My shot just wasn't falling in the first half, so I was trying to do the best I could with the other parts of the game, setting good screens and rebounding," Schrader said. Govig praised his senior's ability to impact the game in multiple ways. "Logan is in one word a baller. I think he may be the most talented player I've ever coached."
Indian Creek extended its lead to 41-33 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, with senior Payton Hueber hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key and junior Parker Murry converting a fastbreak into an old-fashioned three-point play. But Marquette refused to fold. Novotney, who finished with 23 points, brought his team back with free throws. He made two with 25 seconds left, then two more with six seconds remaining, pulling Marquette within two points each time. Indian Creek misfired on two free throws with 4.4 seconds left, setting up the final sequence.
Novotney's last shot was the kind he had made countless times before. Marquette coach Todd Hopkins saw it leave his hands and believed it was going in. "When I saw Alec go up and let it go, I thought it was going in," Hopkins said. "We got what we wanted, Alec taking the shot. It wasn't a clean look but it's a shot we've seen him hit a ton of times before. This time it just didn't fall."
For Govig, the moment had been stressful. He knew Novotney's resume, knew what the senior was capable of. "I was stressing, no doubt about it," Govig said. "Novotney has been a tremendous player his entire career and I've seen him hit so many shots just like that, so seeing him let that shot go ... I was just holding my breath."
Hueber led Indian Creek with 14 points, while Willis added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. For Marquette, juniors Griffin Dobberstein and Luke McCullough contributed five points each, with McCullough pulling down seven rebounds and blocking three shots. The loss marked the end of a season in which these two teams had battled repeatedly. A December meeting had seen Indian Creek win decisively, 62-33, but that game had come early and without Novotney. This sectional final was the game that mattered, and it lived up to the competitive history between the programs. Indian Creek now prepares for the supersectional stage, while Marquette's players and coaches are left to contemplate a shot that bounced away.
Citas Notables
Logan is in one word a baller. I think he may be the most talented player I've ever coached.— Coach Nolan Govig on senior Logan Schrader
When I saw Alec go up and let it go, I thought it was going in. It wasn't a clean look but it's a shot we've seen him hit a ton of times before. This time it just didn't fall.— Coach Todd Hopkins on Novotney's final shot
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What was it like for Govig in those final seconds, watching Novotney shoot?
He said he was stressing. He'd seen Novotney hit shots like that so many times before. When the ball left his hands, Govig was just holding his breath.
Did Marquette get the look they wanted on that final shot?
They did, actually. Coach Hopkins said it wasn't a clean look, but it was the shot they wanted—Novotney taking it. The problem was it just didn't fall this time, even though he'd made similar shots repeatedly all season.
How did the game actually turn? Marquette was ahead most of the way.
Indian Creek made a run in the third quarter. Schrader, their senior, had been quiet in the first half but came alive after halftime. He scored six straight points, and Willis hit a jumper to give them the lead heading into the fourth.
Schrader seemed to be the key to the shift.
Exactly. He scored all 13 of his points in the second half. He wasn't hitting shots early, so he focused on screens and rebounding, but once the offense started running pick-and-roll sets for him, he was able to attack downhill and finish.
What does this loss mean for Marquette?
It ends their season at 25-9. They were chasing their first sectional title since 1987. Hopkins said his team battled all season, and they battled tonight—they just couldn't quite get over the finish line.
And Indian Creek moves on?
They're 27-6 now and heading to the supersectional Monday against Chicago Marshall. For them, this was exactly the kind of game they expected—close, decided in the final moments, the kind of battle these two programs always seem to have.