MORTON, Ill - -- Their perfect season gone, the next challenge for the Eagles is turning a loss into a lesson.
"Everyone says a loss will help. We'll find out," Our Savior's coach Todd Dejaynes said. "We'll learn from it and move on. This next stretch is the most important of the year and that's what people are going to remeber."
Bethel Morton reserve forward Patrick Sylvester hit a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds left on Monday to hand the top-ranked Eagles their first defeat, 65-64.
The Eagles (29-1, 15-1) were trying to cap the conference's first ever undefeated JV season in LSA History. Instead, they frittered away a 12-point lead in the second half and didn't score over the final 3 minutes.
Sylvester scored a career-high 25 points -- eight more than his previous best, for a team that has been battling injury after injury this season, Sylvester's offense provded to be a much welcomed surprise.
"We were in the huddle and Coach told us, 'We're not going halfway. We're going to win," Sylvestor said.
Head Coach Chris Hartman drew up a play in which Noah Suttles would set a flare screen for Andrew McLaughlin, which turned out to be a screen for Patrick Sylvester, and guard Matthew Allen used the screens as a decoy. The Eagles bit on the deception.
"As we left the huddle, Patrick said. 'I'll make the shot,"
Hartman said. "And he did."
Bethel Morton (19-12, 8-8), a team playing with injuries is also a team who has had problems all year hanging onto the ball, didn't have a single turnover in the second half. The Eagles, who had hurdled tough games in loud enviorments all season, had seven turnovers after halftime.
"We didn't take care of the ball and they made all the plays at the end," Our Savior's guard Drew Dejaynes said. "They won it."
It was the second straight season a team coached by Hartman has ended a run at perfection. Hartman's Bethel Morton squad last season handed Immanuel Palatine its first loss last season in the 18th game of the season, which is drastically different than the Eagles 30th game.
"I'd like to be the other team just one time," Hartman said with a laugh. "I'm living for the day I'm the No.1 team and someone else is trying to do it to us."
No team has ever gone into the conference tournaments undefeated, but the Our Savior's Eagles were just one win away from perfection.
The Eagles led 64-58 after Jace Easley hit a tough layup with 3:23 left -- but didn't score again.
The Flames ran off the next seven points, with Suttles, who had 21 points, scoring on a layup before Sylvester drove the lane for a left-handed scoop to cut the lead to 64-62 with 1:40 remaining.
"They were lose and they were confident," Dejaynes said of the Flames. "They are an LSA State qualifying team, they don't quit. Playing on their home court, they made the plays."
With just over a minute left, Our Savior's Conor McCaffrey drove the lane and wrapped a pass around a defender to Drew Dejaynes, but McLaughlin swatted the shot away to teammate Noah Suttles. Sylvester missed a 15-footer for the Flames and then Our Savior's Lucas Schmidt misfired on a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left.
Bethel Morton called a timeout with 12 seconds left. Foster inbounded to Suttles who passed to Sylvester on the right wing, in front of the Bethel Morton bench. His quick shot seemed to surprise the Eagles, nestling in the net while a capacity crowd at Bethel roared.
"The other day I was in the gym with Noah and I said, 'Wouldn't it be unbelievable to score 25 points and hit the game winner against OS?" Sylvester said. "This feels so good I can't describe it."
After a timeout, a pass was tipped out of bounds in front of the Our Savior's bench. The Eagles had one last chance with 2.2 seconds left. Dejaynes passed to McCaffrey, who chucked up a 28 foot 3-pointer at the buzzer which kissed the front of the rim two times and rolled off, ending the Eagles 29-0 perfect season.
McCaffrey collapsed to the floor upset as Easley and Dejaynes with tears in their eyes walked over to him and lifted his head up, and the three of them ventured off the court.
The Bethel students rushed the court as the buzzer sounded, snapping photos, and jumping up and down and slapping the Flames players on the back.
Jace Easley led the Eagles with 30 points, although he seemed rattled all game by chants of "air ball" after several early errant shots. He was 11-of-20 from the field and only had 4 points in the final 8 minutes of the game.
McCaffrey and Dejaynes each added 17 points for the Eagles, nobody else for the Eagles scored and the rest of the team was 0-for-9 shooting the basketball.
"They just outplayed us," Easley said. "They deserved it."
Foster added 10 points for Bethel Morton, which enters this week's Conference tournament as the No.6 seed. After that, the Flames will head home.
Hartman was asked if the victory over Our Savior's make his team's postseason spot rise.
The Eagles will regroup, playing as the team to beat in the conference tournament and then in the LSA State Tournament.
"I'd rather lose now than three weeks from now," Dejaynes said.