EPC Warriors Ky Madden (left) and Brett Hardin guard a Manila player last Tuesday night in the first round of the 3A-3 district tournament in Corning. (Tribune phoso/Trent Fletcher) [Click to enlarge]

It's taken four years, but the EPC Warriors have returned to the state basketball playoffs. But, it hasn't been easy and, in fact, they have come in the back door, so to speak.

Prior to the 3A-3 district playoffs two weeks ago, the Warriors had managed to gain only eight wins while tasting defeat 14 times.

They were situated in the middle of the conference pack and most observers expected their season to end after a game or two. Not so.

In fact, two weeks after those district playoffs started in Corning, EPC is now sitting at 13-16 for the season and is one of the last 16 teams in boys 3A basketball still standing. First, they won three straight to make it to the 3A Region 3 tournament in Marmaduke. They lost the district championship to Hoxie, but no matter, they were still in the regional tournament.

Once again, observers expected EPC to fall by the wayside after the first game last Friday against, coincidentally, the Cotter Warriors. Once more those observers were wrong as EPC endured a furious attempt by the "other" Warriors to get a last-second shot to drop and secure the win. Cotter was unsuccessful, though, as EPC held on for the 54-53 win.

"We played decent," said coach Josh Hill following the game. "We got up by three, but then went dead in the third and nearly lost it."

The game opened with neither team seemingly wanting to draw first blood as the ball kept finding its way out of both baskets. Then finally, Cotter got on the board 2-0 with 6:09 left in the quarter. Troy Hull immediately came back with a trey, the first of seven crucial ones he would have on the night, to start the scoring for EPC and both teams were off and running.

By the end of the quarter, EPC was up by the three points Hill referred to, 11-8. The three-point lead remained into the middle of the second period as both teams traded shots. Then with 3:30 left, freshman wunderkind, Ky Madden, who had just moved up from the junior high team at the beginning of the district tournament, hit for a bucket to give EPC their biggest lead of the night, 22-17.

The five-point lead dwindled back to three by the halftime buzzer as both teams went to the break with Cotter on the bottom end of a 30-27 score.

Then when the second half began, so did EPC's "dead" period as their coach called it. For 4:00, only the Cotter Warriors could find the bottom of the basket. With 4:10 left in the period, EPC suddenly found themselves down by 10, 40-30, after a 13-0 Cotter run. Finally, Madden broke the ice with a charity shot making it 40-31.

After three more minutes had passed, though, at the 1:05 mark, Cotter had gone up 10 once more, 49-39. In that last minute, both teams tried desperately to get into position for a shot. But not until the clock had gone down to :02 did Hull find an opening from outside the circle. The ball dropped in just as the buzzer went off, cutting the Cotter lead to seven, 49-42, after three.

After a 20-point second period and a 22-point third, Cotter was no doubt expecting to maintain their point output. Nothing could be farther from the truth, however, as the EPC defense limited their opponents to just four points, all charity shots, in the final 8:00.

"The three Troy hit at the end of the third period was big," Hill said. "Then our defense really did a job in the fourth period."

While the defense was doing their "job" the offense was pumping in 12 points and, in the end, they had secured the nail-biting 54-53 victory and a place in the regional tournament.

Hull finished the game as high point man for both teams with 23. Madden followed him with 16, Chris Davis nine, Bucky Chamberlin three, Brett Hardin two and Michael Medina one.

For Cotter, Mason Mattic had 11, while both Austin Hanby and Zac Simpson had 10.

Bergman 70,

EPC 43

Saturday night, with a spot in the regional in place, EPC might, understandably, have been on a high. Bergman, the eventual tournament winner, brought the Warriors back down to earth with a firm thud. There was no time in their semifinal game when the Panthers didn't have the game full in control.

"They played very well," said Hill of his team's opponents. "They've won 20 in a row so they're on a roll. Plus, we didn't play well and I made some bad coaching decisions."

The Panthers built a 7-0 lead before Hull finally put the Warriors on the board with 3:00 gone when he stole the ball and went the distance for a field goal. Madden then hit a three-pointer to close to within two, 7-5. But, EPC would only score once more in the quarter while Bergman added another nine points for a 16-7 lead at the end of 8:00.

The Panthers then made it clear who was in charge when they opened the second period with a 12-2 run on the way to a 33-16 lead at the half.

Hill apparently woke the Warrior offense up a little at the half as they hit for 14 points in their best effort of the game. Unfortunately, Bergman answered with 17 to increase their lead by three, 50-30, with a quarter remaining.

Madden came out in the fourth and immediately hit for five points and give the Warrior faithful some hope. For the rest of the game, though, the Panthers matched the Warriors point output to insure the win, 70-43.

Madden led both teams with 26 points and was the only Warrior to make it into double figures. Davis and Dane Buck finished with four each while Hardin had three. Scoring two each were Chamberlin, Hull and Anthony Turner.

For Bergman, Chris Mounce had 25 and Caleb Curtis 19.

EPC 57,

Valley Springs 50

Each having lost in their respective semifinal games, both EPC and Valley Springs were playing for position in the 3A state tournament in Cave City. A win would mean a third place finish and a two-day rest before playing again on Thursday. A loss would put the team back on the road to play yesterday (Tuesday) with no rest at all.

Once again, it looked as if the Warriors were on the ropes, but they maintained their patience and, after being down by as many as seven, used a mid-fourth quarter run to take the lead and the eventual win.

"I thought we played with some really good patience," said Hill. "They were a very well coached team. We did exactly what we needed to do, hold our ground and make a late run."

Much like Bergman, the Tigers went out to a quick 6-0 lead. But unlike against the Panthers, the Warriors kept Valley View within striking distance,

even when EPC suddenly found themselves down 20-9 after the Tigers opened the period with a trey. From this point on, though, the Warriors began inching their way back into contention. First Chamberlin, then Madden hit field goals and Davis dropped in a charity shot. By the break, EPC had cut the Valley Springs lead to six, 24-18.

The third period was nearly a wash, but the Warriors gained back a point with a 10-9 quarter to start the final period behind by five 33-28.

The final stanza began with Davis hitting a goal for two, followed by Hardin who cut the lead to one, 33-32 with 6:57 remaining. The Tigers responded with a charity shot and a 34-32 lead. Then, for Valley Springs, it must have seemed as if the Marmaduke gym ceiling began to fall in on them.

At the 5:58 mark, Hull hit a trey to give EPC their first lead, 35-34. Then :15 later, after a bad Tiger pass, he hit another.

The Tigers hit a bucket in response, but Hull came back again with another three-pointer. Then after another bad pass, he hit his fourth trey in a row and the Warriors were suddenly up, 44-36. But they weren't through. Hardin apparently wanted to get into the act so he hit a trey of his own to end the run. With 4:00 left, though, EPC had a comfortable 11-point lead, 47-36.

Obviously shellshocked by the barrage, Valley Springs tried to fight their way back, but the Warriors kept them at bay by hitting 10 of 14 from the free throw line in the last two minutes to secure the win.

Madden once again led both teams with 22 points, followed by Hull's 14, Davis with nine, Hardin eight and Chamberlin four.

For Valley Springs, Kirby McDonald had 18, Ethan Cooper 14 and Jace Jones 12.

Hill was naturally all smiles after the game and concluded his thoughts on the regional tournament when he said, "We're one of only 16 teams left standing in the state. Who'da thunk it."

EPC will face Lake Village, the second place team in the Region 4 tournament. Game time is scheduled for 2:30 tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon at Cave City.