Eagles battle in face of personal adversity

Heavy hearts filled Hennessey uniforms admirably on Friday night.

The game’s ending did nothing to ease the hurt.

Blackwell’s Kevin Rios made a 3-pointer with just 1 second left to lift the Maroons to a 38-35 win over Hennessey in a Class 3A district championship game at the Eagle Event Center.

The contest was played a week after Blackwell blistered Hennessey by 17 points in a regular season contest.

This matchup took place just hours after Joyce Holder - the mother of Eagles starter Gunnar Holder - had passed away.

Holder was in the starting lineup for the Eagles.

“It was a very somber mood,” said head coach Dallas Hunt. “It affected the whole team.”

But unlike the first matchup, this one didn’t get away from the Eagles.

It stayed tight throughout and was tied entering the fourth quarter.

The Maroons held a three-point lead in the final minute, but Hennessey’s Hagen Copeland tied it with a 3-pointer with 45 seconds to play.

Blackwell didn’t call a timeout , but did work for a final shot.

That came as Rios stepped into a 3-pointer from the top of the key with a hand in his face, sending the Maroon faithful into a frenzy.

Hennessey tried to free up Camdyn Richardson for an open look after a timeout, but his desperation 3-pointer was off the mark.

The game winner was the eighth trey of the game for Blackwell and the third for Rios.

He scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth.

Richardson led Hennessey with 17 points.

He was held without a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Copeland scored 11 for Hennessey.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Hunt walked away from the gym as a coach who was proud of his team.

“I was so impressed with them and with Gunnar,” Hunt said. “Gunnar played and we all fed off of his strength.”

Hennessey (11-14) will host Perry at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in a regional consolation quarterfinal game.