Smith’s putback dunk adds exclamation point to Palmyra’s overtime victory over Routt

QUINCY — Hudson Bock’s surprise turned to delight in a blink.

With the Palmyra boys basketball team leading Jacksonville Routt 58-57 in overtime, Bock turned a steal into a fastbreak which he figured he’d finish with a left-handed layup. The ball had other ideas, rolling off the right side of the rim.

“I saw it roll off the rim and I was like, ‘How’d I miss that?’” Bock said.

About the moment that thought ended, Palmyra’s Mason Smith hammered a putback dunk for a three-point lead that turned into a 63-57 victory Saturday in the KHQA/American Family Insurance Superfan Shootout at The Pit.

“That gives us all the momentum, all the confidence we need,” Bock said. “If we have confidence, we’re going to play better as a team. That’s what that sort of play does, and he’s provided a lot of those plays for us this season.”

Smith said those plays just happen naturally.

“My first instinct was just to go get the rebound,” he said.

In doing so, he livened up the crowd.

“That energy helped us finish it,” Smith said.

Palmyra led Routt 31-23 at halftime and had a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter before the Rockets made their charge, tying the game at 51 to force overtime. The Panthers (17-4) never panicked and outscored the Rockets 12-6 in the extra frame.

“They had all the momentum going into overtime, but we took it back,” said Bock, who scored 26 points and was named the game’s MVP.

That’s the sign of a mature team.

“I think we did a really good job of keeping our composure,” said Smith, who finished with 12 points. “That’s one of the things I like about our team a lot. We don’t stop. We just keep going.”

Bryson Mossman led Routt, which is ranked fifth in the Illinois Class 1A state poll, with 17 points, while Brady Turner and Kellen Creviston had 12 points apiece.