Siegfried’s driving basket with two seconds left caps West Hancock comeback at KHQA Superfan Shootout

QUINCY — The final play was designed to go to Gage Scott, but when the ball eventually went into the hands of Lewis Siegfried, West Hancock coach Jeff Dahl knew his team was in good hands.

Siegfried scored on a driving layup with two seconds to play, giving the Titans a 58-56 victory over the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Academy from St. Louis in the first game of the American Family Insurance-KHQA Superfan Shootout on Friday night at the Pit.

The Titans (18-5) trailed for most of the game but tied the score at 53 when Scott made a 3-pointer from the corner with 2:29 remaining. KIPP regained the lead when Carl Johnson scored on an old-fashioned three-point play, but Gavin Grothaus tied the score at 56 with a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:46 remaining.

KIPP then milked the clock until 30 seconds remained in the game, and Johnson missed a 12-foot jump shot. The Titans took a timeout with 21 seconds to play, then another with 9.9 seconds to play.

Nolan Hurt’s inbounds pass went to Scott in the corner, but he was guarded by KIPP’s Kenton Diltz. Scott passed the ball back to Hurt, who then found Siegfried at the top of the key. Siegfried drove past Armond Taylor, avoided charging into Jaivaughn Jones and scored from inside the lane with two seconds remaining.

A desperation half-court shot by KIPP failed.

“Well, it was supposed to go Gage Scott, who made all of the threes during the game,” Siegfried said. “That was our plan, but when we just threw it around and I shot it.

“I saw an open late. I just jabbed left, because they thought a screen was coming. I just went back left and took it that way.”

“(KIPP) didn’t guard (Scott) right away, and then they just got a little close, and Gage didn’t feel comfortable,” Titans coach Jeff Dahl said. “Lewis is pretty tough. He just gets the job done. It’s not always pretty, but he gets it done.”

West Hancock had a 12-5 lead late in the first quarter, but KIPP went on a 16-2 run and held the lead for most of the game. The Wolves’ lead grew to as many as 10 points with four minutes left in the third quarter.

The Titans’ comeback was led by 6-foot-6 sophomore Cooper Knowles. He scored four points during a 12-4 run that got West Hancock within 44-42 at the end of the quarter, then scored the first three baskets in the fourth quarter — on a dunk and two offensive rebounds — to get the Titans within one point on two occasions.

“(Knowles) was the difference,” Dahl said. “He changed the game. We started setting high ball screens so they couldn’t like double team our guys. That made Louis and Gavin open. Then (KIPP was) just chasing us, so people were open. Once we got one or two passes, they were going to be undisciplined, and we knew we could make something happen.”

Scott made six 3-pointers and scored 19 points. Siegfried finished with 16 points, and Knowles added 12. Jones had 22 points for the Wolves.