
RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
It’s been a rough five days for the Heritage Patriots.
Following a four-point overtime loss to New Haven Friday and a three-point loss to Fort Wayne Canterbury Saturday, the Patriots couldn’t stop a fourth-quarter comeback by the visiting Dekalb Barons Tuesday night and lost their third straight heartbreaker, 53-50.
The Patriots had a chance to tie after Christian Stenger’s two free throws had put the Barons up by three with 18 seconds left.

Heritage coach Kyle Sovine called time out to set up a final play with 14.8 seconds to go. Dekalb coach Marty Beasley wisely switched from zone to man-to-man to create pressure beyond the arc, and the strategy worked as Heritage had to settle for Landon Lybarger’s contested three-point attempt that missed the mark a few seconds before the buzzer. Dekalb grabbed the rebound, and that was the ballgame.
“Not a great look,” said Sovine of the Pats’ last shot. “Kind of frustrating that we didn’t execute that play like we wanted to, but hats off to Dekalb; they defended that play really well.”
The loss was their fifth in the last six games and dropped their record to 7-15. The Barons are 8-13.
“It was a tough one to swallow,” said Sovine. “It’s three in a row where I thought we could have won, but we just didn’t.”
“We couldn’t get stops in the fourth quarter,” he added. “You know, we really pride ourselves on our defense, but we just didn’t have it in the fourth quarter, and it cost us the game.”
The trouble started in the final moments of the third quarter when Stenger banked in a three at the buzzer to cut the Patriots’ six-point lead to three at 37-34. (The shot came just seconds after Noah Redmon had given the Patriots that six-point lead with a three-pointer from the top of the key.)
The Barons got to within one when Caden Pettis opened the fourth quarter with a bucket in the post. Taurean Brown responded with a three-pointer from the left wing to put the Pats up by four, but the Barons managed a 6-0 run on two layups by Braiden Boyd and a slick spin and drive by Pettis at the 3:15 mark to take a 42-40 lead, their first since late in the first quarter.
The teams traded buckets over the next minute and a half until Pettis scored in the post to put the Barons up 49-47 with 1:39 left. Brown hit one of two free throws to trim the lead to one, but then Boyd got loose under the bucket for an easy layup and it was the Barons by three, 51-48.
The Patriots refused to give in. D’Vontaye Washington drew a foul underneath the basket and hit his fourth and fifth free throws of the half to get the Pats to within one with 23 seconds left. Five seconds later the Patriots had to foul Stenger at half court, and he hit the clinching free throws.
Lybarger’s pair of three-pointers helped the Patriots win the first quarter, 13-8. He hit another three in the second quarter, along with a pair of free throws, as Heritage took a 23-19 lead into the locker room. Stenger scored nine to keep the Barons close. Like Lybarger, he hit every shot he took in the half, including a three that closed the first-half scoring.
“We played hard and we competed,” Sovine said. “We’ll keep getting better, and sectional is right around the corner.” The Patriots drew Bishop Dwenger for their tourney opener. That game will be broadcast live on WZBD.
Lybarger led Heritage with 13 points. Washington had 11, Redmond 10, Brown nine. Kobe Meyer added five, Lantae Cassel two.
For the Barons, Stenger scored 18, missing only two shots. Pettis tallied 15 and Boyd 11, including eight in the decisive fourth quarter.
The Barons hit a sizzling 16-of-21 (76%) on two-point attempts, 6-of-23 (26%) on threes, and 3-of-4 (75%) on free throws. The Patriots were 8-of-18 (44%) on both threes and twos, while making 10-of-12 (83%) from the line.
The Patriots will travel to Madison-Grant Friday.