Boys basketball: Noll bounces back to beat Valparaiso

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Updated: March 6, 2012 8:25AM

VALPARAISO — Coming off its first loss of the season the night before, Bishop Noll needed to dig deep on Saturday night. Sophomore Larry Crisler sank the difference-making free throws with nine seconds remaining as the Warriors returned to their winning ways with a 40-39 victory over Valparaiso.

“Big,” Bishop Noll coach Drew Trost said. “I mean, this is huge. This is a historical Indiana site for high school basketball and to … gut one out is big.”

Crisler led all scorers with 17 points, none bigger than the free throws he calmly made to give Bishop Noll a four-point advantage in the final seconds. Just moments before, the Warriors worked in their 2-3 zone while Valparaiso looked for the game-tying or go-ahead score. However when senior Drew Boetel tried to zip a pass inside to 6-foot-6 junior John Mosser, the Warriors used their length inside to break broke up the pass and Crisler recovered the ball.

“He’s a sophomore among seniors,” Trost said. “In the beginning of the year, he took a backseat so it’s good to see him start to step up because he’s playing well.”

The game played out in extremes. Valparaiso pumped the accelerator for a 10-0 run in the first quarter while Bishop Noll stormed back to hold the 26-24 halftime lead. Both teams started hot in the third, trading baskets in back-and-forth scoring until the well went dry. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors pulled ahead by two points and the game remained that way for several minutes.

“I think we were stuck on 38-36 for two days,” Valparaiso coach Joe Otis joked.

Valparaiso had six possessions to get over the hump and left empty handed. The Vikings’ turnover with 14 seconds left set up Crisler’s free throws and both shots proved big because Boetel drilled a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left.

Even so, Bishop Noll held on for the one-point win.

Bishop Noll improved to 16-1 while Valparaiso dropped to 12-5 overall.