Yorktown (6-12, 2-5 HHC) and Muncie Burris (4-11, 1-3 IND) are separated by 5.6 miles.
The Owls have not defeated the Tigers since the 2015-16 season, and Yorktown continued its streak with a 71-64 overtime win against Muncie Burris Feb. 10.
The Tigers had lost nine of their last 10 games before defeating Burris, and the seven-point margin was the smallest since the 2016-17 meeting. Yorktown head coach Matt Moulton said capturing this victory could build momentum for sectionals.
“It was a good road win and a good battle,” Yorktown head coach Matt Moulton said. “Coach [Arun] Tewari said this win could propel us. Hopefully, it will and we get on a roll going into the postseason.”
Before tipoff, Muncie Burris senior guard Adam Combs said he understood the history against the Tigers and believed the Owls could surprise Yorktown with their aggressiveness.
“Every year since I’ve been here Yorktown has beat us,” Combs said. “I think they’re going to underestimate us and I think our team wants that. We want to come out and punch them in the mouth and catch them off guard.”
After trailing by 10 points at halftime, the Owls cut the deficit to five to end the third quarter. Muncie Burris captured its first lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, but Yorktown junior guard AJ Dunn hit a 3-pointer to force overtime with 10 seconds remaining.
“Before I shot it I was thinking ‘please go in,' we needed it for the team,” Dunn said. “I’ve been shooting like crap all season and it feels good for me to finally get a shot to fall.”
Dunn led the Tigers with 22 points, as the Owls were paced by junior guard Colin McBride with 18 points.
After a 73-53 loss against Frankton Feb. 1, John Donahue took over as head coach for Muncie Burris. In his third game in his new position, Donahue said the opportunity meant a lot to him as a graduate of Yorktown.
“For Burris to come out and beat a team like Yorktown who we hold a lot of respect for would mean a lot,” Donahue said.
Donahue acknowledged the Owls failed to rebound and it played a role in their defeat. However, he said Muncie Burris will find ways to grow from the loss.
"I think they saw a lot of positives tonight,” Donahue said. “They understand all it takes sometimes is a box out.”
Moulton credited the Owls for their performance and said he was impressed with their competitiveness.
“Burris always plays confident,” Moulton said. "I don’t know what it is, but it’s great and that’s how you want to play basketball.”
With four games left in the regular season, Dunn said he believes this win will help guide the Tigers as they prepare for the postseason.
“This win is going to give us a lot of momentum for the next four games and into sectionals,” Dunn said.
Yorktown returns to action Feb. 12 against Jay County (14-2, 7-0 AC). Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. Muncie Burris travels to Indianapolis Shortridge (2-17, 1-3 IND) for its next contest Feb. 12. Tipoff is 2:30 p.m.
Contact Kyle Smedley on Twitter @smedley1932 or via email at kyle.smedley@bsu.edu
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