By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

HAYTI - Jamie Massey covered the paint like a man possessed in Thursday night's Class 2, District 1 matchup between Bernie and Holcomb. The 6'9" center accounted for 29 of Holcomb's 55 points in their 55-44 double-overtime upset of the Bernie Mules.

Things were looking great for Bernie early in the contest; Troy Kirkpatrick hit four threes in the first quarter to push the Mules out to a 17-6 lead. Kirkpatrick was good from downtown two more times in the second quarter, but a deep trey from Aaron Reeves and six point effort from Massey pulled the Hornets within eight heading into halftime.

Massey put together another six point effort in the third, coupled with treys from Reeves and Patrick Skelton. Kirkpatrick hit his seventh three of the night early in the frame, but Holcomb pulled within four at the end of the frame.

David Baker scored all six of Bernie's points in the fourth quarter, and the Hornets were able to keep up the momentum and force overtime.

A pair of three point plays were the only offensive output in the low-scoring overtime period. The Mules were only able to hit two shots from the floor in the second overtime, while Holcomb connected on nine of 11 trips to the charity stripe to ice the 55-49 victory.

“This one is hard to swallow as we controlled much of the game and had great opportunities to win or increase our lead," Bernie head coach Brad Botsch said. "Holcomb did a good job not allowing us to run away from them in the first half and our lack of poise and experience in win-or-go-home situations caught up to us."

"We really needed a better night offensively from our upperclassmen than what we got, and we were very tentative offensively all night," he continued. "I thought we played hard defensively as we usually always do, but felt we really struggled overall in scoring. We had some turn-overs in key spots and missed some easy buckets that really contributed to our offensive woes."

Despite the disappointing finale, which ended Bernie's two year hold on the Class 2, District 1 title, Botsch was proud of his team's determination and composure throughout a season filled with adversity.

"These kids played through a lot of adversity this season. They never quit trying and never questioned why we push them so hard to succeed. Losing at the end always hurts because we put in so much time and effort into practicing and playing, but our kids for the most part embrace hard work and dedication, and I’m proud of them for that," He said. "We’ve got virtually everyone coming back next season, and we really feel like we’ve got the potential to be real solid for the next several years if the kids will maintain focus and improve on their individual weaknesses."

Bernie ends the season with a 17-11 record. Holcomb (23-5) will face off against the host Hayti Indians (18-9) for the Class 2, District 1 title on Friday (Mar. 2) night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.