The third meeting between cross-town hoops rivals Waterloo and Gibault did not disappoint a packed Hustedde Gymnasium on Saturday night, with the outcome not being decided until double overtime. 

In the end, the Hawks emerged victorious, 54-52. 

The Bulldogs led 26-22 at halftime, but Gibault’s Kameron Hanvey sank a half-court buzzer-beater to end the third quarter and cut Waterloo’s lead to 36-35.

In the second OT, Waterloo’s Logan Calvert just missed a running 15-foot jumper on an in-bounds play in the final seconds to give the Hawks the win. 

“It was a tough game but we were expecting that,” Waterloo head coach Allen Siedle said. “It was a game that could have gone either way, with both teams going back and forth.” 

Siedle credited Gibault on a hard-fought contest.

“They are a very good team and well-coached,” he said. “They had a lot of key senior role players step up and they gave them a chance to win the game. Kaden Augustine played well and he has proven to be their best scorer/player this year and when he gets going, he is hard to stop.” 

Ty Lenhardt led the Bulldogs with 21 points.

“He gave us multiple chances and kept us in the game,” Siedle said of his senior scoring leader. “They didn’t have an answer for him. “ 

Alex Stell added 12 points. Calvert had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

“Ty Lenhardt was really good for them down the stretch despite pretty strong defense by Kameron Hanvey,” longtime Gibault head coach Dennis Rueter said. “We had a lot of big plays by several different players. It was a game that should be appreciated by everyone that attended.”

Gibault was led by Kaden Augustine’s 16 points, followed by Ian Bollinger with 13 points and Jude Green with eight points and 10 rebounds.

“I thought the game Saturday night was a great night for the town of Waterloo,” Rueter assessed. “Great atmosphere. Gym divided pretty evenly. Both teams made shots and played pretty well. There was no loser in the game. We just got one more break than they got.”

Prior to Saturday’s cross-town showdown, Waterloo won Friday night at Jerseyville, 51-39, with Lenhardt scoring 16 and Calvert scoring 15 for the Bulldogs. Ian Schrader added seven points, six rebounds and 10 assists.

A 16-8 run in the second quarter was key for Waterloo, which shot 58.8 percent from the floor. 

Last Tuesday, Waterloo dropped a 43-42 heartbreaker at home to Salem. Lenhardt scored 16 points and Stell added 10 points and nine rebounds for the ‘Dogs, who shot 0-for-8 from three-point range.

Stell, a 6-foot-7 freshman, recently passed the Lenhardt’s school scoring record for a freshman with 240 points.

Lenhardt averages nearly 16 points per game this season. Calvert averages nearly 12 points per contest.

Waterloo (17-13) closes out the regular season Thursday at Highland before hosting a first round Class 3A regional contest against Carbondale this Saturday. 

The winner of that game faces top seeded Centralia on their court next Wednesday.

Even if the Bulldogs fail to win another game, they are assured of their first winning season since 2013-14.

Prior to Saturday’s win, Gibault (19-9) lost 39-30 at Steeleville last Wednesday. The Hawks were outscored 15-5 in the fourth quarter. Hanvey led the team with 11 points and three steals. 

Gibault played Highland on Tuesday, falling 50-43, and travels to Marquette on Thursday before hosting a Class 1A regional that begins Saturday. 

The Hawks host Lebanon at 6 p.m. Saturday. With a win, Gibault would face the winner of Valmeyer vs. Father McGivney on Wednesday. 

Augustine leads the Hawks in scoring this season at nearly 15 points per game, followed by Hanvey at 10 points per game.

“We have been a little up and down with our play of late,” Rueter said.

One team that is certainly up is Columbia (22-7), which has won six games in a row. 

The Eagles won 69-41 at home Saturday against Greenville. Dylan Murphy, who leads the team in scoring at nearly 16 points per game, poured in 19 points with eight rebounds. Jack Steckler added 14 points. 

On Friday, Columbia won 56-28 at Roxana. Steckler scored 18 points and Murphy added 17 points and nine rebounds. 

Last Tuesday, the Eagles picked up a big conference road win at Breese Central, 55-52. A 15-6 run in the third quarter set the Eagles up well for the finish.

Murphy scored 15 points and Sam Donald added 13 points and nine rebounds. 

Columbia shot 69.2 percent from the floor in the win.

The Eagles will play in the Class 2A Wesclin Regional, taking on the host school Saturday. With a win, Columbia would face Mater Dei on Wednesday.

Valmeyer (3-21) dropped a 45-34 contest at home to Dupo on Friday. Vince Oggero led the Pirates with nine points – all from three-point range.

Valmeyer closed out its regular season at Lebanon on Tuesday, winning 54-45. Jordan McSchooler scored 23 points and Elijah Miller added nine points, six assists and seven steals for the Pirates.

Valmeyer opens Class 1A regional play at home against Father McGivney at 1 p.m. Saturday. 

Dupo (6-15) was led by Logan Stevens with 14 points and Chase Mantz with 12 points against Valmeyer. 

The Tigers hosted Steeleville Tuesday and play Thursday at O’Fallon First Baptist to close out the regular season. 

Dupo begins regional play 4 p.m. Saturday at Lovejoy. With a win, the Tigers would take on the winner of Madison vs. First Baptist Academy on Wednesday.