A second half comeback led by senior forward Andre Smith’s five made three pointers contributed to Pewamo-Westphalia’s first boy’s basketball title.

Both teams started off shooting perfect from the field for the first 4:27 of the first quarter where the Pirates had the 9-7 lead over the Mountaineers. At the end of the first half, the Pirates shot 36.4 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from three point range and had four turnovers. The Mountaineers shot 50 percent from the field,16.7 percent from behind the arch and three turnovers.

Sophomore forward Foster Wonders lead the Mountaineers to the 26-21 advantage at halftime. Wonders had 13 points and three rebounds followed by junior guard Marcus Johnson’s nine points and five rebounds for Iron Mountain.

“We had a hard time stopping Johnson and obviously Wonders.” Pohl said about the first half struggle the Pirates faced. “

Pewamo-Westphalia’s Smith and senior forward Aaron Bearss led the Pirates with seven points and three rebounds each. The Pirates had fourteen rebounds in the first half.

Smith opened third quarter action with back-to-back three pointers and helped cut the Pirates eight point deficit to five at the end of the third quarter, 40-35.

“This is a big stage, it was a lot of pressure,” Smith said about the second half comeback. “I knew I had to come out and make some big plays in the second half.”

The fourth quarter was a battle until the end and included three turnovers for the Mountaineers and six fouls for the Pirates. A last second intentional foul call on Iron Mountain gave Pewamo-Westphalia another chance for the lead with 0.7 seconds left. Senior guard Collin Trierweiler was sent to the line and made both sealing the deal for the Pirates.

“These two guys are also my captains so it’s quite a fitting end for this season,” Pohl said about the stakes of the game for his seniors. “For Collin to hit those big two unbelievable free throws in a state championship game and then Andre to do what he did in the fourth quarter.”

The Pirates shot 42.6 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from the arc and 83.3 percent from the line. Smith ended with 21 points and five rebounds while Bearss had 15 points and eight rebounds.

The Mountaineers shot 50 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 60 percent from the line. Wonders led with 20 points and five rebounds, followed by Johnson’s 17 points and six rebounds.