COLONEL CRAWFORD 60 @ MOHAWK 56
By Kyle Holsinger
SYCAMORE — There was a packed house at Mohawk High School last night, and all the electricity in the air that you’d expect as the Northern 10 Conference boys basketball title hung in the balance between its top two teams: Mohawk and Colonel Crawford.
Both teams did not disappoint either; duking it out like prizefighters until the very end with the Eagles edging the Warriors on the road in overtime, 60-56.
It was Colonel Crawford’s second N10 title in a row and fourth in five years.
“That’s so tough to do,” Colonel Crawford coach David Sheldon about winning the N10 title. “I’ve always said, ‘over the three months, you’re gonna have sprained ankles. You’re going to have sickness. All the ebbs and flows of a season. These guys know what it takes.”
Sheldon said it’s special to win this conference title outright. Last year, the title was split four ways between the Eagles, the Warriors, Carey, and Seneca East.
After a hook shot from Colonel Crawford’s Brayden Holt, the Warriors’ Ben Bogner and Boomer Cleveland hit three-pointers from the left corner on back-to-back possessions to make it 6-2.
On the ensuing possession, the Eagles’ Holt knocked down a three at the top of the key, only to be answered by Conner Flood’s and-one conversion.
From there, Colonel Crawford (18-1, 13-0 N10) went on a 16-0 run that lasted roughly eight minutes of game time.
Holt hit a midrange jumper to get the run started while Payne DeGray made two free throws to tie the game at 9-9. Holt dribble-penetrated for a left-handed layup then John DeGray spun in the post and banked it off the glass for the Eagles.
A free throw by Payne DeGray and inside bucket by Lucas Foy had the score 16-9 in favor of the Eagles at the end of the first quarter. Colonel Crawford’s Holt had 9 points at that point.
John DeGray used an up-and-under move in the paint and Parker Weithman drained a trey from the right corner to cap the run for the Gold & Black.
From there, Mohawk (17-2, 11-2) went on a 16-3 run of their own that carried into the third quarter.
The Warriors’ run began when Cleveland sank two foul shots then hit a three on the left wing get within seven points of the Eagles.
Mohawk’s Kahne Hayman made a three of his own from the left wing before Colonel Crawford responded with a Holt three-pointer on the right wing.
The Warriors’ Cleveland fed the ball into Flood for a bank shot inside, and Cleveland made one from the charity stripe to make it 24-20 with the Eagles’ leading at halftime.
Colonel Crawford’s Holt had 12 points, and Cleveland led Mohawk with nine points at the half.
The Red & Black continued their run when Bogner made a second three to get his team within a point. After a defensive rebound by the Warriors’ Hunter Haynes, Cleveland splashed a midrange jumper to give Mohawk its first lead since the first quarter.
That lead was short-lived though as the Eagles’ Payne DeGray banked it in the basket to stop the Red & Black’s run.
An alley-oop bank shot from Hayman to Flood grabbed the lead back for the Warriors only to be answered by a three in the right corner by CC’s Logan Goddard to give his team a 29-27 lead.
That’s when Mohawk went on an 11-0 run with Flood putting back an offensive board, scoring on an alley-oop layup from Cleveland, then scoring in the paint to get things started. The Warriors’ Kaleb Bish scored on an up-and-under move to end the third quarter, 35-29, in favor of Mohawk.
The Warriors’ Cleveland hit a three from the top of the key before Colonel Crawford’s Weithman hit a three of his own to end the run.
A Payne DeGray put back and a Goddard three gave the Eagle’s a 40-38 lead.
On the following possession, Mohawk’s Bish made a bucket from the baseline to tie things up. A Cleveland three-pointer changed the lead to Mohawk, 43-40.
Colonel Crawford’s Holt scored in the lane, on a right-handed hook, and on a jumper from the left elbow on consecutive possessions. The Warriors’ Hayman did score in the paint in the middle of that stretch; making it a 46-45 contest.
Mohawk’s Cleveland then converted an and-one opportunity to go up by two, but the Eagles’ Payne DeGray scored on a contested shot inside to send the game to overtime, 48-48.
The Warriors’ drew first blood in overtime when Hayman made a trey from the right wing.
Colonel Crawford came down the court, and Holt made a floater in the lane. Mohawk roared back with an inside basket from Haynes.
It was at this point that the Eagles’ Weithman hit another three to tie the game. Colonel Crawford took the lead on their next possession when Holt assisted Payne DeGray for two points.
The Warriors’ Haynes was fouled while shooting a three-point shot and proceeded to knock down three straight free throws to take a one-point lead with 1:23 left to go in the game.
A short jumper by Holt and two free throws by Foy on back-to-back possessions had the Eagles sitting with a three-point lead with 17.4 seconds remaining.
Holt made a free throw to put the game out-of-reach with 5.5 seconds left. He finished with 23 points.
“Mohawk’s an unbelievable team. They’re a great team. They’re so well-coached,” Coach Sheldon said. “It’s what two very good basketball teams do. It was a battle, and once again, it took 36 minutes. Colonel Crawford beat Mohawk in overtime when they faced each other on January 10 in North Robinson, 53-50.
Sheldon said that the Eagles were very fortunate to get out of Sycamore with the win, but that he was proud of his team.
“Our kids did their best,” Mohawk coach Paul Dunn said. “I feel for our Mohawk kids that worked their tails off their entire careers for this community; and did everything they could for Red, Black, and White. We just came up short tonight.”
Mohawk’s Cleveland had 20 points and Flood finished with 13.
Colonel Crawford won the junior varsity game, 31-18.
