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NORTH ROBINSON - Ahead of the final week of the regular season, you want one of two things.
Be in contention for a league championship, or have already clinched it. Tied with one loss apiece in the Northern 10, Colonel Crawford's clash with Carey on Saturday would give one of the team's a one-game advantage with one to play securing at least a share of the title.
And after the Blue Devils defended their home court in early January, the Eagles did the same when it mattered most with a 44-32 victory to mark back-to-back league titles for the first time since doing so in 2012 and 2013.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK: Three-peat! New London girls clinch Firelands Conference at Mapleton
"It's something I have a hard time fathoming right now," Colonel Crawford coach Zac Bauer said. "But we tell our kids all the time that some of the things they've committed to doing on their own time, in the summer, in the offseason — it's for this. You can't be happier for the kids on our team that are doing the work, and maybe they don't understand the brevity of the situation.
"(But) it's special because Colonel Crawford has such a storied history and tradition of winning and excellence. To be a part of that and put our names on the line next to some great teams and some great coaches is special."
And the win came because of championship moments, something Bauer and his staff have talked to the girls about throughout the course of the season.
"We know the value of one possession and spent a lot of time focusing on the value of possession today," he said. "I think that paid off."
The first came in the final minute of first half with the Eagles holding on to a slim 13-10 lead after both offenses stalled most of the quarter. Senior Lexi Dure drove into the paint and drew a foul then proceeded to make both free throws and with less than 10 seconds remaining the Eagles forced a turnover at midcourt that led to sophomore Emmi Powers driving to the basket before the buzzer and drawing a foul where she split the freebies.
"It's little moments like that that win championship games," Bauer said.
Three points doesn't seem like much, but in a low scoring game, three points felt more like 10.
"They sped us up and we tried to get the girls to slow down because we were making mistakes, making turnovers," Carey coach Keith O'Flaherty said of his team's first half performance. "They got us sped up and it took us out of our offense. And defensively, we just weren't rotating over and stuff like that.
"It took us until about halfway through the third quarter before we finally did settle in a bit, but it was too late by then. The turnovers, they brought a lot of pressure and I think that was a big key throughout the game."
BANG! Goon's birthday, bank-in buzzer-beater sends Crestview past Plymouth
The next moment was the opening stretch of the third quarter when the Eagles went on an 8-0 run to push a 14-point lead which proved to be just enough cushion to comfortably fend off the inevitable Carey charge that happened in the fourth quarter when the Blue Devils pulled within eight.
And the final moments were sequential to close out the game as junior Lily Alberty grabbed a trio of potentially game-saving offensive rebounds down the stretch and Dure hit clutch free throws to extend the lead.
"You gotta live in the moment in championship games because you never know when those opportunities are going to come around to you," Bauer said. "We discussed presence and mindfulness about staying in the moment and being ready when opportunity comes. And reinforcing our fundamentals on both ends, defense and offense, just try to stick to the basics. You can prep and scheme a lot of things in the locker room, but you gotta adjust to be adaptable."
Junior Robin Ehmann, the Eagles' post and leading scorer on the day, embodied that adaptability Saturday afternoon scoring a few of her 17 points from mid-range and coming up with three steals.
"She played really poised ... like she was in her moment," Bauer said. "She didn't think about what had happened in the possession or two before and she didn't dwell on missed opportunities, she took advantage of things that were presented to her and it was really encouraging to see her make that next step because that's what really good players do."
Powers had12 points, six of which coming in the fourth quarter, sophomore Saylor Holt added seven points, Dure finished with five, freshman Reese Redman three.
"(We're a) veteran team and that's leadership," Bauer said of his team's ability to close out the game. 'Lexi Dure makes a lot of those free throws and she has been in some big games throughout her career as a four-year player for us. The poise of our sophomores, Emmi Powers and Saylor Holt, and we get a lot of steadiness out of Lila Plesac who maybe didn't have a lot of impactful baskets tonight, but impactful baskets came from plays she made.
"And a kid that's ready for their time to shine, Lily Alberty, takes three possessions away from them under our basket — you can't underscore things like that."
PART 1: Peek into the wild, weary winter sports season of the Sheldons
PART 2: Long days and short nights the norm for the Sheldons in winter
O'Flaherty's goal coming in was to try and keep Ehmann and Powers from impacting the game, but admitted that's easier said than done.
"We tried to take Robin away, we tried to take Emmi away — limit, you're not going to take them away, they're too good of players — but we tied to limit their touches and looks, and keep the ball out of their hands," he said. "Robin is on the boards a lot and she hit some nice outside shots for them, and Emmi just works hard and goes after things.
"I thought we did a nice job on Emmi when they played them at our place, but I think that probably lit a spark in her for this game and she went off."
It was another signature performance from Ehmann, a strong contender for Northern 10 Player of the Year this season ranking top four in the league in scoring, rebounds, and field goal shooting. While most of her drive comes within, she always gives 110% to make sure thing season is as memorable as possible for her teammates in their final year.
"It means everything," Ehmann said of winning back-to-back league titles." I'm a junior and I have one year left, but I do it for the seniors on the team. My sister (Elizabeth) has senior night next week, I just do it for (them) because they matter."
And that's the top priority now for the Eagles with their first goal — a league title — now out of the way.
"Our next step is take care of our seniors on Thursday [vs. Ontario] and go from there," Bauer said. "You can't get too far ahead of yourself because the opportunities are limited. Your seniors, how many more opportunities you're gonna get to play in this year?
"You don't know — it's finite — so we really gotta enjoy the chances we have to be together because those are dwindling as you head into the end of your regular season."
[email protected] | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Colonel Crawford girls avenge earlier loss to Carey, clinch N10 title
Continue reading...
Be in contention for a league championship, or have already clinched it. Tied with one loss apiece in the Northern 10, Colonel Crawford's clash with Carey on Saturday would give one of the team's a one-game advantage with one to play securing at least a share of the title.
And after the Blue Devils defended their home court in early January, the Eagles did the same when it mattered most with a 44-32 victory to mark back-to-back league titles for the first time since doing so in 2012 and 2013.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK: Three-peat! New London girls clinch Firelands Conference at Mapleton
"It's something I have a hard time fathoming right now," Colonel Crawford coach Zac Bauer said. "But we tell our kids all the time that some of the things they've committed to doing on their own time, in the summer, in the offseason — it's for this. You can't be happier for the kids on our team that are doing the work, and maybe they don't understand the brevity of the situation.
"(But) it's special because Colonel Crawford has such a storied history and tradition of winning and excellence. To be a part of that and put our names on the line next to some great teams and some great coaches is special."
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And the win came because of championship moments, something Bauer and his staff have talked to the girls about throughout the course of the season.
"We know the value of one possession and spent a lot of time focusing on the value of possession today," he said. "I think that paid off."
The first came in the final minute of first half with the Eagles holding on to a slim 13-10 lead after both offenses stalled most of the quarter. Senior Lexi Dure drove into the paint and drew a foul then proceeded to make both free throws and with less than 10 seconds remaining the Eagles forced a turnover at midcourt that led to sophomore Emmi Powers driving to the basket before the buzzer and drawing a foul where she split the freebies.
"It's little moments like that that win championship games," Bauer said.
Three points doesn't seem like much, but in a low scoring game, three points felt more like 10.
"They sped us up and we tried to get the girls to slow down because we were making mistakes, making turnovers," Carey coach Keith O'Flaherty said of his team's first half performance. "They got us sped up and it took us out of our offense. And defensively, we just weren't rotating over and stuff like that.
"It took us until about halfway through the third quarter before we finally did settle in a bit, but it was too late by then. The turnovers, they brought a lot of pressure and I think that was a big key throughout the game."
BANG! Goon's birthday, bank-in buzzer-beater sends Crestview past Plymouth
The next moment was the opening stretch of the third quarter when the Eagles went on an 8-0 run to push a 14-point lead which proved to be just enough cushion to comfortably fend off the inevitable Carey charge that happened in the fourth quarter when the Blue Devils pulled within eight.
You must be registered for see images attach
And the final moments were sequential to close out the game as junior Lily Alberty grabbed a trio of potentially game-saving offensive rebounds down the stretch and Dure hit clutch free throws to extend the lead.
"You gotta live in the moment in championship games because you never know when those opportunities are going to come around to you," Bauer said. "We discussed presence and mindfulness about staying in the moment and being ready when opportunity comes. And reinforcing our fundamentals on both ends, defense and offense, just try to stick to the basics. You can prep and scheme a lot of things in the locker room, but you gotta adjust to be adaptable."
Junior Robin Ehmann, the Eagles' post and leading scorer on the day, embodied that adaptability Saturday afternoon scoring a few of her 17 points from mid-range and coming up with three steals.
"She played really poised ... like she was in her moment," Bauer said. "She didn't think about what had happened in the possession or two before and she didn't dwell on missed opportunities, she took advantage of things that were presented to her and it was really encouraging to see her make that next step because that's what really good players do."
Powers had12 points, six of which coming in the fourth quarter, sophomore Saylor Holt added seven points, Dure finished with five, freshman Reese Redman three.
"(We're a) veteran team and that's leadership," Bauer said of his team's ability to close out the game. 'Lexi Dure makes a lot of those free throws and she has been in some big games throughout her career as a four-year player for us. The poise of our sophomores, Emmi Powers and Saylor Holt, and we get a lot of steadiness out of Lila Plesac who maybe didn't have a lot of impactful baskets tonight, but impactful baskets came from plays she made.
"And a kid that's ready for their time to shine, Lily Alberty, takes three possessions away from them under our basket — you can't underscore things like that."
PART 1: Peek into the wild, weary winter sports season of the Sheldons
PART 2: Long days and short nights the norm for the Sheldons in winter
O'Flaherty's goal coming in was to try and keep Ehmann and Powers from impacting the game, but admitted that's easier said than done.
You must be registered for see images attach
"We tried to take Robin away, we tried to take Emmi away — limit, you're not going to take them away, they're too good of players — but we tied to limit their touches and looks, and keep the ball out of their hands," he said. "Robin is on the boards a lot and she hit some nice outside shots for them, and Emmi just works hard and goes after things.
"I thought we did a nice job on Emmi when they played them at our place, but I think that probably lit a spark in her for this game and she went off."
It was another signature performance from Ehmann, a strong contender for Northern 10 Player of the Year this season ranking top four in the league in scoring, rebounds, and field goal shooting. While most of her drive comes within, she always gives 110% to make sure thing season is as memorable as possible for her teammates in their final year.
"It means everything," Ehmann said of winning back-to-back league titles." I'm a junior and I have one year left, but I do it for the seniors on the team. My sister (Elizabeth) has senior night next week, I just do it for (them) because they matter."
And that's the top priority now for the Eagles with their first goal — a league title — now out of the way.
"Our next step is take care of our seniors on Thursday [vs. Ontario] and go from there," Bauer said. "You can't get too far ahead of yourself because the opportunities are limited. Your seniors, how many more opportunities you're gonna get to play in this year?
"You don't know — it's finite — so we really gotta enjoy the chances we have to be together because those are dwindling as you head into the end of your regular season."
[email protected] | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Colonel Crawford girls avenge earlier loss to Carey, clinch N10 title
Continue reading...
