Eagles lose in regional semifinal
By JON KLEINKNECHT
Inquirer Sports Editor
sports@galioninquirer.com
BOWLING GREEN — Cold shooting and an opponent with taller players were key factors in the Colonel Crawford Eagles falling to Ottawa Hills 53–40 in a Division IV regional tournament semfinal basketball contest here Tuesday night.
It was the third time in five years — and the second in a row — the Black-and-Gold advanced to regional play. They conclude their season with a 20–6 record. Ottawa Hills (22–4) plays Leipsic Friday night for the regional championship, the winner moving on to the Final Four.
The first half was low scoring as the Green Bears went into intermission with a 20–13 advantage. Ben Silverman netted the final three tallies for the winners on a buzzer-beating, 25-foot three-point bomb to end the half.
Ottawa Hills opened the second half with an 8–0 run, upping its lead to 15 points, 28–13. The Green Bears outscored the Eagles 10–6 the remainder of the third period to take a comfortable 38–19 cushion into the last quarter.
Colonel Crawford claimed the last frame 21–15, but it was too little, too late, for the Black-and-Gold.
On the night, the Eagles made just 41 percent of their field goal attempts. The winners connected on a solid 57 percent of their tries.
The winners started three players who stood 6’4″ or taller. In the paint was 6’8″ R.J. Coil, who scored a game-high 14 pints and snagged 8 rebounds. Lucas Janowciz — a 6’4″ wing — added 10 points.
A pair of juniors — Nate Klingenberger and Connor McCreary — were the top guns for the Eagles with a dozen points apiece.
With Klingenberger and McCreary returning next season — plus a junior varsity squad that went undefeated and a freshmen team that lost just once this season — the future appears to be bright for Colonel Crawford.
Posted by Jon Kleinknecht
on Mar 13 2013.
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