TOLEDO — A dream season ended in a stunning nightmare Friday night for the Mansfield St. Peter’s boys basketball team.
The Spartans’ normally potent offense dried up to an unrecognizable form while dropping a 44-43 heartbreaker to Delphos St. John’s during the Division IV regional final at Savage Arena in Toledo. The culprit was a stripe just 15 feet from the basket.
St. Peter’s missed a whopping 8 of 11 free throws in the second half, including 6 of their last 8 in the fourth quarter in a frustrating sequence.
“Foul shots, it’s not that difficult (to explain),” Spartans coach Joe Jakubick said.
A team that averaged 70 points per game throughout a superb campaign struggled to find the range from any spot on the floor against the Blue Jays. St. Peter’s was a mere 3 of 10 from behind the arc, 10 of 20 from the free throw line and 15 of 39 (38.5 percent) from the field. It was completely out of character.
“That’s incredible,” Blue Jays coach Aaron Elwer said when given St. Peter’s abysmal shooting statistics. “That was a rare occasion because those guys are great shooters.
“It just went our way.”
To be sure, Delphos St. John’s had a lot to do with the field goal issues, particularly center Tim Kreeger. The 6-foot-8 standout parked his big frame in the lane and simply dominated the paint. He finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots while keeping St. Peter’s away from the rim all night.
The second-ranked Spartans (25-3) struggled through their roughest showing of the year at precisely the most vulnerable point.
Still, senior point guard Tyson Kent spearheaded a 10-5 run to start the game. But that rhythm would never emerge again. St. Peter’s then suffered nearly a four-minute scoring drought. When it ended, St. John’s gained a 12-10 first-quarter edge and led 14-10 early in the second period.
“We didn’t make shots we normally make,” Jakubick said.
It was a theme that would stubbornly stick to the Spartans. Gritty determination and Mason Campbell’s three-point play gave St. Peter’s a 25-21 halftime margin, but the offense bogged down even more in the second half as the game slowed to a crawl.
Jakubick’s club managed just five field goals in the final two periods. With neither shots nor free throws dropping, only tough defense preserved a 32-28 edge heading to the final eight minutes.
Even that wasn’t enough in the end. Delphos St. John’s guard Colin Will hit two monster threes in the fourth quarter and the Spartans free-throw inaccuracy spiked. Jared Jakubick and Elijah Cobb both missed the front end of one-and-ones, and Campbell missed the first two of a three-shot foul.
“Jared is an 82 percent free throw shooter and he goes 3 of 8. Mason is 74 percent and he’s money, and Elijah same thing,” Joe Jakubick said. “That’s what makes the tournament so tough.”
The Blue Jays (21-4) went ahead for good as Owen Bode hit four straight free throws in the final two minutes. St. Peter’s had a last chance, trailing by three with a final possession. Yet Jared Jakubick’s trey was wide and his putback accounted for the final points as time expired.
“We tried to impose our will, and over 32 minutes we did impose our will on them,” Elwer said. “On those free throws they looked a little tired.”
The St. Peter’s coach acknowledged a pattern in the misses, too.
“Short, short, short,” he said.
Bode’s game-high 16 points marked the Blue Jays (21-4) only other double-figure scorer. St. John’s also enjoyed a whopping 35-21 rebounding advantage.
Jared Jakubick led the Spartans with 13, while Campbell had 13 and Kent added 10, all in the first half.
“We had a really terrific season, but in every game (we lost) you could say we beat ourselves,” Joe Jakubick said. “Our kids are really hard on themselves. It’s tough.”
