BOWLING GREEN — The Colonel Crawford boys basketball team took its community on a magical voyage this basketball season.
While the journey ended Saturday, in a 51-44 loss to No. 2 Ottawa-Glandorf in the Division III regional championship game, the defeat didn’t diminish a winter-long extravaganza.
“I told the kids, this is a special group, it’s been a super season and I feel very blessed they brought me along for the ride,” coach Dave Sheldon said.
The Eagles (26-1) won the Northern 10 title, sectional and district championships, and captured the state poll title. Unfortunately, they ran into a spectacular opponent in the Titans (24-2), who have lost only to Division I foes Lima Senior (68-61) and Findlay (64-61 in overtime).
“We have all kinds of respect for Coach Sheldon and the Colonel Crawford program, they’re 26-0 for a reason,” Ottawa-Glandorf coach Tyson McGlaughlin said. “When you play at this level, you’re going to get everyone’s best shot, and we were able to weather the storm.”
The Titans threw a haymaker at Colonel Crawford in the second quarter. The Eagles were within 9-6 after the first period, but were blitzed 19-7 in a brutal stretch leading to a 28-13 halftime deficit.
“We just didn’t make shots,” Sheldon said. “We had 13 points in the half. We were just 1-of-10 on 2-points shots, and you just can’t do that against a great team.
“No matter how much you X and O, you still have to make shots.”
Ottawa-Glandorf’s full-court pressure created a tough hole for the Eagles, who had just four field goals and seven turnovers before intermission.
“They were in this exact same spot last week, we knew they would make a run,” McGlaughlin said.
The Eagles did exactly that, finally hitting some shots (including an 8-of-19 effort from beyond the arc) to claw within 35-26 at the end of the third period. When senior Carter Valentine snaked through the lane for a bucket, it was suddenly 39-36 with 5:39 remaining in the game.
But that was as close as Colonel Crawford could get, almost exclusively because of Ottawa-Glandorf’s spectacular sophomore Colin White. The 6-foot-4 guard, who is already drawing the attention of Division I college basketball coaches, scored 11 consecutive points in the final period, repelling each Eagles’ charge. A key rebound, a big shot, pressure free throws, White did it all, and C.C. had no answer for him.
“There’s a reason he’s going to play on national TV someday,” Sheldon said. “He’s just a great player, and a great kid, too.”
White finished with a game-high 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. His classmate Caden Erford bounced off the bench to hit three key treys and score 11 points, and senior Eli Schmenk added 11 points and 4 rebounds. Ottawa-Glandorf will play Columbus Africentric on Friday at 10:45 a.m. in the Division III state semifinal at Dayton.
Valentine paced the Eagles with 14 points and 6 rebounds, while senior Mason Studer chipped in 13 points and Braxton Baker added 12.
This was the furthest a Colonel Crawford team has ever advanced in the tournament, something the community will long remember.
“This group has done a lot, accomplished a lot,” Valentine said.
Sheldon agreed.
“When you get to a regional championship game, you’ve almost got to play a perfect game,” Sheldon said. “It’s been a super season, (O.G.) is just an unbelievable team.”
This story will be updated with a photo gallery later today.
