WILLARD — Experience matters in the postseason.
Colonel Crawford had it and Mansfield Christian didn’t.
Making their 13th consecutive district tournament appearance, the top-seeded Eagles limited No. 5 Mansfield Christian to 23 second-half points and rallied for a 63-59 win in the early game of a Division IV district semifinal doubleheader at Willard High School on Tuesday.
The Eagles (18-6) trailed 36-29 at the half but outscored the Flames 23-9 in the third quarter. Mansfield Christian, which hadn’t been to the district since 2011, never recovered.
“I was proud of the way we kept our composure,” Crawford coach David Sheldon said. “We knew they were going to play fast so you’re never out of it.
“I thought our discipline was very good.”
The Eagles led by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Flames made things interesting in the closing moments.
MCS (20-5) cut Crawford’s lead to 61-59 on a circus 3-pointer by Amarr Davis with 14 seconds remaining. Colonel Crawford’s Trevor Vogt hit a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds to play to make it a two-possession game at 63-59.
“I’m so proud of the boys and how they fought back in the fourth. They never gave up,” Mansfield Christian coach Cary Craner said. “There were eight seconds to go at the end of the game and we were taking the ball out and I told the coaches, ‘If we make a bucket they don’t have to bring it inbounds and our boys still played hard.”
Davis, who became Mansfield Christian’s career scoring leader in last week’s sectional final victory over St. Paul, led the Flames with a game-high 26 points.
Gabe Westfield added eight, while Davion Mack, D’Andre Martin and Davis Wuwhinske had seven points apiece.
“It’s been a pleasure to coach (Davis) for four years,” Craner said. “To see him break the all-time scoring record and to see him do everything he has done in football (for Mansfield Senior) and basketball. The kid is phenomenal. He’ll be hard to replace.”
Mansfield Christian’s 20 wins were the most since the 1990-91 Flames went 20-3. Only the 1973-74 team had more victories (21-2).
“We talked about that tonight. The seniors have set a standard and we challenged our underclassmen,” Craner said. “We said, ‘If you want to be here next year, it starts in June.’ If you want to play late in the season, you’ve got to work hard in the summer. You can’t wait until November.
“We’ve got a bright future. We told them that and they believe that.”
Vogt led the Eagles with 23 points. Payne DeGray had 17 while Connor McMichael added 10.
Colonel Crawford will play North 10 Athletic Conference rival Seneca East for the district title at 6 p.m. Friday in Willard. The second-seeded Tigers beat No. 3 Lucas 76-66 in Tuesday’s nightcap.
Seneca East swept the season series from Colonel Crawford. The Tigers and Eagles shared the N10 crown with Mohawk and Carey at 10-4.
“Our league was phenomenally balanced and … that prepares us for districts,” Sheldon said. “And we’re fortunate to go back to another district final Friday night.”