WILLARD, Ohio — The youthful Eagles came of age Tuesday night.
Freshmen Cameron McCreary, Reis Walker and Jordan Fenner combined for 35 points as Colonel Crawford knocked off Norwalk St. Paul 57-49 in overtime in the Division IV district semifinals at Willard’s Robert L. Haas Gymnasium.
The second-seeded Eagles (18-6) will play No. 1 St. Peter’s for the district title at 7 p.m. Friday in Willard. The Spartans beat South Central 79-41 in Tuesday’s nightcap.
“This team has grown, in the course of this year, more than any team I’ve coached in my 11 years as a head coach,” Colonel Crawford coach David Sheldon said. “Getting better from day one to the end. Four of those guys were playing eighth grade last year and now they’re playing in a district championship Friday night.
“The puppies are growing up.”
The Eagles opened 50-45 lead after a pair of Fenner free throws with 1:53 left in the four-minute extra session, before the Flyers (16-8) cut Crawford’s advantage to 50-49 on Brandon McCall’s offensive rebound and putback with 1:11 remaining. The Eagles closed it out by hitting 7 of 8 free throws in the final 1:09. McCreary and Fenner each connected on a pair, while junior forward Harley Shaum was 3-for-4 from the stripe.
“They’ve played so much basketball and they love the game,” Sheldon said. “It’s neat to see it pay off.”
Foul Trouble: The Eagles led 20-13 late in the second quarter when the 6-foot-4 Shaum joined 6-foot-10 Heath Starkey on the bench with two fouls. The Flyers responded immediately, closing the half with a 5-0 run.
“That’s been our thing all year is we want to attack inside,” St. Paul coach Mike Smith said. “I thought Noah Winslow did a good job of attacking the rim.”
Free Throw Woes: St. Paul connected on just 6 of 15 free throws, misfiring on all four of their attempts in the first half and going 2 of 6 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Colonel Crawford was 12 of 15 from the stripe.
“Obviously, the difference in the game was free throw shooting,” Smith said. “That put us in a hole.”
Leaders: McCreary led the way for the Eagles with 14 points, eight of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime. Starkey had 13, while Walker had 11 and Fenner added 10.
Dylan Furlong had 15 points for the Flyers, while McCall and Paul Pearce had 10 points apiece.
District Final: Colonel Crawford will play in the district championship game for the fifth time in the past six years. The Eagles won district crowns in 2012 and 2013.
“We’re looking forward to coming over here Friday night again,” Sheldon said. “It’s a process, not just for this year but years to come.”
