NEVER, EVER QUIT Cranes overcome 19 point deficit to win opening state tourney game 73 – 70

NEVER, EVER QUIT

Cranes overcome 19 point deficit to win opening state tourney game 73 – 70

 

How many times does your coach say, a basketball game lasts 32 minutes?  Not 31 or 30 minutes, not 31 minutes and 30 seconds, but a full 32 minutes.  And how many times do you try to sneak away before the final whistle has blown and the scoreboard clock reads 00:00.

 

It seems that the Cranes have listened well to this tenet of coaching.  And tonight’s game proved this point in a very special, heart stopping way.

 

After a slow start, the Huskies of Hazel Park waited almost three minutes before scoring their first point.  However, after that it was lights out as they poured in their shots.  By the time they stopped to take a breath at the end of the first half, they built a 12  point lead.

 

In the first half the Cranes also contributed to this shortfall.  They began with a three point shot by Jason Miller and then let the host Huskies go on an 8 – 0 run.  The CK defense was indeed tough and caused turnover after turnover, but the Cranes just couldn’t turn these turnovers into points on the board. From a 3-0 CK lead, Hazel Park turned it into an 18-5 score in their favor.  Along the way, CK went to the charity stripe 10 times but could only score 4 points.  At the end of 16 minutes of play, Hazel Park 31, Cranbrook 19.

 

It must have been an emotional half time speech by Coach Finney.  While this writer was not privy to what was said, I am certain that he reminded his team that this was not how they were coached and it was definitely not the way that they should be ending their season.  There were 16 minutes to go, 960 seconds (plus a few more when the scorekeeper neglected to start the clock after a free throw) to prove whether this CK team had the pride and the will to stand up and take charge of their destiny.  And a rich destiny it was.

 

Will the team overcome its poor free throw shooting in the first half?  Were there more three pointers in their future?  Would the famed CK “Ball Pressure” defense continue to cause the Huskies to “Turn It Over”?  Were the Cranes capable of doing to the Huskies what the Ohio State Buckeyes did to the Spartans of Michigan State a mere 24 hours ago?

 

The CK fans settled in for the final two quarters of play, not knowing whether these would be the final two quarters of the 2011-2012 season.

 

It seemed that no one told the Huskies that the Cranes weren’t ready just yet to head home and finish their season.  They simply continued to run their fast break offense against the CK pressure defense and, as a result, continued to add to their winning margin. 

 

The 12 point lead grew to 15, then 17 and, with 5:42 left to go in the third stanza, the spread was 19 points.  No one would have blamed the Cranes for packing it up and calling it a season.  After all, when you end up shooting 17 of 41 from the free throw line, leaving so many points on the hardwood floor, why not just shut down and go home.

 

But that is not what the CK Cranes are made of.  They understand what it means when someone says – Never Ever Quit. 

 

So what do the Cranes do – they let a halftime lead of 13 points grow to a lead of 18 points by the end of the third,  The Cranes let Hazel Park dig an even deeper hole for CK to face in the final 8 minutes.  The Huskies in the lead 58 – 40.

 

Probably the best way to experience these final moments of play is to walk through each and every play.

 

Here goes

 

Andrew McGlothin starts it off with 2 pointer at 7:35.  Andrew ended up with double digits for the night, scoring a total of 11 points.

 

CK goes on the defense and ends up with a steal.  Jason Miller gets fouled and goes to the line. He shoots two and misses both, but CK grabs the rebound.  Miller gets fouled again, goes to the stripe and makes his second free throw.  (This was not Jason’s night at the charity stripe shooting 6 of 14 for the game, 14 points in total.)

 

The CK defense clamps down and, once again, generates a steal, and Sterling Morrow takes it in for 2.  The score Hazel Park 58, CK 45.

 

With six minutes to go, Coach Finney goes to his bench and sends in junior Alex David.

 

The CK defense is unrelenting, Hazel Park throws a pass out of bounds.  David gets the ball on offense, shoots, misses, gets the rebound, shoots again, and misses again. 

 

Jacob Chapman puts in a field goal and brings the score to 58 – 47.  CK gets the ball back after a Hazel Park possession and Sterling Morrow gets fouled, goes and makes both free throws, scoreboard now reads 58 – 49.  A 9 point deficit with 5 minutes to go.

 

Hazel park responds with a two pointer, 60-49.  They will not give up without a fight.

 

Alex David makes a great effort to save a ball from going out of bounds and Sterling takes the save to the hoop for 2 a two pointer and a foul.  He makes the free throw, and with this three point play, tightens to the game to 60-52.

 

Jacob Chapman fouls, his second and sends Hazel Park to the line for two and they make both shots.  Sterling comes back and scores on a lay up. 62-54 on the scoreboard.

 

Chapman fouls again yet this time Hazel Park misses both free throws. Hazel Park calls a time out, with 4:19 left to regroup for the final minutes of play nursing an 8 point lead.

 

CK grabs a defensive rebound and Jacob C turns it into a 2 point basket.  Chapman scored all of his four points in the fourth quarter tonight.

 

The tenacious CK defense forces another Hazel Park out of bounds throw, CK ball.

Sterling goes for two and HP responds with a two pointer of their own. 64-58.

 

Just over three minutes to go in the contest and Andrew McGlothin is fouled at midcourt.  Typical of tonight, Andrew misses both shots, however Alex David grabs the rebound, and as he attempted to put up a shot, gets it blocked by Hazel Park.  CK maintains control of the ball, however, and McGlothin gets fouled, this time making one of two free throws. 

 

With the score Hazel Park 64, CK 59, CK calls a timeout to prepare for the final sub three minutes of what could be Cranbrook’s final game of the year.

 

CK continues its relentless , ball pressure defense and steals the ball from Hazel Park on the inbound pass.  Jason draws a foul, shoots two and makes one.  CK is now looking at a four point game.

 

Morrow fouls a Hazel Park player and he swishes the first shot,  The  second Hazel Park shot misses and they grab their own rebound.  Hazel Park shoots, misses, shoots again, another miss and then they foul CK sending Chapman to the line for two.  He proceeds to miss both shots.  Score update 65 -60 Hazel Park in the lead with 2:45 to go.

 

Chapman then gets his fourth foul.  Hazel Park returns the favor by missing both shots from the stripe.

 

Just under two minutes to go and Cranbrook turns to Alex David for a much needed spark. He buries a three pointer from the corner and closes the score to 65 – 63 and the crowd erupts.

 

Hazel Park is unable to score on their possession and Sterling brings down the ball, getting fouled in the process.  Before Sterling gets to shoot, Hazel Park calls a timeout.  Sterling steps to the line, misses his first shot yet succeeds on the second, We are now looking at a one point game.

 

The Cranes go into their defensive mode and Chapman generates a steal.  Before he can get the ball away towards the basket, he gets tied up and a jump ball is called.  The possession arrow says Hazel Park and the Huskies get the ball.  After the inbound pass they shoot and as the ball goes through the nets, the referee is blowing his whistle and waving his arms yelling out “No Basket” as they call a Hazel Park foul..  The CK partisans are most grateful.

 

Alex David goes to the line shooting two.  He makes his first and all of a sudden, the score is tied 65-65, with 1:07 to go.

 

As Alex attempts his second shot, another referee whistle pierces the air and we see that they have called a Technical Foul on the Hazel Park coach.  Although Alex missed his shot, Sterling steps up to shoot the technical and makes one, misses one.  The Cranes have now taken the lead 65-66 at the 1;07 mark. The CK crowd responds enthusiastically.

 

Cranbrook time out.  Time to plan for these last critical seconds of the game.

 

CK inbounds after the technical, and Sterling takes it in for 2 points. 65 – 68.

 

:45 on the clock and Hazel Park scores a two pointer, closing the gap to one, 67 – 68.

 

Sterling draws a foul, makes one of two and it is now a two point game.  This foul also sends a key Hazel Park player to the bench with his fifth foul.  The refs needed to hold the game until he slowly sulked off the court.

 

Another CK full timeout.  Time to rest the squad and get them focused on the task at hand.

 

CK was ready to inbound but the referee needed to first instruct the Hazel Park coach to take her seat.  They patiently waited until she did as she was told and the final :27 could now take place.

 

Off the inbound pass, the Cranes set up their offense and Alex D took it in for two points.  David finished with 7 points for the night, all of them in the fourth quarter.

 

With the score 66-71, Hazel Park brings the ball to the forecourt and Morrow commits a foul, his third.  HP goes to the line, shoots two and makes one. 68-71.

 

The Cranes set up their offense, and as the scoreboard clock shows 10.1 seconds, McGlothin seals the deal with a 2 point lay-up, 68 – 73.

 

With Coach Finney instructing (that is what you call it when the coach is screaming at the top of his voice) “don’t foul, don’t foul”, the Huskies drive to the basket, laying in one last basket.

 

The scoreboard clock went to zeros, and the Cranbrook Cranes did the unbelievable, winning the game by a 70 – 73 score.  Their fourth quarter had to be one for the record books, a 33 – 12 scoring performance in the fourth quarter.

 

On to Wednesday night.

 

Come see the Cranes take on their next opponent in the state tournament.  Its win or go home for the Cranes as they meet DCD at Warren Lincoln High School at 7 pm on Wednesday.

 

You won’t want to miss the excitement as our team makes us proud.

 

Go Cranes!!!

Never Ever Quit