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All Basketball - Boys Stories
Last year, the Southfield Christian boys’ basketball team won the Class D state championship.
This year, the Eagles have put themselves in good position to repeat that task after a 68-61 overtime victory over Inter-City Baptist Park in a Class D regional final on Wednesday night.
It was a heartbreaker for Inter-City, who led for most of the game.
The teams were tied 15-15 after one quarter of play and with 53.9 seconds to play in the half, the Chargers took a lead that they held on to until there was only 42.2 seconds left in the game.
The contest was close throughout and there was never more than a four point gap until the Inter-City took a seven point lead, 47-40 with 5:38 to go in regulation.
But it was the Eagles who would finish with a seven-point lead after an explosive overtime run.
It was a good game that turned into a great game from a fan’s perspective as the teams entered the final quarter with the Chargers up 44-40.
Inter-City quickly built its seven-point advantage, but the Eagles battled back and when Damarco White intercepted an Evan Kraatz pass that resulted in an old-fashioned, it was suddenly a 47-45 game.
The teams alternated turns from the charity stripe and it was back to a game that never saw more than a three-point difference.
With 42.2 seconds to go, Inter-City was up 53-51, but White again went to the free throw line and knocked down the pair to tie the game. In the quarter, White went five-for-five from the line.
When the buzzer sounded, the teams were still tied at 53 and it was not unexpected.
The two faced each other earlier in the season and each team had a win and each game was a one-point difference.
Kraatz gave the Chargers the first lead of overtime, but things quickly changed.
Southfield’s Leonard Crosby made a long triple and a two-point field goal on consecutive possessions and the Eagles were up 60-55.
“The big shot was the one kid took a long three unexpectedly,” Inter-City Coach Mark Kraatz said. “That was one of those I’m sure their bench was yelling ‘no, no, yeah.’ I think that was a turning point.”
Inter-City’s Luke Barber added a triple of his own and the Chargers kept battling but some uncharacteristic shots and exceptional free-throw shooting on the Eagles’ part sealed the deal.
Southfield was a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line in the four-minute overtime.
The Eagles were familiar with situations where they needed late free throws for a win and Coach Josh Baker was proud of his team.
“We’ve had some big games where we’ve shot really well from the free throw line,” he said.
Baker was proud of his team for its come-from-behind win and had nothing but respect for their opponent.
“Obviously I’m proud of the guys for hanging in there,” Baker said. “Three times now. One point, one point and overtime. It doesn’t get any closer.
“Obviously I think their staff is one of the best in the state. They do an incredible job (and) they’re as tough as anything. I’m hoping they make us a better team for the tournament.”
Kraatz was naturally disappointed with the loss but said someone had to lose.
“When you’re up like that, you’ve got to seal the deal,” he said. “I thought we took some shots probably that were out of character for us at the end and missed a little bit of decision making.
“(But) they turned it up so give them credit. It’s a hard way to lose, but someone’s got to lose.”
Kraatz said it was tough leading for over half of the game and losing in overtime.
“Up the whole way … that was tough,” he said. “They did a good job of blanketing Evan and running them ragged.”
The Chargers saw scoring from five players in their losing effort.
Nathanael Packwood led all scorers with 22 points and also brought down eight rebounds.
Carson Claypool recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.
Kraatz finished the night with 10 points and five rebounds and Barber finished with 10 points (two triples) and four rebounds. Kraatz also went four-for-five from the foul line.
As a team, the Chargers went 16-for-25 from the line while the Eagles finished 25-for-30.
Inter-City will graduate five seniors this season and Coach Kraatz is proud of them.
“I said you played as hard as you can play,” he said. “You can’t ask for anything else.
“Obviously they made a play or two more at the end than we did. But we’re proud of our seniors. They worked hard and we told the underclassmen you’re gonna be good next year.”
The Chargers finished the season with a 20-5 overall record.
Southfield Christian will play in the MHSAA quarterfinals on March 19.
BOYS' BASKETBALL: Inter-City falls in regional final to rival Southfield Christian (PHOTO)
Photo by Dave Chapman.
This year, the Eagles have put themselves in good position to repeat that task after a 68-61 overtime victory over Inter-City Baptist Park in a Class D regional final on Wednesday night.
It was a heartbreaker for Inter-City, who led for most of the game.
The teams were tied 15-15 after one quarter of play and with 53.9 seconds to play in the half, the Chargers took a lead that they held on to until there was only 42.2 seconds left in the game.
The contest was close throughout and there was never more than a four point gap until the Inter-City took a seven point lead, 47-40 with 5:38 to go in regulation.
But it was the Eagles who would finish with a seven-point lead after an explosive overtime run.
It was a good game that turned into a great game from a fan’s perspective as the teams entered the final quarter with the Chargers up 44-40.
Inter-City quickly built its seven-point advantage, but the Eagles battled back and when Damarco White intercepted an Evan Kraatz pass that resulted in an old-fashioned, it was suddenly a 47-45 game.
The teams alternated turns from the charity stripe and it was back to a game that never saw more than a three-point difference.
With 42.2 seconds to go, Inter-City was up 53-51, but White again went to the free throw line and knocked down the pair to tie the game. In the quarter, White went five-for-five from the line.
When the buzzer sounded, the teams were still tied at 53 and it was not unexpected.
The two faced each other earlier in the season and each team had a win and each game was a one-point difference.
Kraatz gave the Chargers the first lead of overtime, but things quickly changed.
Southfield’s Leonard Crosby made a long triple and a two-point field goal on consecutive possessions and the Eagles were up 60-55.
“The big shot was the one kid took a long three unexpectedly,” Inter-City Coach Mark Kraatz said. “That was one of those I’m sure their bench was yelling ‘no, no, yeah.’ I think that was a turning point.”
Inter-City’s Luke Barber added a triple of his own and the Chargers kept battling but some uncharacteristic shots and exceptional free-throw shooting on the Eagles’ part sealed the deal.
Southfield was a perfect eight-for-eight from the free throw line in the four-minute overtime.
The Eagles were familiar with situations where they needed late free throws for a win and Coach Josh Baker was proud of his team.
“We’ve had some big games where we’ve shot really well from the free throw line,” he said.
Baker was proud of his team for its come-from-behind win and had nothing but respect for their opponent.
“Obviously I’m proud of the guys for hanging in there,” Baker said. “Three times now. One point, one point and overtime. It doesn’t get any closer.
“Obviously I think their staff is one of the best in the state. They do an incredible job (and) they’re as tough as anything. I’m hoping they make us a better team for the tournament.”
Kraatz was naturally disappointed with the loss but said someone had to lose.
“When you’re up like that, you’ve got to seal the deal,” he said. “I thought we took some shots probably that were out of character for us at the end and missed a little bit of decision making.
“(But) they turned it up so give them credit. It’s a hard way to lose, but someone’s got to lose.”
Kraatz said it was tough leading for over half of the game and losing in overtime.
“Up the whole way … that was tough,” he said. “They did a good job of blanketing Evan and running them ragged.”
The Chargers saw scoring from five players in their losing effort.
Nathanael Packwood led all scorers with 22 points and also brought down eight rebounds.
Carson Claypool recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.
Kraatz finished the night with 10 points and five rebounds and Barber finished with 10 points (two triples) and four rebounds. Kraatz also went four-for-five from the foul line.
As a team, the Chargers went 16-for-25 from the line while the Eagles finished 25-for-30.
Inter-City will graduate five seniors this season and Coach Kraatz is proud of them.
“I said you played as hard as you can play,” he said. “You can’t ask for anything else.
“Obviously they made a play or two more at the end than we did. But we’re proud of our seniors. They worked hard and we told the underclassmen you’re gonna be good next year.”
The Chargers finished the season with a 20-5 overall record.
Southfield Christian will play in the MHSAA quarterfinals on March 19.
Last Updated: 3/14/2013 12:34:29 AM EST