Last Updated: Saturday, March 3, 2007 7:27 PM CST
Pushed over the edge
Crandon upset by Peshtigo thanks to its 6-11 inside force
DAILY NEWS SPORTS
One player can take over a high school basketball game -- especially if he's 6-11.
The Crandon boys' basketball team ran into No. 4-seeded Peshtigo and its big man in Division 3 regional action Friday and the Cardinals had their postseason dreams shattered, falling 63-62 at home.
The Cardinals, the No. 1 seed, couldn't overcome the Bulldogs' inside presence of Drew Votis, who scored 21 points and registered near double figures in blocks, not to mentioned his handful of altered shots.
“We normally try to go to Drew as much as possible with the size advantage,” Peshtigo head coach Rich Neumann said. “We just have to make sure we get it into a spot where he can score with it. We did get that in the second half.”
“I thought our kids did a nice job of keeping him out of the [paint],” Crandon head coach Richard Gretzinger said. “He had some good looks in the fourth quarter, getting some back-down lobs. I think that was the difference.”
With the Cardinals -- which finished their season 20-2 -- down 58-51 with 3 minutes, 3 seconds remaining in the game, the home team made its push.
Crandon pulled to within 61-58 with 1:01 left after a Keegan Kincaid three-pointer. After Peshtigo hit only its second of eight free throw attempts in the final minute of play to go up 63-59, Crandon's Tyler Anderson drained a three-pointer with 8 seconds remaining.
See Crandon, Page 3B
Peshtigo missed two free throws and the Cardinals got the ball back with 2.6 seconds left, needing to drive the entire length of the court to make a game-winning shot. However, Crandon wasn't able to get a shot off.
“Our kids never quit,” Gretzinger said. “One thing our kids are is relentless, and they went down fighting. They gave us an opportunity to win.”
Early on in the game, Crandon trailed 19-10 before going on a 17-5 run. Crandon was behind 34-31 at halftime. The Cardinals clawed back to tie the score at 40-all in the third, but that's the closest the team ever got to taking a lead.
According to Gretzinger, the team stuck with its game plan the entire night, and things just didn't fall into place.
“We really had them scouted and did a good job with them,” Gretzinger said. “We knew we could take it to the hole as long as could get to the other side of the rim and quick. If you are going to go in one-on-one and challenge them, it's not going to happen.”
Peshtigo tried to push it as much as possible because of its quick guards. However, the Bulldogs do have a tendency to turn the ball over.
“We knew we'd have to handle Crandon's pressure,” Neumann said. “We knew that they played a full-court or half-court trap or they are always bringing something at you. We figured if we can get it into a half-court game, we'd have a much better chance of winning.”
Anderson led the Cardinals with 20 points on the night, followed by Kincaid's 12 and Jeff Mayer's 10.
The loss for Crandon on its home court is a first in a long time, noted Gretzinger. Falling at home is a tough way to end the careers for five Crandon seniors -- Anderson, Jimmy Arrowood, Roman Leonard, Kole McGeshick and Dalton Wagoner.
“Our players can't hardly come out of that locker room right now because there's a lot of hugs,” Gretzinger said. “This is hard for them to accept and choke down because they've wanted [a championship]. I'm very proud of them. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They can look up at the [Northern Lakes Conference championship] banner when they walk out of here and see 2007 and be very proud of that.”
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Crandon’s loss was tough to swallow for Jeff Mayer as he reflects on what could have been while Peshtigo players celebrate Friday in a Division 3 playoff game in Crandon.
Greg Bates/Daily News
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