Crusaders win the 2018 Logan County 8th Grade Boys Basketball Tournament in OT at Jack D. Nutt Arena

[January 19, 2018] 

The no. 4 seeded Carroll Catholic/New Holland-Middletown/Zion Lutheran Crusaders and the no. 2 seeded Mount Pulaski Bruins faced off in a thrilling county championship game Thursday night at Jack D. Nutt Arena on the campus of Lincoln College. This one had all the makings of a classic.

Fifteen lead changes, five ties and three extra minutes were needed to crown a champion. It also required the duo of Trent Koehler and Andrew Graue to have ice in their veins at the free throw line late in the game in order to clinch the 32-31 victory for the Crusaders. It just doesn’t get any better than this and you can get confirmation from every grandparent dressed in red sitting on the purple bleachers Thursday night on that one.

The six-minute quarters flew by in this matchup. In the first quarter there were more misses than shots that fell but it was Trent Koehler getting the first bucket via the backboard at the 5:05 mark to give the Crusaders a 2-0 lead. The rest of Koehler’s shots in the first quarter just rolled in and then out as the crowd inhaled and exhaled. He was not alone though.

A string of misses by teammate Andrew Graue were just as devastating and while Mount Pulaski was struggling as well, at least they managed a free throw from Aiden Schneider to get on the board. Schneider would also go baseline and hit a short jumper to give Mount Pulaski a 3-2 lead before the quarter ended with several near misses from both teams.

At the end of one quarter: 3-2 the score.

The second quarter got a little bit more interesting. Graue tied the game quickly with a free throw and then a minute later he drove right down the lane for a basket that put Carroll up 5-3.

At the other end Mount Pulaski’s Lane Murphy tested the lane and he was successful in his attempt. Tie game.

Koehler reciprocated at the Crusaders end of the court and he tossed it in, nothing but net, for a 7-5 Carroll lead.

Carroll held that lead a little over a minute until Braden Meagher, the smallest kid on the court, hit one from the parking lot and put Mount Pulaski up 8-7.

That lead was short-lived as Koehler swished one from the middle of the lane and put Carroll up again.

Murphy answered for Mount Pulaski and danced his way through the lane to toss one in and get the foul. Murphy’s free throw was good and Mount Pulaski was back on top 11-9. With 25.6 seconds remaining in the second quarter

Koehler got his own rebound and put it back up for the tie.

Evan Cooper then rolled one off the rim from the baseline for Mount Pulaski’s last shot attempt before the half.

At the end of two quarters: 11-11 the score.

Koehler’s steal and layup gave Carroll the lead back early in the third quarter. But Murphy wasted no time sinking a long three from the corner to get the lead back for Mount Pulaski.

Mount Pulaski’s next possession was a beautiful play where Lukas Kuhlman, one of the taller Bruins, kicked the ball back out of the lane to Meagher and the guy who wears a baggy no. 1 on his jersey was ready. Meagher hit nothing but net to bring the Mount Pulaski crowd to its feet.

A 17-13 lead was huge in this game. Following a steal by Carroll, Koehler went all the way to the hoop and his layup was good at the 3:26 mark. Mount Pulaski was able to get a four-point lead back on a bucket by Schneider but the final two minutes of the quarter belonged to Carroll.

Graue made a basket with 1:54 showing on the clock and then with precisely a minute to play in the third Graue found Kannon Browne camped under the basket. Graue’s quick pass to Browne resulted in Browne banking it in for a 19-19 tie. Carroll did have an opportunity in the final minute to take the lead, but missed.

At the end of three quarters: 19-19 the score.

With the risk of sounding repetitive, Carroll regained the lead on a free throw by Koehler but Mount Pulaski took it back on a basket by Murphy. Cooper got in the scoring column for Mount Pulaski with his shot that stretched the lead to 23-20. Carroll’s Hayden Allen scored his only bucket of the game next off the offensive rebound and this one was indeed a “barn burner.”

Around the three minute mark there was a Mount Pulaski turnover that Graue took advantage of and he drove all the way to the basket for a left-handed layup to put Carroll back on top. The score is now 24-23 in favor of the Crusaders.

Mount Pulaski, however, could not get a handle on the ball and Koehler stole it like it was hot. Koehler was fouled on the shot attempt and got the opportunity to make it to the free throw line. He missed the first shot but was good on the second one.

Following a Mount Pulaski miss, with two minutes left to play in regulation, Carroll controlled the ball and ran some time off the clock, forcing the Bruins to eventually foul. Carroll was not in the bonus so they just kept taking the ball out of bounds. With 1:09 on the clock, the Crusaders could not get the ball inbounds in time and the referee blew the whistle in what did seem like a quick five seconds to the Carroll crowd. Schneider missed his shot attempt, forcing the Mount Pulaski crowd to inhale and exhale in disbelief, as time was running thin.

With Carroll getting the ball back, Mount Pulaski quickly fouled not once, but twice in order to get Koehler to the free throw line and move the game along. With 43.8 seconds remaining, Koehler sank one free throw and the lead was now 26-23 in favor of Carroll.

The battle countdown was on. With 27.3 seconds there was a jump ball called as players fought for the ball. The possession arrow favored Mount Pulaski and the Bruins took the ball out of bounds. Meagher caught the ball out front and he tossed it to Schneider in the corner who tossed it quickly back to Meagher, who made perhaps the biggest three of his career, so far. Nothing but net for Meagher's third three of the game at approximately :22 seconds on the clock.

Yet another tie game.

Neither team could win it in regulation. At the end of four quarters: 26-26 the score.

Three minutes of overtime would decide the 2018 Logan County 8th Grade Boys Basketball Champion. That is a short amount of time for memories that will forever be in the minds of these young ballplayers.

Mount Pulaski got the tip in overtime and Schneider quickly got a basket to put the Bruins up 28-26. Halfway into the overtime Graue was blocked on his shot, Koehler missed his shot attempt and it was still yet to be determined how the ball would bounce in this one.

A jump ball went the way of Carroll and the Crusaders breathed new life after Drew McCray hit his only bucket of the game. A huge three from the corner by McCray recaptured the lead for Carroll with 1:35 showing on that spectacular looking scoreboard that hangs above the Pickering/Zurkhammer Court. Or is it Zurkhammer/Pickering Court? That is so confusing.

At any rate the lead of the moment belonged to Carroll, 29-28 the score. Keep following closely. The end is near, although both teams kept fans on the edge of their seats, with a miss here and a miss there.

Eventually Mount Pulaski successfully inbounded the ball and got it in the hands of Murphy. Murphy connected from downtown with 47.8 seconds left in overtime and his three gave the Bruins a 31-29 lead.

These kids are just playing their hearts out. Koehler’s shot attempt with 31.8 seconds left to play looked like Kuhlman may have had a clean block on it, but no, the referee heard something or saw something that put Koehler at the line. Koehler drew a deep breath as he stepped to the line to shoot two. He only made one.

This time Carroll was forced to foul and foul and foul and foul and yes, one more foul. The last foul sent Cooper to the line for Mount Pulaski. With 23.2 seconds and a chance to build on the one-point Mount Pulaski lead, Cooper missed.

In the final seconds as the clock ticked down with Carroll in control of the ball, Graue threw up a three and Meagher got a piece of him. With 3.3 seconds left to play in overtime, Graue would go to the line and shoot three for free. The excitement and tension in the gym was obvious. Graue’s first shot actually went off the back of the rim and Mount Pulaski called timeout. The miss seemed to devastate Graue briefly but he re-entered the court and approached the free throw line with the ice chilling in his veins. He swished the next two free throws. Swish swish. Graue made it look easy.

Carroll had a 32-31 lead at this point. But before the 3.3 seconds could be played, there were three more timeouts called. One by Carroll and two more by Mount Pulaski. Mount Pulaski inbounded the ball from under the Crusaders basket but the 3.3 seconds proved to be not enough time for the Bruins to get the ball up the court and anywhere near close enough for a good shot. A heave-ho shot attempt by Schneider from well beyond half court failed and the Crusaders had won the battle.

 

The 2018 Logan County 8th Grade Boys Basketball Tournament Champions ~ Carroll Catholic/New Holland-Middletown/ Zion Lutheran

The Mount Pulaski Bruins and the cheerleaders and coaches pose with the county plaque following the tough 32-31 loss to the Crusaders

At the end of overtime: Crusaders 32 Bruins 31. What an incredible game!

Trent Koehler of Carroll led all scorers with 16 points. Lane Murphy led Mount Pulaski with 13 points.

Congratulations to Carroll, who had to play three games in the county tournament and won all three, which is no ordinary feat. Even more impressive is the fact that the Crusaders knocked off the no. 1 seed West Lincoln-Broadwell on Saturday and the no. 2 seed Mount Pulaski for the county championship.

Carroll Head Coach Andy Fitzpatrick was very proud of his team following the exciting ballgame.

"The kids played a very hard fought game,” said Fitzpatrick. "I felt like it was maybe won and lost a few different times. I felt like a couple different times that we weren’t going to be able to come back. A couple times I thought all we had to do was be able to secure a rebound and we could ice it. So it was a very wave of emotion type game. Mount Pulaski has a very, very good team. We’ve had a lot of success here in this county tournament and it seems like most years we play Mount Pulaski. They are a great opponent. They go into a different regional than us so we don’t get to see them after this. They are a very good opponent. We always have close games with them.

"Our kids played well and we hit a lot of shots when we needed to. Andrew (Graue) hit a couple big free throws there at the end. He missed the first one, needed two, and he made the next two. So that was really big on him."

Fitzpatrick went on to talk about all the talented teams in the county. "Our county - this particular group - has always been very competitive. So one through four - between West Lincoln, Chester East, Mount Pulaski and Carroll - it’s been kind of interchangeable on who the better team is on any given night. You know, any team can win."

Fitzpatrick also loved the atmosphere of playing at Lincoln College and he noted how well the tournament was run by the Lynx staff. The Lincoln College radio station even broadcasted the game.

"We love having the radio guys out here,” said Fitzpatrick. "The college hosting this is very nice. The whole county does it right for this tournament. They bring out radio, they bring out the big court, and the kids really like it. It’s very well run. It’s one of the more fun tournaments, I am guessing, that any grade school area has that they get exposure to.”

Fitzpatrick nailed it. The tournament was indeed a great experience for the youth of Logan County and the impressive talent on the court even amazed one longtime referee who was very complimentary of the level of skill these boys possess. Their shooting, their ball-handling, their composure on the court were all noticeable assets of their basketball ability.

Scoring totals:

CCS/NH-M/Zion (32)

Trent Koehler 16
Andrew Graue 9
Drew McCray 3
Kannon Browne 2
Hayden Allen 3

Mount Pulaski (31)

Murphy 13
Meagher 9
Schneider 7
Cooper 2

One final note:

Following the championship game a Lincoln College men’s basketball player approached Mount Pulaski’s Braden Meagher on the court. Now the college athlete towered over the 8th grade athlete but it didn’t keep him from telling the young man some encouraging words. Meagher was taking the loss visibly hard but the college athlete made the effort to make the young ballplayer feel better. It was just a nice moment to see. Win or lose, it reminds us that positive encouragement is always welcome. Every athlete who took to the court on this night played their best. That should be applauded. And when a college athlete takes the time to say or word or two to these young kids, that in my opinion, deserves a standing ovation.

[Teena Lowery]

Andrew Graue hoists the 2018 Logan County championship plaque Thursday night at Jack D. Nutt Arena

Happy Crusader fans packed the gym Thursday night and they were not disappointed by their team's effort

Crusaders Coach Andy Fitzpatrick explains the game plan early in the first quarter of Thursday night's game versus Mount Pulaski

Mount Pulaski Coach Brian Erlenbush attempts to pump up the Bruins during a timeout late in the game

Trent Koehler reaches as high as possible towards the basket in first half action against Mount Pulaski in the championship game

Andrew Graue skies above Bruins guard Evan Cooper to connect for two points Thursday night

Lane Murphy is surrounded by Kannon Browne and Andrew Graue late in the championship game at Lincoln College