NORTH ROBINSON — The Colonel Crawford Eagles had a difficult win over a good Mohawk team Friday night, then had to battle a good Wynford team the next night.
CC coach David Sheldon did not want his kids to let down against the Royals.
He didn’t have anything to worry about.
The Eagles hit eight of their first 10 shots on the night and held a 27-9 lead after one period en route to a 70-45 win Saturday night.
With the win, the Eagles improved to 5-0 in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference and 7-0 overall. Wynford, who had played just its third game in 23 days, fell to 0-2 and 0-3.
“We shot it well,” Sheldon said. “We got off to a good start and I think you need to do that to maintain. Coming off a big win like last night against a very good Mohawk team, you don’t want any letdown, and that’s what we talked about before the game. ‘Guys, you have to get off to a good start.’ We did that from the get-go.’”
Sheldon said that Crawford’s defensive pressure in the full court and on the perimeter fueled its offense. The Royals committed 10 turnovers in the first period as the Eagles bolted out to an 18-4 lead.
“I thought the start was our defensive pressure started our offense,” Sheldon said. “When you get off to a good start and score 27 in the first quarter, that was a result of our defense, our pressure. We forced turnovers that gave us easy shots right out of the gate.”
Wynford coach Steve Mohr felt that the COVID virus hurt his team early in the season but said that the layoff is no excuse for his team.
“We played our second game in 23 days last night, then we had to come here,” Mohr said. “We had a very tough game last night, a game we really felt we should have won, and we gave it away, but that’s an excuse. That’s the world we live in today and we have to take the attitude that we’re happy we get to play.”
The Crawford defense was dominant for the entire first half, as the Royals made just five of 16 shots in the first two frames and trailed 38-17 at the half.
“We’re obviously not the team that I thought we would be at this point in the season,” Mohr said. “And so, we have to re-evaluate, and we have to be patient with what we’re going to do. But I think if we can learn from these mistakes and the things that people are taking advantage of with us, I think we’ll be a team that will improve.
“We’re playing our third game and they’re playing their seventh,” he added. “That is what it is. I’m happy we get to play.”
Once again, the Eagles got balanced offense. Carter Valentine led the way with 16 points, Mason Studer scored 13 and Nolan McKibben knocked down four t3-point shots and finished with 12. Chase Walker added nine.
Still, Sheldon felt his team didn’t play as well in the second half.
“We were sloppy at times defensively in the second half,” Sheldon said. “When you give up 17 in the third period, we weren’t real happy about that. But the lead was always in command.
“It was great to see Nolan McKibben knock down some shots tonight,” Sheldon added. “Everyone talks about other guys, Nolan McKibben hit some big shots for us all night long.”
Wynford did pick up the offensive pace in the second half, scoring 17 points in the third period. Dustin Brady led the Royals with 12 points and Gavin Brooks added nine. Seven Royals reached the scoring column.
“(The Eagles are) just very good defensively and we respected the defensive game plan they came out with,” Mohr said. “They jumped us, and they trapped us. We couldn’t get into any sets.
“In the second half, we settled down,” he added. “It was 32-28 in the second half. When you are down 20 at halftime, that’s a moral victory.”
Colonel Crawford won the junior varsity game, 46-35. Derek Horsley led the Eagles with 19 points and Braxton Baker added 15. Leyton Appleby paced the Royals with 12 points and Grant McGuire scored 11.
Box score
Wynford 9 8 17 11 — 45
Colonel Crawford 27 11 23 9 — 70
Wynford (0-3, 0-2 N10): Shots 17-37; 3-pt. shots 2 (Dustin Brady, Gavin Burris); Free throws 11-13; Rebounds 26; Turnovers 18. Scoring: Dustin Brady 4 3 12, Cobey Allen 0 2 2, Avery Langenderfer 2 0 4, James Schifer 3 0 6, Gavin Burris 3 2 9, Jaron Filliater 3 0 6, Toby Butterfield 1 4 6.
Colonel Crawford (7-0, 5-0 N10): Shots 23-51; 3-pt shots 8 (Nolan McKibben 4, Carter Valentine 2, Mason Studer, Derek Hensley); Free throws 16-19; Rebounds 27; Turnovers 6. Scoring: Mason Studer 4 4 13, Derek Hensley 1 0 3, Brock Ritzhaupt 3 2 8, Nolan McKibben 4 0 12, Carter Valentine 5 4 16, Mason McKibben 3 0 6, Chase Walker 2 5 9, Carson Feichtner 1 1 3.
JV: Colonel Crawford 46-35.