BUCYRUS — When a team is ranked No. 3 in the state, there is usually more than one player that has made it happen.
That is true in the case of the Colonel Crawford. It is certainly a team effort, but one key component is senior post, Chase Walker.
Walker scored his game-high 24 points in just three quarters and was virtually unchecked in that time on the block as he led the Eagles to an 82-37 Northern 10 Athletic Conference victory over Bucyrus at Alex Kish Memorial Gymnasium Friday night.
“Chase Walker — the ankle’s back,” Colonel Crawford coach David Sheldon said. “Once again, he has an unbelievable first half. His inside presence is going to take us a long way. Chase is the best athlete I’ve ever coached and he’s a man-child. When he steps between the lines, he gets after it.”
Walker scored 11 of Colonel Crawford’s 22 first-quarter points to give the Eagles a 22-7 lead after one. The outcome was never really in doubt after that.
“Chase knows how to get his position,” Bucyrus coach Barry Egan said. “We gave it an effort, but hey, that’s the way it goes. I think the fact that he’s left-handed and he really doesn’t play to his strength with his left hand all the time, I think he’s deceiving. He does a really good job down deep with his footwork.
“They did a very good job of recognizing him right away,” Egan added. “That’s why they have the record they have.”
That record is undefeated, in the league and overall. Colonel Crawford moves to 19-0, 15-0 in the N10.
Bucyrus (4-15, 2-12) didn’t shoot the ball well on the night, hitting just 16 of 52 shots from the field and that is a recipe for disaster against the high-octane Colonel Crawford offense.
“They’ve got some guys who can shoot it when they spread it out,” Sheldon said. “With our length, we alter so many shots at the rim. Easy shots against 5-10, 5-11 aren’t so easy against 6-4 or 6-5.”
The Redmen got shots in the paint early but couldn’t convert consistently as the Eagles built their lead.
“Our kids are trying to do the right things,” Egan said. “We went down I don’t know how many times in a row, and we got a shot in the key and it didn’t go in. The kids start pressing after that. We’re trying. We’re getting it where we want it. We just have to do a little better job of finishing.”
Colonel Crawford took a 45-20 lead into halftime and expanded it to 69-27 with a 24-7 advantage in the third quarter.
Carter Valentine seconded Walker with 16 points, Nolan McKibben had 12, and Mason Studer finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
“Other guys benefit (from Walker),” Sheldon said. “Nolan McKibben has four 3s. We’ve got shooters around — Valentine and Studer do what they do —and that’s why we’ve been fortunate to have a great year so far. We’ve just got to keep pushing ahead.”
Grady Jackson had nine points to lead Bucyrus. Nick Middleton, Jake Hamm, and Malachi Bayless had six each. Hamm had six boards.
“It’s like getting stuck in quicksand,” Egan said. “Just when you think you’re getting out, it pulls you back in. I think it’s a learning thing for us. It’s a shame it happened tonight but I think a lot of it had to do with who we were playing as well.”
“It’s a good road win,” Sheldon said. “You take care of business. Hopefully tomorrow we can go undefeated in the league, to down to Ridgedale and get it to 16-0.”
Colonel Crawford also won the junior varsity game, 77-28. Adam Howard had a game-high 20 points for the Eagles, while Braxton Baker had 17 and Jacob Maddy added 15.
Kolton Middleton had 11 points for Bucyrus and Chris Neale had six.
Box score
Colonel Crawford 22 23 24 13 — 82
Bucyrus 7 13 7 10 — 37
Colonel Crawford (19-0, 15-0 N10): Shots 32-67; 3-pt. shots 7-20 (Nolen McKibben 4, Mason Studer, Carter Valentine, Drayton Burkhart); Free throws 11-15; Rebounds 47 (Mason Studer 8); Turnovers 6. Scoring: Mason Studer 5 0 11, Nolan McKibben 4 0 12, Carter Valentine 7 1 16, Mason McKibben 3 2 8, Drayton Burkhart 1 2 5, Chase Walker 9 6 24, Carson Feichtner 3 0 6.
Bucyrus (4-15, 2-12 N10): Shots 16-52; 3-pt. shots 1-11 (Nick Middleton); Free throws 4-5; Rebounds 27 (Jake Hamm 6); Turnovers 18. Scoring: Joe Rager 1 2 4, Mike Wise 2 0 4, Grady Jackson 4 1 9, Jake Hamm 3 0 6, Nick Middleton 2 1 6, Malachi Bayless 3 0 6, Eddie Dagher 1 0 2.
JV: Colonel Crawford 77-28.