SHELBY — As Kyle Fenner faced reporters after the game, the emotion of the moment was clearly on her face.
The Colonel Crawford mentor was trying to hold back the tears as she talked about one of the toughest losses in her illustrious career.
“Tonight, we were just playing for each other,” Fenner said. “They just fought together. I can’t say enough about these kids in the last month of the season and it was a great ride and I told them in the locker room that this is going to sting for a while but I’m more sad that I have to say goodbye to five seniors.”
Crawford controlled the game most of the way, holding the lead for 29 of 32 minutes. But two controversial officiating calls that went against the Eagles cost them in the end.
Margaretta’s Kylie Leibacher hit a tough shot in the lane with 12.5 seconds left to give the Polar Bears the lead and they were able to hold on for a 55-54 win in the semifinal of the Division III district tournament at Shelby High School.
With the win, the Polar Bears improved to 20-4 and will face Willard for the district crown on Saturday at 2 p.m. Crawford finished its season 15-10.
The Eagles led, 54-48, with 1:23 left in the game when Margaretta took advantage of two calls and got back in the game. One came when Crawford guard Kaylyn Risner was thrown to the ground on a Margaretta double-team and was called for traveling with 58 seconds left.
The other occurred on the sideline after Margaretta’s Eden Palomo hit a 3-point shot with 46 seconds left, cutting the Eagles’ lead to 54-53.
A scrum and a loose ball that went out of bounds gave Margaretta the ball back and set up Leibacher’s basket late in the game.
The Eagles had a shot with one second left, but the ball didn’t go in.
Margaretta coach Eric Kochendoerfer felt that his team’s defense in the final minute was the difference in the game.
“We just needed to sit down and play some defense,” Kochendoerfer said. “We struggled a little bit tonight on defense and that was atypical of us on the defensive side. But give a lot of credit to Colonel Crawford. At the end of the day, we got the basketball in our hands and our possession with less than a minute left. We made a couple of big plays at the end.
“Our girls sat down in that last minute and played the best defense we played all night,” he added. “And that was really the key for us. Getting some stops, getting back, and let our offense start clicking.”
Crawford controlled the game from the outset, holding a 19-12 lead after one and a 30-26 lead at the half. Allison Teglovic and Mallory Plesac each scored five points in the third period as the Eagles held a 41-38 lead entering the final frame.
The Eagles led by as many as seven midway through the fourth period as they ran their offense to perfection, hitting the first four shots of the frame.
“For the last month, we just played together, played hard, and played for each other,” Fenner said. “And tonight, was no different.
“We played very well,” she added. “We executed the game plan. We hit shots, we defended, we rebounded. It just didn’t go our way in the end.”
Leibacher led all scorers with 21 points, Palomo scored 19 and Elliana Schaefer added 13. Just four players scored for Margaretta in the game.
We’re very fortunate to get out of here with a win, considering how well Colonel Crawford played tonight,” Kochendoerfer said.
“Margaretta’s tough,” Fenner said. “They have kids that can just flat-out score and they didn’t quit.”
Risner paced a very balanced Crawford attack with 16 points and Teglovic scored 12. Plesac finished with 10.
Crawford’s ability to score surprised Kochendoerfer.
“That’s a slow-down team that averages 45 points per game,” Kochendoerfer said of the Eagles. “They’re known for their half-court defense; they really are a very strong defensive team. We told our girls that is one of the best defensive teams we would play all year.
We’re a pressing team and we struggled pressing them. Credit coach Fenner and those girls. They did a great job preparing for us and they definitely gave us their best effort tonight.”
Fenner said that her team’s balance was impressive.
“It’s hard to guard when you’re balanced,” Fenner said. “We had people hit shots. Everybody that stepped on the floor tonight probably played their best game of the year.
“The kids are just tough and physical. They were just playing for each other, stepping up and helping, recovering quick.”
Box score
Margaretta 12 14 12 17 — 55
Colonel Crawford 19 11 11 13 — 54
Margaretta (20-4): Shots ; 3-pt. 20-45 shots 4 (Eden Polomo 4); Free throws 11-13; Rebounds 15; Turnovers 5. Scoring: Elliana Sheaffer 5 3 13, Kylie Leibacher 9 3 21, Eden Polomo 5 5 19, Devyne Eisenhower 1 0 2.
Colonel Crawford (15-10): Shots 21-39; 3-pt. shots 6 (Theresa Dzugan 2, Hannah Plesac 2, Kaylyn Risner 2); Free throws 6-9; Rebounds 24; Turnovers 14. Scoring: Mallory Plesac 4 2 10, Theresa Dzugan 2 0 6, Jenna Maddy 1 0 2, Hannah Plesac 3 0 8, Kaylyn Risner 6 2 16, Allison Teglovic 5 2 12.