WILLARD — Chase Walker is the player that does the dirty work for the Colonel Crawford Eagles. He plays solid defense, blocks shots and rebounds.
Scoring points, however, is mostly left to other players on the team.
The Eagles needed his offense Tuesday night.
Walker scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Colonel Crawford (20-4) used a big second-half to down Lucas, 51-39, in the semifinal of the Division IV district tournament at Willard High School.
With the win, the Eagles will face South Central for the district title on Friday at 7 p.m., also in Willard. Lucas finished the season 19-6.
This is the seventh time in the last eight years that the Eagles have reached the district final.
The Cubs did a nice job of controlling Colonel Crawford’s shooters, but Walker stepped up when his team needed it.
“(Chase has) had a motor like that all year,” Colonel Crawford coach David Sheldon said. “He plays so hard, he is relentless. Everyone on this team knows their roles and we try to define them. His motor was good for us tonight.”
Crawford and Lucas battled to a 27-27 tie at the halftime break, but the Eagles’ defense was brilliant in the second half. Crawford permitted just 12 Lucas points in the final two frames.
“I thought we did a great job on both ends of the floor,” Sheldon said. “(Lucas is) a very good basketball team. They are a well-coached team. It’s a young team that’s going to be back here. And they’re talented and skilled. To hold them to (12) points in the second half and 39 for the game and when you look at what they average on the year, and we did a phenomenal job on a first-team all-district player. He had nine points tonight and that’s a credit to Reis Walker.”
Sheldon was also extremely impressed with the way his team defended Lucas star Logan Niswander, who dropped nine points, hitting a 3-point shot late in the game for that total.
“That’s what this team is. It’s a brotherhood,” Sheldon said. “We know our chemistry and it’s some of the best chemistry I have ever had, on and off the floor. We got through round two and now we get to go to round three Friday night.”
Lucas coach Taylor Iceman said that the Eagles’ length and athleticism made things a difficult matchup for his team.
“They’re bigger than us at every position,” Iceman said. “It would be a nice problem to have. I’d take one of them, I don’t need all of them. You need to make outside shots to bring them out and you can use your speed and quickness to get around them to the basket.”
The Cubs managed just three field goals in the second half, despite trailing just 37-34 early in the fourth period.
From there, Chase Walker and Gavin Feichtner each scored on layups and Jordan Fenner dropped a critical 3 as the Eagles quickly increased the lead to 10, 44-34, a lead they would never relinquish.
Fenner backed up Walker with 16 points.
“(Fenner’s) handle is as good as ever and that’s what happens when your mom is a coach,” Sheldon said. “He’s lived in the gym since diapers. He’s so cool, calm and collected. He never gets too high, he never gets too low in the way he plays the game.
“He’s an old-school player,” Sheldon added. “He’s got a 10-footer that you don’t see this day and age. We live in a time of 3s and layups in this day and age and he has a nice little pullup.”
Sheldon said that his team’s experience was also a key factor against the youthful Cubs.
“I thought our experience was real good,” Sheldon said. “Seven of the last eight years we are in the district final. And these guys have played. This junior class has stuck together through the process for the first two years.”
Sophomore Riley Gossum led the Cubs with 11 points and sophomore Ethan Sauder added 10. But Iceman said that his team, which has all five starters coming back next year, will continue to get better.
“That third quarter kinda killed us,” Iceman said. “We had a few defensive lapses and they got buckets and then we tried to force some jump shots and we could never get over the hump.
“Against a good Colonel Crawford team, you can’t do that,” Iceman said. “You can’t expect them to turn the ball over and let you back into a game.”
According to Sheldon, the Eagles will have their hands full against the talented Trojans, who advanced to the final with a 57-53 overtime win over Margaretta.
“(South Central) is very, very talented,” Sheldon said. “They’re well-coached and they have the player of the year in the district. It’s a good basketball team. We have the utmost respect and it’s time to go to work.”
Box score
Lucas 8 19 6 6 — 39
Colonel Crawford 10 17 10 10 — 51
Stats
Lucas (19-6): Shots 14-44; 3-pt shots 4 (Ethan Sauder 2, Logan Niswander, Jeb Grover); Free throws 7-13; Rebounds 15; Turnovers 6. Scoring: Carson Hauger 1 1 3, Ethan Sauder 4-0 10, Logan Niswander 3 2 9, Riley Gossum 4 3 11, Jeb Grover 2 0 5, Ethan Wallace 0 1 1.
Colonel Crawford (20-4): Shots 19-37; 3-pt shots 2 (Reis Walker, Jordan Fenner); Free throws 11-18; Rebounds 30; Turnovers 6. Scoring: Reis Walker 1 0 3, Jordan Fenner 4 7 16, Zye Shipman 2 0 4, Mason Studer 1 0 2, Gavin Feichtner 2 4 8, Chase Walker 9 0 18.