SYCAMORE — In the first half, Colonel Crawford and Mohawk were as cold as a Minnesota lake in the dead of winter.
The Eagles were more perimeter-oriented in the first two periods and shot just 29 percent from the floor. Mohawk managed to shoot 23 percent.
As a result, the two teams were tied 17-17 at the break.
CC coach David Sheldon decided to force his team to push the ball inside in the second half, and his big three players responded in a big way.
Guards Mason Studer, Carter Valentine, and Chase Walker combined for 30 of the Eagles’ 36 points in the final two frames and they ran away from the Warriors in a 53-38 win.
“We wanted to get Chase some touches,” Sheldon said. “We didn’t shoot it well the first half. Right out of the gate we got Chase an approach touch. And the big fella is healthy again. That makes a difference. We can throw it inside and he’ll make plays and get offensive rebounds. That definitely was a concentration.
“I thought the last quarter and a half, I called time out and got on (Valentine) and he rose to the occasion and had big finishes. Two of our big players, Chase Walker and Carter Valentine, rose to the occasion and accepted the challenge.”
With the win, the Eagles (16-0, 12-0 N10) took a three-game lead over Mohawk and Upper Sandusky in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference race. Mohawk fell to 8-3 in the conference, 12-4 overall.
In the second half, the Eagles hit 13 of 26 shots for 50 percent, while the Warriors made just eight of 26 shots.
Conversely, the Eagles put a stop on Mohawk star Tyler Hayman, who entered the game averaging 16.5 points per game. Colonel Crawford held Hayman to just two free throws for the game.
“We made a change and put Mason Studer on him,” Sheldon said of Hayman. “The last time he had 19. And all week long, breaking down film, I said ‘Mace, you got him.’ Studer and Valentine can score but they can guard, too. That makes them extra special. Tonight, Mason Studer did a phenomenal job. Hayman’s a heck of an athlete.”
Mohawk coach Paul Dunn said that the Eagles were able to double Hayman most of the night.
“Teams know that he wants to go to the basket and when he tried, they collapsed two men on him and Tyler knows to make good decisions with the ball,” Dunn said. “Unfortunately, they did a good job of collapsing on him and not giving him a chance to make the good pass out of there.”
Dunn also felt that Crawford post Walker was a huge key in the game.
“(Chase Walker) isn’t the biggest guy in the league but there are nights that he plays that way,” Dunn said. “I thought our big guys did a pretty good job at different times, but he was able to get big rebounds or tips off the offensive glass and got them extra looks. He was a big factor, especially in the second half.”
Studer was the biggest factor in the second half, scoring 12 of his team-high 16 points. Valentine finished with 13 and Walker 12.
“When you have a floor general who can get the ball inside against a 2-3 zone to score and create for our shooters and our posts, that makes a big difference,” Sheldon said of Studer.
Austin Tusing paced the Warriors with 17 points, but no other Warrior scored more than six.
“We did not have our best shooting night, that’s for sure,” Dunn said. “We knew coming in that locking down Austin was going to be a big key for them, so we worked all week on running a lot of double screens for him and getting to the basket and opening up our shooters outside. Unfortunately, the shots didn’t fall.”
Sheldon said that his big players stepped up in the biggest games.
“In big games, you rely on the big three. Studer, CV and Chase and they rose to the occasion,” Sheldon said. “The other guys worked around them knowing what we needed to do at the defensive end.
“You see who the big players are in big games. When you see what Carter Valentine has done against Carey, the Uppers and the Mohawks, Mason Studer, Chase Walker, what he did in three games last week playing on a bum ankle and that’s why we’re in the situation we’re in.”
Colonel Crawford won the junior varsity game, 45-38 in overtime. Braxton Baker led the Eagles with 15 points and Zaiden Fry topped Mohawk with 12 points and Nathan Geary scored 10.
Box score
Colonel Crawford 9 8 17 19 — 53
Mohawk 11 6 9 12 — 38
Colonel Crawford (16-0, 12-0 N10): Shots 20-47; 3-pt. shots 3 (Nolan McKibben 2, Carter Valentine); Free throws 10-11; Rebounds 29; Turnovers 4. Scoring: Mason Studer 6 4 16, Brock Ritzhaupt 1 2 4, Nolan McKibben 2 2 8, Carter Valentine 6 0 13, Chase Walker 5 2 12.
Mohawk (12-4, 8-3 N10): Shots 13-48; 3-pt. shots 2 (Austin Tusing 2); Free throws 10-12; Rebounds 23; Turnovers 4. Scoring: Tyler Hayman 0 2 2, Austin Tusing 7 1 17, Landen Snyder 1 5 7, A.J. Hess 2 2 6, Reese Hannam 3 0 6.
JV: Colonel Crawford 45-38 (OT).