WILLARD (Crawford County Now) — It was a turnaround of epic proportions.
Seneca East trailed Ashland Crestview by double digits a minute into the third quarter before turning on the switch.
The Tigers went on a 22-2 run from there to go from down 13 to up seven by period’s end on their way to a convincing 65-48 win over the Cougars in their Division VI district semifinal at Robert L. Haas Gymnasium.
“We made some defensive adjustments,” Seneca East coach Anthony Langhurst said. “(The Cougars) were comfortable in the first half. Their role players played really well.
“You gotta worry about (Karter) Goon and (Daniel) Wells and (Drew) Sporrer. Obviously, we turned a page in the second half and our role players played really well.”
The result was that the Crestview lead melted like an ice cube on a hot July sidewalk.
Seneca East (18-6) allowed just two Cougars’ points over the final seven minutes of the third quarter to take the lead, 39-37, on a basket by Jaron Depinet at 2:38 of the third, after having looked up at the score for virtually all the first two-and-a half quarters of the game.
“I give Seneca East a lot of credit,” Crestview coach Ben McClay said. “We were up I think 12 (actually 13) in the third and they went on a big run, made some adjustments. So, I really give that coach (Langhurst) and those kids a lot of credit.”
The Cougars had built their lead by shooting 50% from the field (13-26) in the first half, including five of 12 from 3-point range. After the Tigers’ defensive adjustments, Crestview (13-11) went six of 23 in the second half — two of 14 from 3.
“The defensive adjustments that the kids implemented really helped out,” Langhurst said. “I just old our seniors, ‘Hey man, you’ve got two more quarters. This could be the end of your season.’”
McClay saw the Tigers’ defense and his team’s shooting going cold as the game changers.
“I saw a lot of us struggling against their traps in that zone,” McClay said. “The other thing I saw we were missing a lot of shots maybe we were making in the first quarter. And then they (the Tigers) were knocking in shots.”
Indeed, after hitting a pedestrian nine of 27 shots in the first half, Seneca East was red hot, dropping 14 of 21 shots (67%) in final two periods. Transition baskets were a big part of the scoring surge.
“Crestview’s been taking advantage of our mistakes,” Langhurst said. “If we get a couple of stops. Let’s get out and run. They took that to heart. The guys took some pride in what they’re doing in the second half and we kind of flipped the script.”
The final blow to the Cougars’ chances came at the end of the third quarter. Goon picked up his fourth foul — an offensive foul — sending him to the bench to start the fourth quarter.
“It’s tough because he’s one of the best players in the area,” McClay said. “He’s a guy that, when you need a bucket, he can go get one. That was hard, him picking up that foul. Just not having that physical presence out there and that guy in the middle. That’s all part of the game. Hats off to Seneca East for taking those charges.”
Despite a rough third quarter, the Cougars only had a seven-point deficit, 46-39, entering the fourth quarter. Goon’s foul trouble was costly.
“The big key was Goon getting that foul,” Langhurst agreed. “We know when he gets downhill, we’ve been a team that takes charges. We chart it and make sure guys are recognized for that.
“That was a big play — making sure (Goon) had four fouls. Now, you’ve got to go to your bench. That was obviously a turning point for us.”
Tigers’ leading scorer Luke Mason scored just six points in the second half and took no shots from the field. But he was a facilitator to his teammates.
Four Tigers reached double figures. Landyn Hicks took advantage of Crestview’s attention to Mason to score 17 as did Depinet who added 16. Mason had 15, 10 of which came at the free throw line where he was a perfect 10 for 10 and Brady Bloom finished with 10. Hicks grabbed nine rebounds.
“That’s been the beautiful thing about this group, whether we’ve been telling a guy this is your role, they’ve been doing that, they’re buying in,” Langhurst said. “But then also, they’re expanding their role over the season, Guys are getting better.”
Crestview was led by Sporrer with 16 points while Goon and Wells had 13 each. Goon pulled down six boards.
Goon, Sporrer, Wells, Max Durbin, Lane Robinson, and Bransen Hider played their last game for the Cougars. McClay was grateful to the seniors in his first year at the Crestview helm.
“They were great. I knew they had three guys coming back — five guys back and three starters back — from last year’s team,” McClay said. “They were exceptional kids. They were not only great athletes, but also really nice young men to work with.”
Seneca East will play for a district title on Friday against Van Buren at Liberty-Benton High School. Tip time is 6 p.m.
Box score
Ashland Crestview 19 13 7 9 — 48
Seneca East 15 9 22 19 — 65
Ashland Crestview (13-11): Shots 19-49; 3-pt. shots 7-26 (Drew Sporrer 4, Daniel Wells 2, Max Durbin); Free throws 3-9; Rebounds 24 (Karter Goon 6); Turnovers 16. Scoring: Max Durbin 1 1 4, Karter Goon 6 1 13, Daniel Wells 5 1 13, Kaden Kissel 1 0 2, Drew Sporrer 6 0 16.
Seneca East (18-6): Shots 23-48; 3-pt. shots 4-20 (Brady Bloom 3, Luke Mason); Free throws 15-20; Rebounds 36 (Landyn Hicks 9); Turnovers 12. Scoring: Ayden Perkins 3 1 7, Luke Mason 2 10 15, Brady Bloom 3 1 10, Jaron Depinet 7 2 16, Landyn Hicks 8 1 17.