SYCAMORE (Crawford County Now) — It took a decade to achieve and an overtime period to do it. But Wynford, with a 65-56 victory over league rival Mohawk, claimed its first sectional championship in a decade Friday night.
Head coach Adam Guinther said this marks the first tournament win for the Royals since March 2017 and the school’s first sectional title since February 2016.
“They kind of had us dead to rights after I got vocal on what I viewed as a missed call, or two. But the kids bailed me out.”
Guinther admitted he lost his cool with 33 seconds left in regulation, but his team never did. Mohawk converted on one of the two free throw attempts off the technical foul.
“The difference was we kept our composure for such a young group of kids. We usually have a quarter where they make a lot of mistakes,” he said.
“I thought we played four and a half quarters of pretty good basketball.”
The game was close throughout, with Wynford leading 12-10, 26-25 before the Warriors tied it at 39 after three quarters.
Reed Johnson hit a short jumper with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to even the contest at 54-54.
“My teammates trusted me at the end of the game and getting me the ball. I felt calm and made those shots,” the 6-foot-1 sophomore said.
“People are always attracted to Drew (Stanek) and it really does open it up for everyone else. Everyone stepped up big tonight. We are young, but that’s going to really help us later.”
What helped immediately was balanced scoring with Stanek’s 17 points, Johnson’s 16 and Jaron Vance’s 13. Stanek and Vance each recorded 3 steals.
Freshman guard Braylon Wells added 9. Vance led the Royals with 11 rebounds.
Next up for Wynford (7-16) is No. 1 seed Colonel Crawford (20-2). The Eagles beat Bucyrus 76-33 to advance to the Willard district on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
In the extra frame, Wells drew first blood on a nifty pass from Vance, who added a basket as did Johnson as the Royals pulled away, outscoring Mohawk 11-2.
“In the first half we settled a lot for 3s and didn’t attack the rim the way I wanted to,” Guinther said. “We had some moments in the third as well, but in the overtime we took it to the bucket.
“That was the difference. Our composure and attacking the rim in overtime. I told them at the end of regulation, ‘Trust your teammates, trust each other and just smile and have fun, but remain intense.'”
Mohawk (10-13) got a strong effort from senior Tristan Bright with 16 points, 2 rebounds and 4 steals. Freshman Trenton Corfman came off the bench to add 16 points and 3 boards.
Sophomore post Levi Tiell added a dozen points and an equal number of rebounds.
“You hate to lose because of how hard your kids played, all the way up to that last minute. Our kids battled,” said Mohawk head coach Paul Dunn.
“That’s one of the best offensive teams in the league, obviously. We did an OK job early. They just got more aggressive down the stretch. We didn’t corral some rebounds. We switched to a 2-3 zone there to mix it up. I told the young guys you’ve got to learn how to finish games like that.”
Bright and Eli Chevalier are the lone seniors on the roster.
“We started out 3-7. We challenged our guys and they stepped into some roles,” Dunn said.
“Tristan is a senior who played zero minutes of basketball before this year. He was awesome, a great shooter and a great locker room kid.”
Dunn said improving backcourt play remains a goal.
“Tristan kept the dribble alive and found those gaps in the defense. Levi found the middle of the zone.”
Corfman’s 3 heading into halftime kept it a one-possession game.
“We were kind of reeling a little bit. That was big. If you’d have told me a few years ago he’d be playing varsity basketball … I’m real proud of him.”
The balanced attack was also a key, according to Guinther.
“Stanek is our scoring leader, but you need that to compete in these games. We have got a lot of kids that do their job and no one is out there seeking notoriety. I know it’s a cliché, but they love each other.”
He said the Royals’ transition game has improved in the second half of the season.
The Eagles beat Wynford twice decidedly in Northern 10 Athletic Conference play.
“I know what’s behind curtain number one. Those are the only two games that we played that we were never in them,” he said.
“We’re not the same team. Look, we know they’re one of the best teams in the state of Ohio. They’re well-coached, disciplined and they can score from any spot.”
Box score
Wynford 12 14 13 15 11 — 65
Mohawk 10 15 14 15 2 — 56
Wynford (7-16): Shots 26-59; 3-pt. shots 6-21 (Reed Johnson 3, Jaron Vance, Jace Stuckman, Drew Stanek); Free throws 7-15; Rebounds 32 (Jaron Vance 11); Turnovers 12. Scoring: Braylon Wells 4 1 9, Jaron Vance 6 0 13, Reed Johnson 6 1 16, Jace Stuckman 3 0 7, Drew Stanek 6 4 17, Owen Prenger 1 1 3.
Mohawk (10-13): Shots 21-48; 3-pt. shots 3-19 (Tristan Bright 2, Trenton Corfman); Free throws 5-13; Rebounds 32 (Levi Tiell 12); Turnovers 13. Scoring: Tristan Bright 6 2 16, Jack Sager 1 0 2, Levi Tiell 5 2 12, Trenton Corfman 7 1 16, Andon Clouse 5 0 10.