Eagles top Tigers for 3rd time, end tourney run

BOWLING GREEN — For Colonel Crawford, the bank was open offensively, and the Eagles out-rebounded Seneca East to 'out-glass' the Tigers, 56-33, at Bowling Green State University's Stroh Center in a regional semifinal contest.The Eagles (23-2) grabbed 39 rebounds—13 offensively—to Seneca East's 23 boards. Colonel Crawford held the Tigers (19-7) to only five offensive rebounds.Eagles coach David Sheldon commended Seneca East coach Anthony Langhurst and Seneca East after the game—praising their 19 wins and regional berth after only returning senior Luke Mason from last year's starting lineup. Sheldon stated that Langhurst's Northern 10 Athletic Conference coach of the year award this season was well-deserved."I thought we were very good the first, third, fourth [quarters] defensively," Sheldon continued. "The second quarter, we had some bad communication defensively, but our defense the first, third and fourth was outstanding."Seneca East jumped out to a 6-2 lead to start the game after Mason made a 3-pointer from the top of the key. An offensive rebound putback off the glass by Payne DeGray got the Eagles on the scoreboard. That's when Mason found Logan Collins in the left corner. He knocked down the trey from there to cap the start from the Tigers.From there, Colonel Crawford went on a 16-0 run over the next eight minutes of play to get out to an 18-6 lead.The scoring stretch started right away with the Eagles' Parker Weithman nailing a three from the left corner. A trifecta from Brayden Holt was followed up by back-to-back possessions of John DeGray scoring off the backboard. It was over two minutes before Holt stole the ball and went coast-to-coast and banked it off the glass to put CC up at the end the first quarter, 16-6.Payne DeGray banked a contested shot in the paint to cap the run.Landyn Hicks' mid-range jumper from the baseline stopped the bleeding for Seneca East, but Weithman was able to get two free throws on the next trip down for Colonel Crawford. After Payne DeGray made a foul shot, the Tigers hit consecutive three-pointers. The first by senior Brady Bloom and the second by Mason.The teams traded buckets with Holt's baseline jumper being answered with a short jumper by Seneca East's Bloom. The DeGray brothers scored doubly with Payne putting back another offensive board then John's shot bounced up-and-in to extend it to a 27-16 advantage for the Eagles.The half ended with the teams swapping baskets. Tiger freshman Jaron Depinet scored inside before Colonel Crawford's Holt swished a floater in the lane. Seneca East's Hicks made a bank shot of his own to go into halftime down 29-20.Depinet scored on a fast break layup to open up the second half. John DeGray scored in the paint for the Eagles prior to Bloom making a triple from the left wing. The six-point difference was the closest Seneca East would get for the rest of the game.The Eagles responded immediately with of a three of their own from the left wing by senior Peyton Baker to spark a 14-0 onslaught over the next six minutes or so. A three from Holt with a fast break layup, midrange jumper, and a couple foul shots by Tyler Lash ended the quarter with Colonel Crawford up 43-25.Payne DeGray put back a board off of the glass, but a couple makes from the charity stripe by the Tigers' Depinet stopped the run. Payne DeGray scored again from the block, Mason went up-and-under after going baseline to bank the ball in the rim.The Eagles' Weithman passed inside to Payne DeGray for points, Baker drained a three and Weithman made a short basket for a quick 7-0 run. The score sat at 54-29.A layup from Mason capped off a remarkable 1,000-point career. Colonel Crawford's Wyatt Spiegel scored on a bank before the Bloom's two free throws for the Tigers finalized the score.Payne DeGray ended with a double-double – 15 points to go along 13 rebounds and four blocks. Holt chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.Seneca East's Mason and Bloom each had 10 points and four rebounds."At the start of the season, we didn't really have a lot of expectations. People probably counted us out," Tigers coach Langhurst said. "Everybody kind of knew Luke [Mason], but had a bunch of obviously JV guys playing with him." Langhurst said that the new varsity players bought into what the Seneca East staff was coaching them. "Just kind of understanding their roles, and then as the season went one their roles expanded."Colonel Crawford will face Lincolnview — who defeated Convoy Crestview 53-46 in the other regional semifinal game played afterward at the Stroh Center Thursday night. Lincolnview and the Eagles will face off this Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Stroh Center.