?We outplayed them? Posen lets five-point lead slip away in final minute

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

Posen saved its best tournament game for Cedarville, and it still wasn?t enough to overcome one of the Upper Peninsula?s best Class D basketball programs. The final in the regional title game was 64-62. The Vikings certainly made a strong statement, about whom the best Class D team in northern lower Michigan is. Posen had a five-point lead with 1:30 left in regulation, and a three-point advantage with 1:36 left in overtime, but Cedarville made some clutch shots when they needed to keep the 23-2 Vikings from their third regional title since 1967.

Cedarville?s center Connor McLeod, who had a game-high 33 points, fired in a clutch three-pointer with 30.6 seconds to tie the game. Following a Posen timeout to set up a play, senior Shane Hentkowski found junior David Kerr cutting to the basket along the baseline, but the pass just went off his fingertips and out of bounds. If he didn?t score, there?s a possibility Posen?s best free-throw shooter could have gone to the line.

Jerome Ciarkowski?s two field goals in overtime, and a free throw from Kerr put the Vikes back out on top 62-59, but Cedarville got an easy bucket in transition to make it a one-point ballgame, and a few moments later, McLeod got open to the right of the basket and put up an easy layup. Posen couldn?t convert on anymore of its chances, although there were some plays under the Posen basket where it got very physical, with Posen bodies on the floor, but no whistles from the officials. ?We outplayed them,? said Posen head coach Steve Hentkowski. ?This one really stings, really, really bad.?

Hentkowski said a few free throws made here or there and ?we?re the ones holding that trophy,? motioning toward the Cedarville players as they posed with the regional trophy near center court. ?March madness, what else can you say,? said Cedarville coach Dave Duncan. ?It was just a good high school basketball game. Posen is a good team. They?ve had a heck of a year. That?s what tournaments are all about, you just try and survive.? Posen had its problems at the free-throw line, making only 6-of-14 in the fourth quarter.

?We just came up a little short at the free-throw line,? said Hentkowski. ?I thought we did a good job of protecting the ball. We did a lot better handling their press. I thought our 2-3 zone gave them all kinds of problems.? The Vikings took control of the game in the first quarter with a field goal from Kerr, a three from Hentkowski, a jumper by Ciarkowski and a three from Nick Hincka. Ciarkowski?s put back of a Hincka miss finished off a 12-0 first quarter run for a 14-2 lead. The lead was trimmed to nine by the end of the quarter, 18-9.

The Trojans came back with an 11-2 run to begin the second. McLeod?s back-to-back inside plays tied the game at 20 near the midway point, but Ciarkowski came back with a pair; one on an assist from Kerr and the other from close to three-point land. Kerr?s inside layup put the red and white up by six, 26-20. McLeod added another four before halftime and Kerr put in another two for a 28-24 halftime score.

Cedarville went up for the first time in the game on a low post jumper from Martin Payment and was followed by McLeod?s inside play for a two-point lead. Kerr came back with a jumper himself to tie the score at 36, but during the final minutes of the third, Kerr went down with an injury and needed to be tended to by the coaching staff.

In the meantime, Hentkowski bombed a three and Ciarkowski made a running drive in the paint. He was fouled and converted on the three-point play to put the Vikings up by four, 42-38. That was the score after three. Kerr was patched up and back on the floor to start the fourth. Cedarville opened the scoring in the fourth with a three-pointer (42-41) from McLeod. Tyler Kuffel made one-of-two from the free-throw line (43-41), which was countered by an inside bucket from McLeod and a put back by Jordan Baker for a 45-43 Trojan advantage.

It didn?t last long as Hentkowski fired in a three with 4:06 left in the fourth. Kerr put in a pair of free throws (48-46), but Baker?s three at the top of the key and a put back by McLeod put Cedarville back up by three. Kerr trimmed it to one with a free throw and Hentkowski?s tip of a pass intended for McLeod ended up in a flurry under the Posen basket and a layup by Nathan Lenard to tie the game at 51. Ciarkowski was fouled on a rebound and made one-of-two for a one-point Posen lead, 52-51. Ciarkowski made the steal on the other end, and on the ensuing play Hincka found Hentkowski wide-open to the left of the basket for an easy bucket and a three-point Posen lead with 1:44 left.

Cedarvil

le called timeout and set up a play to McLeod, who missed the shot. Ciarkowski corralled the rebound and sprinted coast-to-coast for the layup and a 56-51 lead. With 1:20 left, Cedarville made the first of two clutch three-pointers, with the first coming from Mike Kenny with 1:20 remaining to make the score, 56-54. Hentkowski put Posen up by three with a free throw at the one-minute mark, and a few minutes later went to the line again, and missed two free throws. The first danced around the rim before falling away. Moments later, McLeod tied the game at 57 with a three that would have been good in an NBA game.

That?s the way the score would stay heading into overtime. Ciarkowski would score the first four points of overtime for Posen, which was followed by a free throw from Kerr for a 62-59 lead. It would be Posen?s last points, as Cedarville would close out the game with the final five points. ?I think we should have had more calls,? said Hentkowski, referring to the overtime session. ?It?s part of what we run on offense. We need to get to the free-throw line. My hat goes off to Cedarville, they played a heck of a game today.? Cedarville?s season came to an end Tuesday with a loss to Eben Junction Superior Central, 82-71. Posen will lose Shane Hentkowski, Travis Hirschman and Patrick Schuch to graduation.