CRAWFORDSVILLE SURVIVES SOUTHMONT IN GAME FOR THE AGES
Mike McGraw
Executive Director
I hope you will forgive an old, jaded journalist, but it is difficult to describe Tuesday night’s Lebanon sectional game between Southmont and Crawfordsville without waxing a bit poetic. There may be no such thing as moral victories, but coaches and fans in west central Indiana will long remember the night an outsized, and outmanned Southmont team left their hearts and souls on the floor against a proud, and state ranked Athenian squad that absolutely responded in kind. Eventually, Crawfordsville survived, 55-51, to fight again Friday evening against the host Tigers.
The start of this one should have been a portent of things to come. Southmont raced to a 6-0 lead, mostly due to ferociously attacking the offensive boards. By midway through the quarter, the talented and deep Athenians responded. On this night it was junior Mandi Johnson who led the charge. She ignited a 9-0 run in the waning minutes of the first period that gave the Athenians a 16-9 lead. Little did those in attendance know it would be the key stretch of the game. Nonetheless, it was the first opportunity for Southmont to wilt, AND the first indication that on this night there would be no surrender.
The burst began the longest stretch of consistent play Crawfordsville had the entire evening. Their lead at quarter’s end was 19-12 and they dominated play through much of the second period. With two minutes remaining in the half, Crawfordsville led 29-18 and seemed on the brink of blowing the game open. It was then Southmont launched the first of what would be seemingly endless charges. The Mounties went on a 7-0 run over the next minute and a half to cut the lead to four at 29-25. Did I mention something earlier about Crawfordsville responding with the heart of a champion? Exhibit A was the three pointer by Holly Thompson in the final seconds of the half to give the Athenians a little breathing room at intermission, 32-25.
The start of the third quarter saw Southmont return to what had worked early in the game, namely an assault on the offensive boards. The result was that the third period was a series of encores to the finishing minutes of the first half. Crawfordsville repeatedly took the lead to nearly double digits only to watch Southmont mount yet one more charge to cut the margin to four or five. The Mounties stubbornness was due in large part to the gallant play of junior guard Elizabeth Sparks. Sparks simply would not let her team die, consistently hitting shots to bring the Mounties back within striking distance. Southmont ended the period with a 5-0 spurt to close within 43-38.
The run grew to seven straight when the Mounties scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter. Once again, Holly Thompson came up with the big play for Crawfordsville. Her acrobatic put back and resulting three-point play increased the lead back to 46-40. Crawfordsville added another trey to make it 49-40 and with six minutes to play once again seemed on the verge of taking complete control.
Southmont was not about to let that happen. The Mounties, led by Sparks, mounted one last rally and this time climbed all the way up the mountain. They scored the game’s next nine points to tie at 49.
The Athenians countered once again. After taking a 51-49 lead with just over a minute to play, sophomore standout Alex Gasaway who was playing despite being ill, crashed the offensive glass and her put back gave the favorites a four point cushion.
Southmont responded with a jumper to cut the lead to two and then fouled Athenian point guard Lexi Stevens with :21 left to play. Stevens missed the front end of the one and one and suddenly Southmont had the ball with a chance to win. Crawfordsville’s defense forced the Mounties to call a timeout to draw the final play. Yet another Athenian would make the last big play of the contest. Gasawy jumped in front of a cutter on the inbounds and knocked the ball loose. She was fouled in the resulting scramble and calmly sank two free throws with three seconds remaining to seal the decision.
The second half of this game was as good as it gets at the high school level. It not only featured outstanding plays on both sides, but also enough courage and charracter to feed the fervor of any true basketball fan. Only one squad could advance and Crawfordsville certainly deserved that honor. They responded to every challenge and proved why they are so highly regarded. While for Southmont, the verdict was a crushing blow, it may well have been the cornerstone for the building of a formidable hardwood power in the years to come. Like I said, it is hard not to wax just a little poetic.
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