Bulldogs fall to 'Sensational' SB Riley Wildcats 77-74 in Regional Championship game

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith
03-18-2015

Team /Record	1	2	3	4	Final
(SB) Riley (12-14)	25	21	17	14	77
CROWN POINT (19-9)	21	22	17	14	74

Saturday, March 14, 2015 - Class 4A, Regional Championship game at MICHIGAN CITY, Ind.

Crown Point's bench looks on as Josh Berquist (25) defends Munster senior Drew Hackett in the regional semifinals in Michigan City Saturday (3-14-2015). (All photos by Mark Smith)

Crown Point sophomore Sasha Stefanovic (15) blocks the shot of Munster's Drew Hackett(22) Saturday. Stefanovic had 18 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in the game.

Crown Point junior Grant Gelon (30) fires away in the semifinals against Munster. Gelon hit five three-pointers and scored 19 in CP's 58-50 win.

Munster's Drew Hackett (22) looks at the CP defense. Hackett, the second son of coach Mike Hackett scored 20, but the Mustangs lost to Crown Point.

CP sophomore Andrew Kenneally (44) looks for the rebound in the regional semifinals against Munster. Kenneally backed up senior center Nick Jeffirs in Michigan City and will be competing for a starting role by next season.

Blake Bonin did not start the regional semifinals against Munster after missing four days of school during the week. Blake came off the bench and played 23 minutes in CP's 58-50 victory.

Crown Point's Josh Berquist (25) might be getting fouled here by Riley's Jadon Grundy (33) but he still gets his pass off in the 4A regional championship game Saturday night in Michigan City.

Sasha Stefanovic gets this shot off against Riley in the regional title game. Sasha was 8-of-15 from the field for 24 points, playing all 32 minutes.

Blake Bonin (10) looks to move the ball against Riley in the regional championship game in Michigan City. Bonin was credited with seven assists, but Riley won 77-74.

Riley freshman Damezi Anderson (23) gets high to get off this shot against CP's Sasha Stefanovic. Anderson was 7-of-11 from the floor for 17 points as the Wildcats won the school's first regional since 2008.

CP's Nick Jeffirs (33) battles Riley's 6-foot-5 Darrius Morange in the regional championship game. Jeffirs scored 27 points, but Riley won a 77-74 victory.

Michigan City proved a good host site again for regional basketball as the big gym was never close to being full at any time. Michigan City's Wolves Den made crowds of 3,000-to-4,000 seem comfortable at Saturday's regional tournament in LaPorte County.  (All photos by Mark Smith)

Copyright © 2015 USA-365.com and Meyer Multimedia Services, a division of Meyer Broadcasting Corp.  All rights reserved. Revised: March 19, 2015 .

RILEY (77) Jadon Grundy 6-0-17, Maurice Scott 5-0-11, Shamar Dillard 5-0-13, Damezi Anderson 7-0-17, Reontre Lawrence 6-6-19, Darrius Morange 0-0-0, Mahsehyah Carson 0-0-0, Rylen Grundy 0-0-0.
TOTALS: 29 (6-13) 77.

CROWN POINT (74) Blake Bonin 1-2-4, Sasha Stefanovic 8-6-24, Josh Berquist 3-1-7, Nick Jeffirs 9-8-27, Grant Gelon 2-0-5, Noah Morales 0-0-0, Thayne Bukowski 2-1-7. TOTALS: 25 (18-27) 74.

FREE THROWS: RILEY (6-13, 46.2%) Lawrence 6-13; CROWN POINT (18-27, 66.7%) Berquist 1-2, Jeffirs 8-15, Bonin 2-2, Stefanovic 5-6, Bukowski 2-2.

REBOUNDS: RILEY (17) Morange 7, Lawrence 4, Dillard 2, Anderson 1, Jadon Grundy 3. CROWN POINT (24) Gelon 7, Stefanovic 7, Jeffirs 6, Bonin 2, Berquist, Bukowski.

ASSISTS: RILEY (10) Scott 6, Lawrence 2, Dillard, Jadon Grundy; CROWN POINT (14) Bonin 7, Stefanovic 2, Jeffirs 2, Bukowski, Berquist, Gelon.

FOULED OUT: RILEY (2) Maurice Scott (4th Q) 2:03 left, Darrius Morange (4th Q) 0:51 left

3-GOALS: RILEY (13-23) Jadon Grundy 5-8, Shamar Dillard 3-5, Damezi Anderson 3-4, Maureice Scott 1-3, Reontre Lawrence 1-3; CROWN POINT (6-15) Sasha Stefanovic 3-8, Grant Gelon 1-4, Thayne Bukowski 1-1, Nick Jeffirs 1-1, Josh Berquist 0-1.

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MUNSTER (50) Kevin Schlotman 1-0-3, Adam Ostoich 2-0-5, Luke Hackett 1-2-4, Connor Manous 1-0-3, Drew Hackett 8-3-20, Astin Eiland 1-0-2, Nikola Manvic 5-1-11, Antoine Van Dyke 1-0-2. TOTALS: 20 (6-10) 50.

CROWN POINT (58) Blake Bonin 0-4-4, Sasha Stefanovic 3-10-18, Josh Berquist 0-2-2, Nick Jeffirs 6-1-13, Grant Gelon 6-2-19, Noah Morales 1-0-2, Thayne Bukowski 0-0-0, Andrew Kenneally 0-0-0. TOTALS: 25 (18-27) 74.

FREE THROWS: MUNSTER (6-10, 60%) Drew Hackett 3-4, Luke Hackett 2-2, Mandic 1-2, Ostoich 0-2.
CROWN POINT (19-27, 70.4%) Gelon 2-5, Berquist 2-4, Jeffirs 1-1, Bonin 4-4, Stefanovic 10-13.

REBOUNDS: MUNSTER (24) Drew Hackett 7, Luke Hackett 2, Ostoich 3, Van Dyke 3, Mandic 6, Schlotman 2, Eiland; CROWN POINT (24) Jeffirs 7, Stefanovic 6, Gelon 5, Berquist 2, Kenneally, Bukowski, Decker, Morales.

ASSISTS: MUNSTER (5) Drew Hackett 2, Luke Hackett 2, Ostoich; CROWN POINT (10) Berquist 4, Bonin 3, Stefanovic, Jeffirs , Bukowski.

3-GOALS: MUNSTER (4-13, 30.8%) Drew Hackett 1-9, Adam Ostoich 1-2, Connot Manous 1-1, Kevin Schlotman 1-1; CROWN POINT (7-22, 31.8%) Grant Gelon 5-12, Sasha Stefanovic 2-6, Blake Bonin 0-2, Thayne Bukowski 0-1, Josh Berquist 0-1.

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MICHIGAN CITY (03-14-2015) One theory of high school basketball is that a distance shooting team is unlikely to win in state tournament play because you have to play two games in one day at the regional. Tired teams with tired legs can't make shots from long distance and your legs are the first thing to go when you are tired.

South Bend's Riley Wildcats may not be aware of that theory. I am still surprised that Riley beat Crown Point to win the Class 4A Regional championship late Saturday night in the big Michigan City gym. CP had done what they needed to do, surviving a tournament path that included traditional Northwest Indiana trouble makers Valparaiso, Chesterton, and Munster.

In the regional championship game, they were facing a Riley team that was 7-14 during the regular season. The Wildcats' premier skill in their semifinal win over Northridge, was their quickness driving to the basket.

In the championship game, the Bulldogs, a team that relies on shooting well (a school record 223 three point baskets in 27 games), hit 50% of their shots in going 25 of 50 from the floor, 40% (6-of-15) on 3s and 18 of 27 from the foul line.
So what? Riley hit 58% of their shots the field, including 13 three point shots and won 77-74, a major upset. The Wildcats (12-14), a team starting two freshmen, are the ones who will ride the big yellow bus to the 4A Northern Semistate championship against fourth ranked Homestead (27-2). I still have trouble figuring out how this happened.

Riley was 29 of 50 from the field, including 13 of 23 on three point shots. That's 71 points from the field, almost unheard of in a high school playoff game. Crown Point's man-to-man defense could not stop the Wildcats and their zone defenses could not stop them either.

"There was no one person making shots that blew us away," said CP coach Clint Swan afterwards. "It was the consistency with which they were making them. We were okay with them taking jump shots instead of driving by us. But they kept making them."

How did Riley, which still has a losing record after a five game, post-season win streak, turn this season around? And how did they shoot 58% and sink 13 3-point baskets in a playoff game playing freshmen?

"You're the eight millionth person who has asked me that," said Riley coach Mark Johnson in the mid-court post-game celebration. "I don't know. We've just never given up."

"We're not a three-point shooting team. We like to shoot 'em. We just don't always make 'em."

Riley hit nine three point shots in the first half, none by leading scorer Reontre Lawrence, who averaged 18.6 points a game through sectional play, or second-leading scorer Jadon Grundy (11.8). CP could not stay in front of sophomore point guard Maurice Scott, who had six assists, all in the first half.

After halftime, Lawrence and Grundy, a 6-foot-3 senior, came alive. When Scott drew his fourth foul in the third quarter, Lawrence, a 6-foot-1 senior, took over at the point, scoring 13 second half points. Grundy hit three second half three-point shots as CP constantly strained to close the gap.

The pace slowed late in the game as Riley went a little patient against CP's zone defense, the only Bulldog set that kept Riley from slashing to the basket for layups.

Lawrence split two free throws after Dillard blocked a late shot by Grant Gelon, leaving the score 75-52. Jeffirs' two foul shots made the score 75-74 with 50 seconds left. But Lawrence, who sprained an ankle in the third quarter, but never left the game, sank two foul shots with 10 seconds to go, leaving CP one last chance.

Riley put good pressure on the in-bounds pass and CP's Sasha Stefanovic was left with a 25-foot shot from the right side. It was never on line and the Wildcats advanced to the semistate for the first time since they upset East Chicago 61-60 in the 2008 regional final.

CP did not lose because of bad offense. Center Nick Jeffirs scored 27 including 16 in the first half when he was constantly getting good position close to the basket. Stefanovic scored 17 of his 24 in the first half. He played all 32 minutes without a turnover. Senior Thayne Bukowski scored all seven of his points in the first half. Senior Josh Berquist scored all seven of his in the second half. Neither one of them committed a turnover either.

But the Bulldogs never had the 9-0 or 12-1 run they'd thrived on during the season because Riley always broke up any run with a driving layup or three-pointer.

"We didn't take many bad shots," said Swan. "We only had eight turnovers. We just could not get stops when we needed them."

CP led 11-9 early, but Riley, which defeated sixth-ranked Penn to win the sectional last week, wouldn't miss and led all of the final three quarters. The Wildcats sank 18 of 26 first half shots, including 9-of-14 from three point range.

Freshman Sharmar Dillard hit all four first half shots he took for 11 points. Lead guard Maurice Scott scored 11 in the first half with four assists. All five Riley starters shot over 50% from the floor and scored in double figures. That almost never happens.

"They were sensational," said Swan. "They are going to be very good in the next few years."
 
What hurt is that this was one of Crown Point's better teams. The starting five had unique and present threats at every position. Nick Jeffirs is a Division II player (St. Joseph's College). Sasha Stefanovic and Grant Gelon have a chance to be Division I players. The Bulldogs could have competed with Homestead at the semistate and they'd have had an outside chance against somebody like No. 1 Reitz (30-1) in the title game.

Four seniors played their final Crown Point game. Jeffirs scored 27 points in 32 minutes and sank his first three point basket of the season. Riley slowed him with 6-foot-5 Darrius Morange coming off the bench, but they never stopped him.

"Nick was Nick," said Swan. "That's what he does. He didn't whine and moan against the physical play inside. Twenty seven points. Quite a player."

For Clint Swan, who was in his first regional championship game since 2000 when he coached Andrean, the loss had to be very difficult to accept.

CP returns four starters next season, but that doesn't mean they're going to win four playoff games and get back to the level they had reached Saturday.

"I told them that two years ago, our program was in the doldrums," said Swan of his post-game talk, "and that they pulled it out."