By T. Scott Boatright
SHREVEPORT – As the 15th seed opening the Division IV boys basketball playoffs Wednesday night, Cedar Creek knew it would take an effort of Biblical proportions to defeat second-seeded Calvary Baptist.
And playing the role of David, the Cougars got in their fair of shots early before the Cavaliers took control in the second stanza en route to a 81-39 win over the Cougars.
Cedar Creek went to the long ball early, with Davis Walsworth, Connor Norris and Hayden McClusky each nailing 3-point shots that kept the Cougars within eight points of the Cavaliers at 19-11 at the end of the first quarter.
But the Cavaliers turned in a giant second quarter, sinking seven 3-pointers and outscoring Cedar Creek 33-7 as the Div. IV Goliath pulled away for a 52-18 halftime lead.
The Cougars only managed to hit two shots from the floor in that second quarter — one by Carter Hill and one by Caden Middleton.
Calvary Baptist freshman Bubba Strong nailed a trio of 3-pointers in the frame while Martin McDowell and Kameron McKinnon each added a pair of 3-pointers for the Cavs before the halftime horn sounded.
“We knew we were outmatched going in against a very strong team,” said Cedar Creek coach Robert Mitcham. “But our guys didn’t hold their heads down and kept on fighting, and that’s something I’m very proud of.”
The Cougars came out a little stronger in the third quarter, thanks largely in part of Brian Osborn, who accounted for seven of Cedar Cedar’s 13 points scored in that period.
But six different Cavaliers hit baskets in the third quarter — three sinking a pair of baskets each — to stretch their lead to 72-30 heading into the final eight minutes of play.
“The game went just like much of our season did — it was tough,” Mitcham said “We faced so much adversity this year, from losing key players and our top scorer before the season started to having multiple players get sick and miss multiple games.
“It seemed like we had fewer numbers player-wise than our opponents did in every game this season. But the other consistent thing was the way our guys kept on battling, no matter who or what they were going up against.”
Cedar Creek and Calvary Baptist tied in the final quarter with nine points each — a little something to feel good about wrapping up this season and already looking forward to the next.
“It was just one of those years,” Mitcham said. “I’ve been coaching for a long time and sometimes it just works out this way. But I’m proud of each and every player on this team, and they way they just kept on going. And we’ve got a lot to look forward to. We had some young guys get valuable experience and who will keep getting better.”
Hill led the Cougars (12-17) with 13 points while McClusky added eight and Brian Osborne chipped in with seven.
