Springfield goes cold vs. Canton C.C.

March 14, 2015 at 12:06a.m.

By Steve Wilaj

SALEM

Shots fell all season for Springfield as it raced out to 24-straight victories — so much so that a certain thought sometimes crept into the mind of Tigers coach Eric Fender.

“You wonder if there would ever be a game where shots just aren’t falling,” Fender said.

That game came on Friday night.

Springfield fell to Canton Central Catholic, 45-34, in a Division III district final at Salem High School. In losing for the first time all season, the top-seeded Tigers (24-1) shot just 25 percent (11 of 44) and were done in by a 23-12 third-quarter spurt in favor of the second-seeded Crusaders (18-5).

“They made us work hard and sometimes the shots just wouldn’t fall tonight,” Fender said. “We knew it was gonna be a battle and we knew we would have to play well.

“We did that for the most part in the first half. But in the second half we got sloppy and took some forced shots. You have to tip your cap to them, though.”

Actually, both teams came out cold in the first half as the Tigers led just 12-11 at the break. Springfield shot 5 of 26 in the first two quarters, while Canton Central Catholic was 5 of 21.

But the Crusaders — who captured the district title for the second straight year — got going in the third. Paced by Jerry Leatherman and Mark Mokros, they jumped out to a 13-point lead before taking a 34-24 advantage into the fourth.

Leatherman led Canton Central Catholic with 13 points and 10 rebound, while Mokros scored eight.

“We finally got some run-outs,” Crusaders coach Matt Creamer said. “We knew we had to shut down [Graham] Mincher and [Hunter] Snyder. They have a nice inside-out game similar to us, but we were able to get the angles and beat them to the glass.”

Springfield made a brief run to open the fourth, cutting the deficit to five points with 6:11 remaining. But then the Tigers went cold again as the Crusaders opened up a 10-point lead with three minutes left.

Senior forward Brandon Chamberlain paced Springfield with 12 points, while Mincher — a junior — added eight points.

“It was a great ride,” Chamberlain said. “We had a great season. I love these seven seniors — they’re my best friends and I’m gonna miss it a lot. This year was special.”

Tigers senior center Mark Schuler grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, while Snyder — also a senior — scored seven points. Despite the loss, Fender wants his team to realize its accomplishments.

“We’ve been lucky enough to win 24 straight,” Fender said. “They can’t put their heads down for the season they had. These guys have become the winningest team in Springfield basketball history and they’ve been so influential to the lower levels. I can’t commend this group enough.”