Sandwiched around some mid season frustrations, Jeff Spaulding’s second team played well at the right time to claim the Hornets most recent trip to the sweet sixteen. East Canton was led by second team All-Ohioan Bub Crumrine and Academic All-Ohioan Jarrod Davis. Seniors Lucas Butler, Todd Shadle, John Miller, and Eric John gave the team a veteran cast. Sophomore Kyle Arick was the lone underclassman to start for the Hornets, while fellow sophomore Jake Jacobsen and freshman Pete Foltz were valuable players off the bench.
After an opening night loss to Malvern, East Canton won four in a row. At mid season, the Hornets were 7-3, and in the hunt for the PAC title. Losses at Manchester, Fairless and Sandy Valley in the middle of January took the team out of the league race, but East Canton won several close games down the stretch to finish at 11-9.
The Hornets were seeded third in the Struthers Sectional-District, but almost didn’t make it out of the first round. The team faced a double-digit first quarter deficit against Lowellville. Crumrine scored 32 points, and the team needed every one of them as it was extended into overtime before outscoring Lowellville 17-2 in the extra period for a 72-57 win. Following a familiar pattern for the year, they followed the sub-par performance with a brilliant one. Again trailing early, East Canton stormed into the lead against second seeded Sebring and muscled its way to a 48-44 upset.
East Canton faced top seeded South Range in the district finals. South Range was led by North East Ohio Inland District player of the year Chris Hatch. Hatch was kept under control by the stingy defense of Lucas Butler, and the Hornets built a ten-point lead during the third quarter. South Range mounted a comeback, and took a 53-51 lead during the last minute. With 15 seconds left, Bub Crumrine caught Todd Shadle’s pass and hit a three pointer while coming off two screens. South Range threw up a desperation heave at the buzzer, but it bounced harmlessly off the rim as time expired.
The regional tournament in Canton would see the Hornets as an underdog for the third straight time. They would face state ranked Lutheran East. The Hornets played well throughout the first half, leading 31-20 with a little over a minute remaining. However, Lutheran East went on a late surge and closed the gap to four at the half. The game slowly slipped away as Lutheran East began to go inside, and the Hornets went cold from the field. In the end, the fine tournament run ended with a 59-63 loss. Jarrod Davis summed up the feeling of all involved after the game when he told the media “I’m sure a lot of people didn’t think we could get this far, but everyone on this team knew we had what it took. And we showed we could play with anybody.”
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4 comments:
So many memories from this, my favorite season in athletics.
Working with Coach Spaulding led to several great moments. Here are my top five:
#5: In the locker room after the district championship the assembled media asked the following question: "I noticed you double teamed Hatch on that last play, what was the thinking?" Coach Spaulding's response was "He is the district player of the year and averaging 25 points a game....I guess that makes us geniuses."
#4: On the bus after the near choke job in the opening round, coach asked his assistant coach what he was thinking in the first quarter when the hornets were down 14. "I was thinking that I need to get my sand wedge re-shafted."
#3: years later coached asked me what my favorite basketball moment was. I answered "the day we won the district title". He asked what my worst moment was and I answered "every day after that is a tie."
#2: Carl Davidson failed to call a charge during a hornet home game. On the next trip up the sideline coach Spaulding jumped in front of him and took a charge...his huge frame crashing to the ground. The referee was so taken aback he failed to T him up. The next day, the assistant coach had a tape outline of coach on the gym floor crime scene style.
#1: In a game at Tusky Valley, both Jarrod Davis and Bub Crumrine fouled out of a close game. Light scoring Lucas Butler made two impossible baskets including a shot that despite my advanced knowledge of mathematics and physics I will go to my grave believing that it actually curved TWICE on the way to the hoop. I looked at Coach Spaulding and he said "Joe, I have to tell you something. This morning I sacrificed a live chicken to the goddess of the volcano."
i don't know... #2 was my favorite moment of that season by far!!!
i am not sure if coach spaulding taking the charge or the taped outline on the floor was the better part of that memory!
Bup Crumrine makes another HIve appearance....
The best part about #2 was how Coach slid 6 inches on impact and was able to continue his vehement verbal discourse going into impact through the slide and about 10-15 seconds prone all the while stunning and holding the refs attention for that eternal short span.
had a front row seat
W. Sobchak
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