Regional Champion Cougars Claw Warriors 62-54
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Cougars Fans go C R A Z Y ! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
2010 Class D Regional Champions! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
It was the match-up both teams wanted for Wednesday night's Class D Regional Final. Heading in to the showdown, the All Saints Cougars had never lost to their longtime playoff rivals, the North Huron Warriors. While All Saints hoped to down their rivals and return to the State Quarter Finals, where they lost last year, North Huron looked to do just that, as well as to finally avenge their past losses at the hands of Cougars. As could be expected, the two bitter enemies remained neck and neck throughout the entire game. Finally, at the last minute, the Cougars made the final push that gave them their second straight Regional Title.
A hard fought game right from this opening tipoff! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
Cougar defense was established. (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
Right from the opening tip-off it was obvious that this was no ordinary game fans were witnessing. Both teams were ready to fight till the final second ticked away. Defense proved that much in the opening minutes of the first quarter - it took two whole minutes before the 0-0 stalemate was broken. The Cougars would open the scoring with a rebound lay-up under the basket. The Warriors answered with enough pressure from their defense to keep the game at 2-0 for another two minutes. Finally, it was Drew Janer #23 who finally broke the scoring deadlock. Rushing into the zone, Janer threw up a flawless three-pointer to put his team ahead five-nil. Warrior Eric Dhyse #34 was not amused - mere seconds later he scored a three-pointer of his own to put his team on the board.
Junior Drew Janer puts up 3pts! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
North Hurons Sean Clancy adds to his 13pt night. (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
ASC's Justin Villano worked hard under the boards to have a 20pt night! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
The two arch rivals then tacked a score apiece to their totals to make the game 7-5 in the Cougars favor. That stat didn't last long - North Huron superstar Sean Clancy #20 saw to that with a big lay-up under the basket. Once again, the two basketball powerhouses were tied. However the Cougars persistence would pay off for them yet. A pair of last minute shots from Thomas Villano #41 and Janer put All Saints up 13-9 at the end of the first quarter.
'Air' Janer comes flying in to land 2 more points for the Cougars! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
6'6" Justin Villano shoots over the Warrior defense. (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
The Cougars forced the issue in the second quarter. A pair of two-pointers from the 'Twin Towers' Thomas and Justin Villano #40 forced North Huron to call a timeout in the face of a 17-9 deficit. The Cougars would push their lead to 25-15, but that's as far as they got before the Warriors responded. North Huron's defense dug in and shutout the Cougars offense while steadily adding to their total on the board. Finally, the Cougars woke up with the score at 25-23 with only 23 seconds remaining. Drew Janer provided a last-second lay-up that gave his team a slight four point edge over the Warriors. With one half gone, the score was 27-23 with the Cougars ahead.
The Warriors held Cougar Senior Adam Pijaszek to just 9pts. (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
North Huron's steady comeback did not cease during intermission however. The Warriors continued to mercilessly force the Cougars into numerous turnovers and mistakes while they slowly muscled their way towards knotting the game up. Finally, with 2 minutes left in the third, they succeeded in pulling even with the Cougars. The score was 35-35. Again, it was the 'Twin Towers' that supplied the Cougars answer - another pair of lay-ups was enough to get All Saints back on track. A salvo of shots from the Cougars - most notably a three-pointer from Thomas Villano carried the Cougars to a 50-42 lead.
Thomas Villano shoots over Clancy to break the tie score. (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
Junior Kevin Swiercz knocks in 2pts after working hard on the defensive end. (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
Though the Cougars celebrated at the start of the fourth as though they had just won the game, the Warriors were steeled to fight till the end. Sean Clancy brought the Cougars back to reality in a hurry with a crushing three-pointer. The Warriors then added another lay-up to their total which forced All Saints coach Mike Showalter to call a timeout to refocus his team. The Cougars managed to score one basket, but the Warriors did them one better, retying the game at 52-52. The game continued to be a roller coaster as the desperate teams traded points back and forth until finally, it was the Cougars that prevailed.
(above)ASC Coach Mike Showalter goes over a play during a time out. . . (below). . . that leads to a Justin Villano basket
(MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
The last minute effort from Justin Villano, who was the games top scorer with 20 points, yielded 6 game-winning points that put All Saints up 60-54. The All Saints fans were driven into a frenzy as both they, and the Cougars themselves, realized they had racked up a big lead with only seconds remaining in the game. Drew Janer tacked a pair of free-throw points on the board as the last seconds ticked away. The Cougars were Regional Champions . . . again.
A big effort from Senior Justin Villano ends with a Cougar victory! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
Using what Coach Showalter calls a "tremendous amount of confidence," the Cougars were able to defeat the Warriors en route to their second consecutive Regional Title. "We thrive on our intensity" Showalter said. The Cougars will need all of the intensity they can muster, if not more, as they journey to the State Quarter Finals next week. "We're going to have to step it up, but if we can do that we've got as good a chance as anyone." That's what Adam Pijaszek #20 said as his team paraded off the court with another trophy in their possession. The Cougars will play Cardinal Mooney next Tuesday in the Quarter Finals as they look to continue their bid to become State Champions.
Cougars celebrate another Regional Championship ! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
Cougar intensive face of the game: Fan Jimmy Hunter! (MyBayCity Photo by Kevin Kula)
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