DEFIANCE -- Will Sheets was the man of the hour Friday night.
Crestview's 6-5 junior center scored 31 points, with 25 of those coming in the second half, including a tip-in of a missed shot with 1.5 seconds left in the second overtime that provided to be the game winner, as the Knights stunned Spencerville 64-62 in the Division VI district championship game at Defiance High School.
"I knew Hayden (Perrott) was going to get the shot," Sheets said of the winning putback. "He's a great player but I knew I had to be ready and effort was everything for us tonight - that's what I credit that play to. We knew from the start that this game was going to be rough but we've had resilience all year, so we were ready for it."
"We had been running the same two plays so I said let's do something a little bit different and get Hayden coming off the Will baseline screen - if you've got a shot let's knock it in, if you don’t let’s see if we can get it to Will," Crestview head coach Doug Etzler said of the winning play. "Hayden did a great job of getting the baseline and getting to the rim and obviously we got the offensive rebound and the putback to win it. Will is a monster - when he plays like that he's a handful and he wasn't going to let us lose tonight."
The victory avenged a 65-39 loss to the Bearcats in the conference opener on December 12. It also prevented Spencerville from winning its first district championship since 1987.
After scoring 27 points through the first three quarters combined and trailing 31-18 late in the third quarter, the Knights (15-9) erupted for 24 points in the fourth quarter, with the first eight coming from Sheets. Perrott, who was held scoreless in the first half, popped in a pair of treys in the fourth quarter and Owen Heckler added six of his 12 points in the period. A shot by Perrott, who finished with 11 points, rimmed off at the end of regulation, which set up the first overtime.
"We had to make buckets just about every time down and we got good shots and the guys stepped up and hit them," Etzler said of the fourth quarter as a whole.
In the fourth quarter, it appeared as though Spencerville might ice the game from the foul line, as the Bearcats (17-8) connected on 9-of-10 free throws. However, Owen Sensabaugh fouled out at the 4:11 mark of the period, which proved to be a big blow. He finished with 16 points as did younger brother Will Sensabaugh.
In the first overtime, all four of Crestview's points came from the foul line, while Kolton Grisby, who didn't score in regulation, scored all four of Spencerville's points.
The Bearcats took a 58-55 lead early in the second overtime on a trey by Will Sensabaugh and after a bucket by Sheets, Spencerville got two points on foul shots by Sensabaugh on a technical foul by Crestview. Perrott’s jersey had blood and had to be changed, but the Knights were whistled for the technical foul when he switched out on the bench instead of the locker room. Undeterred, Sheets scored again, but a basket by Grigsby put the Bearcats ahead 62-59. A bucket and foul shot by Heckler tied the game with 1:01 left, which set the stage for Sheets in the waning seconds.
Spencerville led 13-10 after the first quarter, thanks to a pair of treys by Jude Stemen and five points by Owen Sensabaugh. Putman scored six of his eight points in the opening period. The Knights scored just four points in the second quarter, all by Sheets and trailed 21-14 at halftime. Spencerville led 37-27 at the end of three quarters.
The Knights, who began the regular season 2-5, will face rival Lincolnview or Gibsonburg in the Division VI regional semifinals at Bowling Green State University at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 12. The game will be the second half of a doubleheader that night. The first game will pit Seneca East against Col. Crawford.
Crestview: Hayden Perrott 4-1-11; Liam Putman 4-0-8; Hudson Perrott 1-0-2; Owen Heckler 4-3-12; Will Sheets 14-3-31
Spencerville: Will Sensabaugh 3-8-16; Grady Smith 4-2-11; Owen Sensabaugh 5-2-16; Jude Stemen 3-1-9; Landon Kahle 0-4-4; Kolten Grigsby 3-0-6