Calls jump-start Redhawks
Two big calls in the second half went against Naperville Central standout Drew Crawford on Saturday night at Waubonsie Valley.
The calls not only did not stop the Redhawks (5-1) from winning the nonconference game by a 45-37 count, but they may actually have helped spark Crawford and his mates to finish off the host Warriors, who fell to 2-4 on the year after an 0-2 weekend.
After a traveling call late in the third quarter, Crawford was handed a technical foul, and the Warriors' Jelani Johnson answered by sinking two foul shots to break a 22-22 tie. But Redhawks coach Pete Kramer said afterward that the call may have helped fire up his squad a little.
Then, with the visitors ahead 35-30 midway through the fourth quarter, Crawford soared along the baseline for a thunderous dunk, only to have the officials call him for a player control foul that erased two points as well as a wild celebration that took place on the Redhawks bench.
No need to worry. Crawford promptly dropped in a 3-pointer the next time he touched the ball, and the 38-30 deficit was too much for the hosts to overcome.
"The charge on the dunk - I thought Drew jumped over (the defender)," Kramer said. "And the technical might have woken our kids up. Defensively, we picked it up in the second half."
After a key conference defeat of West Aurora on Friday, the Redhawks started slowly against the Warriors, who led 6-0 following a 3-pointer by Johnson, who finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Waubonsie led 10-2 following a Tyler Castro slash to the basket, but 3s by Crawford, Danny Ondik and Nick Linne helped the Redhawks close to within 12-9 after one quarter.
The game went back and forth from there as Crawford hit a 3 late in the half for a 20-17 lead at the break, while the Warriors led 27-26 after three quarters thanks in part to a pair of driving baskets by Alex Stokowski.
But while Crawford was coming up big in the fourth quarter - with plenty of help from Linne, who scored 14 points - his friend Johnson was cooling off for the Warriors. Crawford scored 7 of his game-high 19 in the final quarter but also helped hold Johnson to just 2 free throws and 0-for-9 shooting in the second half.
"It was a frustrating game coming off a big win last night," said Crawford, who added 8 rebounds and 3 assists. "But we stayed composed and fought our way back."
After a first half in which the Redhawks switched defenders on the Warriors' Johnson, Crawford guarded him for much of the second half.
"As a team we really picked up our defense the last three quarters," Crawford said. "I tried to stay on him in the second half. He's one of my friends. Between me and Jelani it's all good fun. I've known him a long time."
Johnson felt his team took the right shots down the stretch, but just couldn't put them down.
"The rim just wasn't our friend in the fourth quarter," he said.
Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer, whose team was beaten by a 35-footer at the buzzer on Friday, has surely had better weekends but still expects this group to turn things around.
"It is a tough weekend, but we've got to go to work on Monday," he said. "I'm not worried. I know the guys will respond."