Owen Davis (13) of North Union drives to the basket during a Division III Central District semifinal game against Liberty Union. Davis tallied 15 points during the Wildcats’ 68-49 win to advance to the district finals. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
Wednesday’s Division III Central District semifinal hoop game was an up-and-down contest for North Union.
However, a solid lead tallied in the first quarter was the high the Wildcats needed to advance past Liberty Union, 68-49.
NU coach Brian Terrill was somewhat baffled by the final score.
“We win a district semifinal by 19 points, are you kidding me, and I feels like we played our ‘B’ game,” he said.
That ‘B’ game came at the start of the contest when the Lions marched out to an 11-4 lead.
Liberty Union played quick transition basketball the Wildcats were not quite prepared for in their press defense.
A timeout was all the Wildcats needed to regain their composure.
After the brief break, NU worked the ball inside to post player Zach Vernon, who tallied 11 points in the first quarter.
Owen Davis added four points while Aaron Krebehenne hit a buzzer-beating three pointer to lift NU to a 22-15 lead over the Lions.
The second quarter saw the NU shooters come alive.
Krebehenne buried his second three-pointer of the game, while Max Parish and Preston Crabtree each added a trey.
Davis continued to drive to the hoop, adding six points in the quarter.
North Union opted for a 2-3 zone over its press.
The trade-off seemed to work as the Lions struggled to get inside the lane.
On the few occasions they did, NU put Liberty Union shooters at the line.
The Lions struggled from the stripe, going two-for-five in the quarter.
North Union took a large 41-23 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter saw more of that ‘B’ of which Terrill referred.
The Wildcats struggled to maintain control of the ball against LU’s heavy press.
When the Wildcats broke the pressure, they struggled to get the ball inside as the Lions trapped the NU guards in the corners.
Terrill said Libery Union played like a desperate team that wanted to win.
“We have them down so far they have to go desperation,” he said. “We are in a situation where we start playing with a five-second shot clock rather than running our press breaker.”
The Wildcats turned the ball over 16 times during the game, helping the Lions make up some ground by the end of the third quarter, 49-41.
NU regained its composure during the final stanza.
The Lions kept their press on, but NU was able to find away around it.
Crabtree forced his way inside for three layups, while Krebehenne hit his fourth three-pointer.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats pressured every Liberty Union shot from a 2-3 zone.
As a result, the Lions only managed eight points during in the quarter.
With time running short, the Lions put NU at the line where the Cats went eight-of-11 down the stretch.
Terrill said he was proud of the win.
“I told the boys, I have never been prouder of a team,” he said. “One of the best graduating classes in the history of this school went out the door last year and everybody on this team has improved.
“They have filled in holes and we are in the game we were in last year.”
That game is the Central District finals.
The Wildcats will play against a familiar opponent in Johnstown-Monroe.
The Jonnies are the only team that beat the Wildcats last season in the the district finals.
The contest is scheduled for Friday at Johnstown-Monroe, 7 p.m.
North Union
Crabtree 4-7-15, O. Davis 5-5-15, Vernon 5-3-13, Krebehenne 4-0-12, Feasel 2-2-6, Parish 2-0-5, Draper 1-0-2. Totals: 23-17-68.
Three-point goals: Krebehenne 4, Crabtree 1, Parish 1
Liberty Union
Boggs 5-0-12, Berlckamp 4-1-11, Denney 3-4-10, Brown 4-0-8, Riddle 1-4-6, Shook 1-0-2. Totals: 18-9-49
Three-point goals: Boggs 2, Berlckamp 2.