Margaretta suffers first loss of season

CRESTLINE — Competition is what Margaretta wanted. The Polar Bears went on the road to Colonel Crawford, a Division VI state semifinalist last year, and were tested. Division VI No. 3 Margaretta had too many empty possessions in the fourth quarter as the Eagles topped the Polar Bears 51-45 in non-league action Monday. "We did not execute late, but we have not been in that situation other than in practice," Margaretta coach Steve Keller said. "We'll keep getting better with that. Really pleased with the environment that we had to play in tonight. Crawford is a nice team and (CC coach) Dave (Sheldon) does a nice job." It was a step up in competition for Margaretta (8-1), which is what will make the Polar Bears better come February and March. "That's a great opponent," Sheldon said. "I have the utmost respect for that program and what they've done the last four years with Julian (Washington) and Judah (Keller). What a great atmosphere. That's old school with standing-room only and people got their money's worth tonight." Margaretta trailed by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but rallied. Washington, Tyson Bailey and Kale Bailey scored consecutively to bring the Polar Bears within 36-32. The Eagles (5-0) pushed the lead back to six points after three quarters on a score from Brayden Holt. Kale Bailey opened the fourth quarter with a 3 and Margaretta was within 40-39 after two Keller free throws with 5:36 to play. John DeGray scored on the other end for Colonel Crawford, but Tyson Bailey answered for the Polar Bears. Margaretta kept the momentum going as Washington knocked down a jumper to give the Polar Bears a 43-42 lead with 3:27 remaining. But, Colonel Crawford controlled the game the rest of the way. Both teams missed on opportunities to extend the lead or seize the lead until Peyton Baker drilled a corner 3. Holt knocked down three free throws across two trips to the line for a 48-43 lead with 27.7 seconds left. Washington hit a jumper for Margaretta, which then used its final timeout. But, Holt split two free throws and Payne DeGray finished off his thunderous evening with a score. "Baker made a really nice play," coach Keller said. "His 3 was huge." Payne DeGray tallied 23 points and 10 rebounds for Colonel Crawford. "They're workhorses," coach Keller said. "DeGray is the biggest, strongest and tonight, the best finisher, we'll see all year. They were very good. You couple that with Holt running the show and that's a nice team." The Polar Bears couldn't have asked for a better start. Kale Bailey, Washington and Keller scored as Margaretta led 6-0 early. The advantage was just 10-9 later when Keller hit a 3, knocked down two free throws and Washington threw down a thunderous slam for a 17-9 advantage after one quarter. Colonel Crawford went to Payne DeGray more often in the second quarter. He scored 10 of his 12 first-half points in the second quarter. Still, Margaretta led 25-17 after two Washington free throws. But, the Eagles got consecutive 3-pointers from Parker Weithman. The final tally of the quarter from Payne Gray tied the game at 25 at halftime. Colonel Crawford carried that momentum into the third quarter. The Eagles finished off a 19-1 run with scores from Payne DeGray and Holt. That put Margaretta down 36-26 with 3:30 to go in the third quarter. Holt finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for Colonel Crawford, which had two combined turnovers in the middle two quarters. "I was proud of our fight," coach Keller said. "This is a great environment to be in on game night. Up to this point, they're the best team we've played. They compete and they battle." Washington contributed 16 points and six rebounds while Keller tallied 10 points and five rebounds. "I thought we did a great job to hold (Washington) to 16," Sheldon said. "He's averaging 25, but we made it tough for him to get it. When he put it on the floor, we made it tough. He's the best player that we're going to play all year long. He's that good. I thought we did a great job of how we wanted to guard because we made him hit tough shots. He's a great player and he's going to do that. "You hold Judah to 10 and he's averaging 15 or 17 a game. Judah is a warrior. He's a coach's son. He's a great facilitator and a great kid." The Polar Bears, who are 3-0 in Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division action, are back on the court Friday at Vermilion (5-5, 1-2). "There was a great, great game for us to be in," coach Keller said. "We'll get better from here for sure." MARGARETTA (8-1) Kale Bailey 4 0-0 9, Keiygan Morris 0 0-0 0, Julian Washington 6 4-4 16, Judah Keller 2 5-6 10, Tyson Bailey 4 0-0 8, Jake Bouy 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 17 9-10 45 COLONEL CRAWFORD (5-0) Parker Weithman 2 0-0 6, Peyton Baker 2 0-0 6, John DeGray 2 1-2 5, Brayden Holt 3 5-8 11, Payne DeGray 11 1-5 23. TOTALS 20 7-15 51 Margaretta 17 8 7 13 — 45 Colonel Crawford 9 16 13 13 — 51 Three-point goals: Margaretta 2 (K. Bailey, Keller); Colonel Crawford 4 (Weithman 2, Baker 2)