03-06-12
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE

Head coach Shane Witzel's program has reached its third Final Four in four years after Tuesday night's 62-48 Carbondale 1A Supersectional win over top-ranked Mounds Meridian.

Using a 19-0 run, the 27-5 Cardinals pulled away from a dismayed Bobcats' team that was flying high and looking for its first trip to the state finals since 1972.

But head coach Jeff Mandrell's club never got rolling offensively, finishing with its worst shooting effort of the season and its lowest scoring output of 2011-12.

Woodlawn's staunch defensive effort forced Meridian into 16-of-52 shooting performance while Christian Hollenkamp and Gabe Owens hit the big shots from the field and the foul line to close out the Bobcats' season at 28-3.

Meanwhile the Woodlawn program, arguably the best 1A boy's basketball program in the state, heads back to Carver Arena for a date with Winnetka North Shore Country Day, who topped Sterling Newman Central Catholic, 41-35, to win the DeKalb 1A Supersectional.

“I felt like we guarded well and that was the thing that we've done all year long,” said Coach Witzel. “We really improved defensively as the season progressed and the important thing tonight was that we kept them off the offensive rebounds. We forced them to take some shots they are not accustomed to taking. We took away their dribble penetration. They didn't get a lot of easy baskets.”

With Hollenkamp scoring 13 of his 20-points in the first half and Owens shutting the door in the 16-minutes by making 13-14 free throws, the Cardinals frustrated Meridian with a game-plan that included forcing the Bobcats to just 5-of-21 shooting from behind the 3-point arc.

With the score at 23-22 Woodlawn with 3:11 remaining in the first half, the Cardinals started its 19-0 sprint by closing the second quarter with 10-consecutive points.

Eight of those points came from Jayson Hapeman and Kris Harlow.

Following senior guard A.J. Webb, who opened the run with a back door lay in, Hapeman scored the next five points on a 3-pointer from the right corner and a mid-range shot to push the lead to 30-22.

Harlow finished the half with a drive to the basket while being fouled by Meridian's Michael Schoffner.

His conventional three-point play sent the teams to intermission at 33-22 Woodlawn.

Hollenkamp continued the Meridian nightmare when this 6-foot-5 senior forward connected on two-straight shots to begin the third quarter.

His 3-pointer from the left wing, followed by yet another Webb lay in, forced a Meridian timeout at 42-22 at the 4:56 mark.

“They got off to a good start and they sagged back and made us try to beat them from the outside,” added Coach Mandrell. “That (being down 20-points) puts us in a different situation. It is a situation that we aren't accustomed to. If you miss shots, it looks ugly and that is what happened.”

To the Bobcats' credit, they didn't go away.

An 8-0 run, its best of the contest, got Meridian briefly back into contention.

A Schoffner 3-pointer from the right win and two free throws by Jerry Johnson after a steal and an intentional foul by Hollenkamp gave the Bobcats some hope.

Seconds later, after getting the ball back after the Johnson made free throws, reserve guard David Davis converted a three-point play after Hollenkamp picked up his fourth foul.

Suddenly, Coach Mandrell's club was down just 42-30 with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter.

While lesser teams might have folded up when Meridian turned up the pressure, Woodlawn showed no signs of panic.

Spreading the floor, Woodlawn got a couple of easy looks at the basket with Matt Kennedy scoring on a lay up on a pass from Hapeman and Webb connecting again to close the quarter at 46-34.

“When they made their run, and good teams always make a run, it was important that we answered it,” added Coach Witzel. “We had a great start to the second half with Christian Hollenkamp making a couple of big shots. We were able to take care of the basketball at the end. We didn't turn it over too much.”

The Bobcats got to within eight points twice in the final quarter, but both times Woodlawn retaliated.

Reserve Justin McClellan picked up a steal and his lay in cut the Woodlawn lead to just 52-44 at the 4:09 mark.

At this point in the proceedings, the Cards turned to their ace in the hole.

Owens earlier in the quarter hit 1-of-2 free throws in his first trip to the line in the game.

This 6-foot-5 point guard nailed down the victory by hitting 12-consecutive free throws, including 10-of-10 in the last 3:03.

Meridian was just 4-of-15 in the fourth quarter from the field as they again got to witness Woodlawn celebrate another supersectional championship.

Woodlawn led from start-to-finish, with Owens hitting a pair of early 3-pointers.

In fact it took Meridian four minutes to score as the Bobcats started the game just 3-of-10 from the floor and finished the half at 8-of-27 overall.

Meridian got a pair of 3-pointers by DeMarko Ransom in the second quarter as it appeared the the Bobcats were going to finally get rolling offensively.

However Coach Mandrell's club failed to keep the Cardinals from going on its game changing scoring blitz.

Following Hollenkamp (20) and Owens (19), Woodlawn got nine points from Webb and seven points from Hapeman.

Kris Harlow added five points and four assists for the Cardinals.

Woodlawn was much more efficient from the field than Meridian, nailing 16-of-33 shots overall (48.5 percent) and were 24-of-29 from that championship foul line.

Ransom topped the Bobcats with 13-points while Johnson and Cameron Ballard added nine and eight points respectively as those three seniors closed out their prep play career's.

Meridian failed to capitalize on its 34-26 rebounding edge.

“It was one of those things were we continually had to battle back, we were right there (in the second quarter) and then all of a sudden they (Woodlawn) made their run,” said Coach Mandrell. “They (Woodlawn) played well. I would like to take out certain parts of this game and change them but you can't. I wish we could have played a little better.”