03-09-07
BY JACK BULLOCK
PEORIA - It's the defense that wins the big games.

Teutopolis - on Friday afternoon at the Class A State Quarterfinals – frustrated and manhandled previously unbeaten and top-ranked Nashville on the defensive end and hit enough open shots to pull out a 43-38 shocker in the second game of the state finals at Peoria's Carver Arena.

T-Town's Andy Tipton was assigned the chore or guarding ABV Carbondale Supersectional Area 'Player of the Year' Lucas O'Rear and kept him from putting up big numbers.

Holding Lucas O'Rear to just 16 points and forcing the Hornets into a 15-of-38 shooting showing – the Wooden Shoes avenged an late-season loss to Nashville and advanced to the second day and a semifinal match up with Maroa-Forsyth.

“Andy Tipton has been one of the unsung heroes of our team this year,” said Crawford. “He has continued to get better and better this year and he knew going into this game that he knew he could guard Lucas O'Rear. He got help and he did a phenomenal job. He pestered him to death.”

Nashville head coach Darin Lee saw his club hit just 4-of-13 shots from behind the arc and were outscored 19-4 from the foul line.

Defensively the Shoes' 'kicked' the Hornets around the lot while on the other end of the court hit the big shots and controlled the tempo.

“We had a great season at 33-1 but we got beat by a great team,” said Coach Lee – who saw his record in the 'Elite Eight' slip to 0-5. “Things that happened today didn't go our way. We missed shots and free throws. We did the same things that we had done all year but today it didn't work. They (Teutopolis) did a nice job defensively on us.”

Everything added up to a huge win which extended Coach Crawford's employment at Teutopolis – a place he has been for 26 seasons.

Wade Koester – T-Town's 6-foot-3 senior – topped all scorers with 20 points including seven in the fourth quarter when the Wooden Shoes pulled the upset.

Six-foot-six senior Rich Borries added 17 points for Teutopolis as this starting five again played all 32 minutes.

No other player for Nashville hit for double figures other than O'Rear – who closed out his splendid career with a loss on the floor where his finished his sophomore season.

Jumping out to a quick lead Teutopolis sent a message that this game wasn't going to be like the 57-43 blowout back in February.

“We played scared the first time, no question about it,” added Crawford – talking about the Wooden Shoes loss to Nashville back on February 10 at the Riverton Shootout.
“We didn't show any composure and didn't run any offense.”

While all eyes were focused on O'Rear – the other big man on the floor wearing white had his way in the opening quarter.

Borries scored eight points in the first eight minutes.

He grabbed a rebound on an air-ball from teammate Jason Runde and stuck it home for a 9-3 T-Town lead at the 3:22 mark.

Borries put up a hook shot on the right baseline over O'Rear and later took a 'behind-the-back' pass from Runde a scored in the lane to close the quarter at 13-5.

Borries ninth and tenth points in the run came on a tip in with 6:12 left in the second quarter and Nashville was in trouble at 15-5.

But suddenly the Hornets woke up with an 11-2 scoring spurt.

An O'Rear score on a spin move in the lane followed by a 3-pointer from Patrick Weathers got Nashville rolling and forced a T-Town timeout with 3:27 until the half.

O'Rear scored the Hornets next eight points in spectacular fashion.

Two of the scores were on steals and fast break dunks.

His second slam cut T-Town's lead down to 17-16 with 1:26 remaining.

However Koester came back with a big shot – a 3-pointer from the left wing - to push the lead back to four.

O'Rear closed the first half with a tip in with :02 left to send the clubs to the lockers at 20-18 Wooden Shoes.

Nashville's Brandon Reckmann stepped up with eight points in the third quarter – including a 3-pointer to give the Hornets their first lead at 21-20.

He later evened the game at 26-all with a 3-pointer from the right side at 1:28 of the third quarter.

Blaine Morris made a steal and scored in transition for Nashville and it looked at this point that the top-ranked team in Class A was ready to make its move to pull away and head to Saturday's semifinals.

But then Wade Koester made a drive to the basket in traffic that found the mark off the glass to end the period at 30-28.

The fourth quarter – more importantly the last 2:52 – belonged to Coach Crawford's crusaders.

Keeping the hope alive of sending this coach out with a state championship – the Wooden Shoes took advantage of their trips to the foul line while Nashville didn't.

Borries broke the game's final tie with a pair of free throws to give Teutopolis a 36-34 advantage.

Runde added a pair of freebies just over a minute later to expand the lead.

While the 'Shoes were making their charities O'Rear missed four straight free throws - including two important front ends of one-and-one chances.

Tommy Pelczynski scored his only two points of the night to cut the Nashville deficit to 38-36.

T-Town closed out the game and the win by hitting 5-of-8 from the line.

O'Rear managed one more made basket – his final points of a very special career at Nashville on a lob pass from Morris with :16 to go.

“Darin Lee is a great coach and they are a great team but we just played phenomenal today,” Crawford added. “If we hadn't played them before I would have probably done the same stupid things I did the first time.”

Teutopolis will play a team that is near them geographically in Maroa-Forsyth – a 64-36 winner over Savanna-West Carroll in the first game on Friday.

Nashville saw its storybook run end with a 'thud' having just played its worst game of the season.

The normally good rebounding Hornets got 'out-manned' on the glass 29-20.

The rebounding advantage and the free throw discrepancy kept the cold-shooting Wooden Shoes alive for a second state title.

T-Town hit just 11-of-33 shots overall and only 2-of-12 from 3-point land.

Behind Koester and Borries – Runde scored just three points while teammates Tipton and Craig Westendorf chipped in two and one.

Not a spectacular win – but a victory nonetheless.

“I told the guys after the Supersectional that nobody in the state believes that you can beat Nashville expect the guys in this room,” finalized Crawford. “I told them we're the ones that count and we can beat Nashville.”

	1	2	3	4	-	F
Nashville	5	13	12	8	-	38
Teutopolis	13	7	8	15	-	43

Nashville (46) - O'Rear 7 0 2-6 16, Keller 1 0 0-0 2, Wathers 0 1 0-0 3, Engele 1 1 0-0 5, Pelczynski 1 0 0-0 2, Reckmann 0 2 2-2 8, Morris 1 0 0-0 2, Conner 0 0 0-0 0, York 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-11, 3FG-4, FT-4-8, PF-19.
Teutopolis (43) - Tipton 0 0 2-2 2, Westendorf 0 0 1-2 1, Borries 5 0 7-9 17, Koester 4 2 6-9 20, Runde 0 0 3-4 3.
2FG-9, 3FG-2, FT-19-26, PF-10.
Fouled Out - None.
Technical Fouls - None.