Buctown second half surge dooms No. 1 Negaunee

Flint Beecher 'D' enough to overcome horrid shooting

By Jared Field

13 March 2008

greatlakeshoop.com

East Lansing--Don't call it a comeback.

The boys from Buctown have played from behind as a matter of course in the playoffs this season--deficits don't scare them. They've won four games in a row in dramatic, come-from-behind, fashion.

"I don't know if we're bulletproof, but we've dodged a few," said Beecher head coach Mike Williams after his team's 57-51 win over no. 1-ranked Negaunee.

The Bucs' head coach engineered another come-from-behind victory, eerily similar to Tuesday night's win over a Carson City-Crystal team that had the Bucs seemingly buried under an 11-point lead with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

This second half surge wasn't as pronounced, but after the first quarter the Bucs simply didn't look like they belonged on the same floor with the Miners. Negaunee jumped all over the Bucs early, leading 14-2 with just over a minute left in the first quarter.

Negaunee didn't get flummoxed with the Bucs' press, calmly waiting for the trap and making the shortest and smartest passes.

The Miners had the added advantage of defending against a Beecher squad not exactly known for its perimeter shooting. In the first half, the Bucs lived up to their billing and shot an abysmal 22 percent from the field; and yet, the Bucs were only down nine after one and nine at the break.

The second half, as is their habit, was dominated by Beecher.

The Bucs' pressure defense finally got to the Miners, just as it did two nights earlier against Carson City-Crystal.

The shot of the game, at least psychologically, came with just less than five minutes to go in regulation when Dominique Allen, the hero of the Bucs' quarterfinal victory, swooped down the right side of the lane, hanging, hitting and drawing the foul.

Allen hit the free throw and tied the game at 44-44.

A split pair at the other end and two free throws by Simeo Overall put the Bucs up one before an impressive drive and basket by Travis Swanson put Negaunee back up a point with 3:59 left.

90 seconds later a steal and basket by junior Janero Walker once again tied the game at 50-50.

Another walker steal after an Overall jumper led to two Taron Boose free throws that put the Bucs up three with 80 seconds left.

Three made free throws later, the Bucs finished off the previously unbeaten Miners by seven.

Flint Beecher returns to the floor at the Breslin Center on Saturday afternoon to take on the Comets of Kalamazoo Christian for the class C state championship.

Game notes

--I've never seen a team shoot so poorly and win. Beecher shot 29 percent from the floor compared to Negaunee's 48 percent. The difference, then, had to come somewhere else. Enter the turnover differential. The Bucs forced 26 turnovers in the game for a differential of 15. After the game, Negaunee head coach, Mike O'Donnell, admitted that his team simply could not have prepared for a full-court press like Beecher's. He said that playing against any kind of pressure was a rare occurrence in the great white north.

--I understand how Negaunee made it this far, but at the same time I am confident that they would not have made it had they traveled Beecher's road to the semifinals. The Miners play only six players and that lack of depth simply does not cut it against top-tier competition. The Miners' starting five is impressive looking, however. They're not tall, but they are tough as nails and fundamentally sound in the halfcourt game. Travis Swanson was the best player on the floor for Negaunee, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds. He looks like a linebacker, but he plays like a guard at times. Anthony Katona also turned in a tremendous all-around performance with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

--No one played particularly well offensively for Beecher, but everyone brought their best on defense. Junior guard Janero Walker only scored four points, but he racked up five steals and only turned the ball over twice in 30 minutes. The Bucs' top scorer, Simeo Overall, shot 5-for-20 from the field but hit the big shots at the end. Overall finished with 15 points, five assists and four rebounds. Allen scored 12 points with six rebounds and sophomore Taron Boose chipped in 10 points and nine boards.

--The Miners won the rebound war by five, but the Bucs hoisted up 23 more shot attempts. How do you box-out against airballs and backboard breakers? The obvious answer is: not easily.