Cavs squeak by Cards

Big nine race almost thrown into chaos before C-A pulls away

By Jared Field

29 January 2008

greatlakeshoops.com

Flint-- A pair of 3-pointers by junior Torey LaFerney and another by senior Kevin Crawford had the Cavaliers rocking on their heels with less than three minutes left in the game.

Davison erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit in five minutes before succumbing to the preseason favorite to win the Big Nine, 54-43.

C-A led the game by eight after the first quarter on the strength of a pair of 3-pointers by senior shooting guard Reggie Stallings. The Cavs finished out the quarter with two straight baskets from junior Terrance Keaton, assisted by senior Alan Sharp on both.

The Cavs struggled to find any offensive flow in the second quarter after Keaton left the game with his third foul and their other big man, sophomore Dee Chapman, left the game with a lower back injury with two minutes left before the break.

Davison played C-A even up the rest of the half, matching their defensive intensity on the perimeter.

Up eight at the half, the Cavaliers continued to struggle offensively and failed to take care of the basketball. Davison could not capitalize on C-A's mishaps, scoring only eight points in the quarter.

The final quarter had the feel of a coronation after Kieon Arkwright stole the ball at halfcourt and coasted in for a sweet two-handed slam.

The Cavs were up nine when LaFerney got loose on the right wing for the first of his two consecutive triples.

After Crawford's 3-pointer that tied the game at 43-43, Reggie Stallings hit the shot of the game: a pull-up from 16-feet that quieted a newly-interested Davison crowd.

That was the start of an 11-0 Carman-Ainsworth run to finish the game.

C-A's win coupled with Powers' loss to Grand Blanc leaves the Cavs alone atop the conference standings (1/2 game lead).

Davison, after its third loss of the conference season, falls into a tie for third with Powers.

Reggies Stallings led the Cavaliers with 14 points and seven rebounds. Jon Lee added 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. Terrance Keaton chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

Senior forward Trevor Cousineau was the only Cardinal in double-figures with 10 points.

Game notes

--The unsung heroes for the Cavaliers tonight were Chapman and Arkwright. Arkwright had his lowest point total of the season, but played great defense from start to finish--the senior accounted for six steals. Chapman, for his part, inhaled every rebound in his airspace. The sophomore finished with 11 rebounds and two blocks to go along with his 10 points. He returned from the locker room in the third quarter and did not appear hampered by his first half injury.

--Davison, uncharacteristically, turned the ball over with frequency. The Cardinals' leading scorer, Aaron Badour, was the worst offender; he accounted for seven of the 28 on the night. Luckily, Badour almost always adds more than he takes away. The senior forward finished with eight points and seven rebounds. C-A, for its part, still struggled to take care of the ball. 21 turnovers isn't the end of the world, and it's actually an improvement over the 28 they surrendered in a loss to Powers Friday night.

--While most observers would agree that Davison's most talented all-around player is junior Danny Thwing, another Cardinal guard is starting to catch my eye. Kevin Crawford is a heady guard who had a solid all-around effort against the Cavs. The senior had nine points, including the big shot that tied the game in the waning minutes, and five rebounds. I can see why Coach MacLachlan likes this kid so much. He is FUNdamental. Thwing, for his part, might just be at the wrong school. He is too talented on both ends of the floor to be splitting time. Although, he needs to take it upon himself to be a little more aggressive on the offensive end.

--Speaking of guards, I am sure I wasn't the only one in the gym with a puzzled look after LaFerney was sent to the bench after knocking down two 3-pointers in a row. Maybe the second one touched the rim or something, because I'm sure the first one didn't.

--I like what I saw from the Cavaliers defensively, even though they still sat back in the 2-3 for most of the game and did not change things up as much as I thought they would. C-A had a ton of success trapping with their guards, but I would have liked to have seen them cash in a few more of those turnovers for points.

--What is going on with Tyler Sauer? The senior sharpshooter is (if memory serves) the Cards' leading returning scorer from last season. He might have played a minute tonight. He is Davison's best shooter, so his absence from the floor--especially late--certainly begs the question: Huh?

--So much for all that depth. C-A played only seven players tonight. Senior Ahmad Cheers, one of the top on-the-ball defenders in mid-Michigan, didn't see the floor. Wonders never cease.

--C-A is starting to pick up the pace a little bit, defensively, but time is running out. For the Cavs to be an elite team in the state, they are going to have to pull it together, offensively. At this point, Saginaw, Arthur Hill, Lansing Sexton, Clarkston, Holt and Grand Blanc, all teams I have seen this season, are better than the Cavaliers. Who would have thought that at the start of the season?

--Alan Sharp is the quickest Cavalier since Aaron Lawler.