PAWNEE — It’s been years since a boys basketball game of this magnitude was played in front of the Pawnee High School home crowd. And with the MSM Conference trophy on hand inside Smargiassi Gymnasium, both teams put on quite a show for the packed house.
Calvary senior Luke Blackford scored 42 points on 14-for-25 shooting to lead the Saints to the MSM Conference crown with a 68-66 overtime win over Pawnee on Friday. But all night long, it was a titanic game of one team calling and the other team answering with big-time buckets.
While the game was a prelude to the kind of basketball both coaches hope to see from their teams in next week’s Class 1A postseason, it was also the kind of game people will remember for a while to come.
“We actually talked (after the game) about this was great before regionals,” Blackford said. “They're going to make their shots, and they made a big shot, but I felt like we did a good job of keeping our cool. That was what we talked about: keep our cool, continue to maintain focus, and carry within the overtime. I think that's what we did. We kept our cool.”
Blackford, accustomed to high-scoring totals, should remember it fondly, as will teammate Joshua Long, whose rebound and coast-to-coast layup put Calvary on top for good with 1 minute, 40 seconds left in the extra period. Josiah Reynolds, who battled through foul trouble and never picked up his fifth foul despite playing all overtime and most of the fourth quarter with four, grabbed the win-securing board with 0.8 seconds left.
“I knew they were going to double Luke, and (Pawnee) left me wide open for the bucket, so I just went for it,” Long said of that layup. “This is our coach's (Tirell Anderson) first conference championship . . . this is his first year coaching us, so it's big.”
Pawnee sophomore Jace Jankousky attacked the taller Blackford in the closing seconds of regulation and hit a scoop layup which forced overtime. His teammate, fellow sophomore Gavin Greer, hit a massive 3-pointer off a curl screen to get Pawnee within 67-66 with 14.7 seconds left.
And coaches Blake Lucas of Pawnee and Calvary’s Anderson, both in their first seasons with their respective teams, will keep the lessons learned here stored for a while in their memory banks. Despite the loss, Lucas emerged from the locker room with a huge smile and spoke glowingly about the game.
“That was fun, wasn't it? Just a fun atmosphere,” Lucas said. “Two good teams out there playing hard. What else could you ask for? I told our guys, ‘Tonight didn't define our season. We've had a nice year, and we've grown, and we lost to a good ball club with an exceptional player tonight.’
“Sure, we wish it could have went the other way, but I think these moments and these experiences keep our kids building and growing, and so we'll have our shot. Our turn's coming.”
Pawnee (17-13 overall) is already guaranteed of its first winning season since 2016-17 and another win would give the program its most wins since winning 18 games in 2008-09.
“We're given opportunities, and our kids are growing. They've got a little pride,” Lucas said. “There's a little buzz in town about basketball, and I think most importantly we've got awesome kids here. They listen to us, and they're bought in.
“We had a shot to win tonight. We missed a few free throws, and we lost to a good basketball team.”
The MSM Conference trophy was on hand to be awarded to Friday’s victor, whichever team won. Bunker Hill had already wrapped up its conference season with an 8-1 record. Calvary (21-9) and Pawnee both entered Smargiassi Gym with identical 7-1 records. Bunker Hill beat Calvary 49-45 on Dec. 19, Pawnee beat Bunker Hill 54-44 on Jan. 9 but lost to Buffalo Tri-City on Dec. 20. After winning the MSM outright at Edinburg a year ago, Calvary and Bunker Hill will share the crown this season.
Pawnee led 26-20 at halftime through balanced scoring and free-throw making. Pawnee was 8-for-8 at the charity stripe in the opening half, though that number dipped to 19-for-28 by the game’s end. Pawnee continued its balanced scoring as Greer led the team with 20 points, Jankousky had 19, Randy Schutt, a junior, and senior Caden Ward both had 10. Ty Lederbrand, a sophomore, provided PHS with seven.
Obviously, Blackford’s 42 accounted for the bulk of the Saints’ scoring, but Long and Antione Hunter — a senior and junior, respectively — both had eight apiece while Reynolds, a senior, pitched in with six — including a 2-pointer in each of the fourth and overtime periods.
“I can't say enough about just our kids, how much we love them, how much we're thankful for them,” Lucas said. “I still think the best is yet to come for Pawnee basketball.”
In the fourth quarter, Pawnee started double-teaming Blackford on the catch, then recovering off him when he passed. With the spotlight firmly on Blackford, he was 11-for-16 on 2s and 13-for-25 overall and made 11 of 15 free throws.
"I (told Blackford), ‘Hey, you're not going to get any fouls. You're the best player out there,’ Anderson said. “’They're going to foul you, you're not going to get called, you've got to be able to finish through it, and keep fighting. Don't get frustrated, keep fighting, and you'll get it done.’”
The way Pawnee played its version of a triangle-and-two defense allowed Blackford to thrive, he said.
“It made it a little bit easier when they came in doubling me,” Blackford said. “They didn't really put a ton of pressure on me, so I was able to look at the other guys while they're coming at me still so I can make the right play to one of (his open teammates).”
Blackford played all 36 minutes and still managed to be effective down the stretch, with 12 points in the fourth and seven in OT.
“Those are those late nights he's practicing,” Anderson said. “He works every single day. I've never seen anybody work harder than him. He works on his game day and night, so he's in the best shape of his life, and he's ready for anything.”
Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, [email protected], Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA boys basketball | Blackford scores 42 in Calvary win over Pawnee