Tuesday night’s semifinal battle between CSAS and Oneida High School was worth the price of admission. The Indians made the two and a half hour drive down to Chattanooga and got off the bus ready to play.
The game played out at full speed from the first whistle to literally the final buzzer. Oneida’s Kolby Morgan took his teams final shot. He elevated over CSAS big man Louis Bell to get the shot off, the ball bounced off the rim once, then a second time, then fell to the floor without going throw the basket.
Patriots fans and players exploded as the weight of 32 minutes of razer thin basketball was lifted off their shoulders. CSAS never trailed but they also never led by more than two possessions.
The host Patriots advanced to Thursday's region final at Harriman with the heart-stopping 56-55 victory.
“I knew it would come down to the last second, and boy did it,” CSAS Head Coach Zach Dragoo said. “What a stop, they did it! I’m real exited this team gets to experience this.”
The first quarter played out under a storm of 3-pointers. The Patriots hit four and the Indians hit two of their own. Anytime throughout the game that CSAS managed to go on a bit of a run, it would be immediately answered by Oneida.
Nathan Bowling was Oneida’s most impactful player, the calm winger put up a team high 15 points and was often tasked with covering the Patriot’s best attackers. He was followed close behind by Kolby Morgan, who had 14 points. Morgan took advantage of his wide frame and strong ball handling skills to create his shots down low. Both Indians also hit a 3-pointer in the game.
CSAS got off to a quick start, Micah Wright and Ethan Brown both dropped two 3-pointers in the first quarter. Brown would end the night with a game high 18 points. Oneida never let them get away though, and the first quarter ended with the Patriots up 18-16.
In the second quarter Oneida smartly switched from a 2-3 to a 3-2 zone to pressure CSAS’s shooters, and it worked. The Patriots only hit one 3-pointer in the quarter, coming from Chase Pride. The Indians also started to press, but the Patriot ball handlers usually managed to break through.
The lightning fast first half saw plenty of turnovers, but only a few fouls, neither team entered the bonus and the half-time buzzer sounded with the Patriots leading 33-29.
CSAS tried slowing things down at the start of the second half, but the speed and defensive pressure applied by Oneida forced them to pick up their pace. Both squads played the entire second half in man defense and would occasionally press off a made basket.
Oneida’s Jeric Huling turned his speed dial up to ten in the second half, scoring eight points and delivering a crucial block late in the game. Huling’s points came from hard slashes to the basket, often with an athletic move in the air to get his shot off. He ended the night with 12 points.
The Patriot’s best second half performer was Justin Brown, with nine points. He hit one 3-pointer and picked up six more points close to the basket. He ended the night with 17 points. His back-court mate Ethan Brown added two more 3-pointers after half for a total of four in the game.
From the opening tip it was clear Tuesday’s semifinal would go down to the buzzer. Unfortunately for Kolby Morgan and the boys from Oneida the ball’s final bounce went against them. CSAS win 56-55 and advance to Thursday night’s final against the winner of the other regional semifinal between Herriman and Tellico.
CSAS will travel to Harriman, 62-41winners over Tellico Plains, this Thursday night for the Region 2-A finals.
SUMMARY
ONEIDA 16 13 15 11 - 55
CSAS 18 15 14 9 - 56
ONEIDA (55) – Nathan Bowling 15, Kolby Morgan 14, Jeric Huling 12, Perry 8, Duncan 3, Keeton 3
CSAS (56) – Ethan Brown 18, Justin Brown 17, Wright 8, Bell 4, Grudzinski 4, Pride 3, Cameron 2
3-POINT GOALS: Oneida 3 (Bowling, Keeton, Morgan) CSAS 8 (E. Brown 4, Wright 2, J. Brown, Pride)
(Email William Shelton at wil.shelt21@gmail.com)