| Perrysburg’s Kevin Schenk (center) is mobbed by teammates Friday. (Photo: Andrew Weber/Sentinel-Tribune) |
FINDLAY — Tournament basketball brings out a different level of intensity.
Throw in two league rivals that are less than 15 miles apart and it’s a whole different story.
Although the sectional final between Bowling Green and Perrysburg will be remembered for the Yellow
Jackets claiming a 46-43 victory on Kevin
Schenk’s buzzer-beater, the game showed what high school athletics are all about.
Student-athletes laying everything on the line for their schools, but in the end one team goes home happy
with a victory and the other makes the bus trip home knowing the season is over.
That was the case Friday, as Perrysburg’s players jumped for joy with their fans after the game, while
the Bobcats hung their heads in the locker room. PHOTO GALLERY
“Some of the best games you’re going to see in the state of Ohio, or any state for that matter, are the
local sectionals and districts,” BG coach Von Graffin said after the game. “Not so much Columbus and the
regionals, you don’t know those teams. But we know Perrysburg and they know us.”
On one side was a Perrysburg team that, although finishing with a respectable 13-7 record in the regular
season, was inconsistent at times during the season. The ’Jackets lost both their regular-season opener
(Toledo St. Francis) and closing game (Maumee) in less than stellar fashion.
On the other side was a Bobcat team that finally broke through for its first Northern Lakes League title
since 2003 and appeared ready to make a tournament run in the always difficult Division I.
But when it comes down to a winner-take-all, single-elimination tournament, records don’t seem to matter
as much. Just ask BG and Lima Senior, which each saw its season ended by a now hot Perrysburg team.
“We were getting better with each week,” Perrysburg coach Dave Boyce said. “The Maumee game was certainly
a game that left a bad taste in their mouths. We came in getting ready to play Lima with a renewed
determination.”
On a neutral court at Liberty-Benton High School, the only thing that separated the two teams was what
some might call a miraculous shot.
But it was more than that, it was a Perrysburg team that has treated this tournament so far as a
completely different season.
“We came out and showed them we were here to play,” Schenk said. “We were not backing down from them.
They beat us twice, but we were still coming at them. We beat them when it counted.
“We have great chemistry and that’s what it’s all about, playing together as a team,” Schenk added. “We
just know it’s time to pick up our game. It’s tournament time and we can’t rest on anything. We have to
keep coming at every team. We have to come out to play like it’s our last game.”
As for the Bobcats, the loss put a sour end to what was an otherwise tremendous season.
Although the tournament loss will definitely sting for some time, BG’s six seniors can look back on this
season as a success.
“This is a great group. These six seniors have been fantastic in the way of leadership, showing the young
guys how to work,” Graffin said. “I have a lot of pride in my program … Yeah, this is going to eat on
us a little bit. Hopefully, the young guys will see how close we were so we can get back here next
year.”
