Eastland basketball stays calm, carries on into IHSA 1A state semifinals
· Yahoo Sports
MACOMB ― Worst-case scenario, Wyatt Carroll knew there would be more basketball, at least, when Tremont senior Josh Papenhause launched a long-range jumper at the buzzer of Monday’s Class 1A Supersectional championship at Western Illinois University.
His Eastland High team up only two points, Carroll saw Papenhause’s foot on the 3-point line.
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“Another few inches or so further out, and the heart probably would have been pumping a little harder when the ball was in the air,” the Cougars’ junior guard said.
The shot caromed off the rim and the final horn sounded, and when it did, Eastland escaped with a 47-45 victory over Tremont to advance to the IHSA Final Four for the second straight year.
Eastland plays Chicago Marshall on Thursday, March 12, at 11:45 a.m. in the semifinal at the University of Illinois' State Farm Center.
“That was a tough game. They pushed us pretty hard at times, but I think our defense was the difference at the end,” said Carroll, who scored 12 points for the Cougars.
Carroll has a good point. This was a 46-45 game with 2:16 left, and Tremont had the ball. They would have the ball three more times after that, but the Cougars never lost the lead. The Turks were forced to take highly contested shots from the outside, and when they did get it inside in the final minute, Eastland senior big man Zyacn Haverland was there.
Haverland’s block on Tremont's Andrew Dawson was clean, and he had the presence of mind to also grab the loose ball. Griffin Meeker hit one of two foul shots with about 30 seconds left for a two-point lead, setting up the dramatic final possession. The Turks missed, but maintained possession on a Cougars last touch out of of bounds, with about 12 seconds left.
Tremont worked the ball around the perimeter, but Papenhause’s shot fell short.
Was Haverland worried a cheap foul might be called on an attempted blocked shot down low?
“A little bit, but in my head I was going to try and protect the rim at all costs,” said Haverland, who chipped in six points. “If we have to put them at the free-throw line instead of giving them a layup, then that’s what had to happen. I was fortunate to get all ball on it.”
Asked to describe the personality of this year’s Cougars squad, Haverland said, “I think it’s just grit, and us being friends outside of the court. In school, we all have each other’s classes, and after school we have practices and games. I think we’re just a close-knit group that just wants to play basketball.”
The Cougars will play two more basketball games, same as last year at this time. They lost in the championship game a year ago, and coach Tyler Zumdahl knows it ain’t easy winning both games at state. Yet, he likes the composure of this team, especially.
“It’s gonna be tough down there. It’s the best in the state,” Zumdahl said. “We have a lot of guys who step up, and that makes us hard to guard. We just have to continue to share the ball and shoot at a high percent.”
Senior Braden Anderson led the Cougars with 14 points, including three 3-pointers. Senior guard-forward Parker Krogman added 13 points, and was the catalyst for a Cougars team that got out to a 15-5 lead. After a few minutes, though, it was a one-possession game most of the night.
After the win, there was more good news for Cougars players: They were informed they wouldn’t have to get to school until 11 a.m.
“We know we have to be even better moving forward, if we want to achieve our goal,” Carroll said.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Eastland beats Tremont for spot in IHSA Class 1A boys basketball Final Four