Photo by Paul Trende
Well, where do you start? The game pitted #1-ranked top-seeded Caledonia (27-1) versus #4-ranked second-seeded Plainview-Elgin-Millville (28-1). The teams each entered with a lone loss and on a combined 23-game winning streak. It was for the section 1AA title. It had a number of twists and turns and went to triple overtime. It was almost over in regulation, as the eventual defeated squad led by six with 22.4 seconds left. The winner rallied from near certain heartbreak. It was an epic clash that won’t be soon forgot.
The first half saw PEM come out fired up to avenge their only loss, 71-43 to the Warriors in January. Aeron Stevens, a 6’6” senior center, was the Bulldogs’ match and gasoline early. He hit 4-of-4 threes and 7-of-10 first-half field goals for 18 points. PEM passed and scored, navigating Caledonia’s vaunted pressure defense. The Bulldogs built a 32-17 lead with around two minutes in the half. But Brad King’s Warriors kept the driving and defensive pressure on and critically ended the stanza on a 9-0 run. They cut PEM’s lead to just six at intermission, 32-26. At that point, the Bulldogs were 13 of 25 from the field and 6 of 13 from
Photo by Paul Trende
deep. They had 11 assists. The Warriors made hay because of their strong drives that facilitated fouls. They nailed 9 of 10 free throws. As the second half evolved, Caledonia’s pressure (they are a second half team) tested the Bulldogs. The Warriors trailed by nine a couple times early in the half, but chipped away to get within one at 41-40 (following an Eli King three). But Peyton Schumacher made two free throws and Connor McGuire hit a three to make it 47-41 past the midway point. The Warriors then got within two (50-48), following a Ja’Shon Simpson basket at the 4:42 mark. Simpson was big in the second half, scoring 10 points with strong drives to the basket. But a Stevens turn-around jumper in the post put PEM up 52-48 with 3:45 left. Defense ruled at times, particularly during a late span. Caledonia scored just once over 11 possessions (Simpson’s basket). About the same time, PEM scored just once over 10 possessions (Stevens’ bucket). The defensive efforts put both teams in the bonus early. In the final minute, Schumacher split two sessions at the free throw line. PEM built a 54-48 lead with 22.4 ticks left. Their state chances were more than probable. But Cal’s King then pulled a scoring spree reminiscent of Indiana’s Reggie Miller in the late 1990s. He was fouled taking a three-pointer with 15.7 seconds left. The future Cyclone hit two of three free throws. On PEM’s in-bound, King stole it, and acrobatically scored while drawing the foul, then converting the and-one! In seconds, PEM went from up six to up one, 54-53. The Bulldogs got their next in-bound in. Stevens was fouled. He hit one of two at the line, leaving the score 55-53 with 11.4 left. King then went coast-to-coast, spun in the lane, and scored off the glass over Stevens to dramatically tie the contest 55-55 with 0:04 left! PEM then almost equaled the heroics, as a half-court heave by Schumacher nearly banked in! Behind’s King’s seven points in less than 12 seconds (Miller had eight points in nine seconds), the game went to OT tied at 55!
The first overtime saw each team score just two points. PEM’s Kaiden Peters opened with a floater in the lane. Cal’s Thane Meiners followed with a pair of free throws. The Bulldogs missed a couple open looks. Caledonia had a couple chances in the final minute. A King off-balanced shot missed. A Simpson tip-put-back nearly fell. The game
Photo by Paul Trende
went to a second OT tied 57-57. Each team opened with a bucket in the first two minutes. Meiners then authored a big steal and was fouled, making one of two free throws to put Caledonia up 60-59. After a missed PEM three, King added another free throw to make it 61-59 with 20.3 seconds left. But McGuire was then fouled. The senior hit two clutch free throws to tie the contest at 61 with 7.3 seconds left. The Warriors again had two chances thereafter. King missed a floater and then a tip put-back. The contest went to triple overtime tied at 61! There, the levy finally broke for PEM. Caledonia started with a back-door basket and-one from Jackson Koepke (feed from King), making it 64-61. It was the Koepke’s first points after scoring eight in the first half. One possession later, King scored. On Cal’s third possession, Lewis Doyle found Simpson for a lay-up. On their fifth, King put an exclamation mark on the game with an open-court dunk. After going 1 of 10 from the field in the first two overtimes, Caledonia went 5 of 5 in the third overtime. PEM was 0 of 8 from the field and 0 of 2 from the free throw line in the final session. After all the battling and all the tension, the Warriors had minutes to saver their impending state berth. Caledonia fought and persevered with an immortalizing win, 72-61! King led the way with a big double-double (30 pts, 10-12 FTs, 15 rebs, 3 stls). His scoring spree at the end of regulation won’t be soon forgotten. He had 23 after halftime. Simpson (14 pts, 6 rebs), who scored 12 after intermission, and Koepke (11 pts) each made double figures. Meiners added 8 points (8-10 FTs) all from the line. Stevens led PEM with a double-double (27 pts, 10-19 FGs, 4-7 threes, 10 rebs). But the big man got his 24th point with 10:01 left in the game. Baden Fenton came off the bench with a key performance for the Bulldogs (13 pts, 3-6 threes, 5-9 FGs). Kaiden Peters added 8 (pts), 9 (rebs), and 5 (asts). McGuire chipped in 7 (pts), 3 (rebs), and 3 (asts). The Warriors won the free throw line big (21 of 25 > 82%) while PEM struggled (10 of 19 > 53%). Turnovers were also key, as PEM had 21 and Caledonia 13. Fourteen of those Bulldog turnovers came in the second half and OT. Caledonia was 23 of 59 (39%) from the field, PEM 21 of 53 (40%). The Bulldogs hit more threes, 9 of 28 threes (32%) to Caledonia’s 5 of 14 (36%). But PEM missed their last 11 long balls, as their final make was by Fenton at the 6:58 mark of regulation. They had 50 points through 29 minutes, but scored just 11 the next 19 minutes. The win improved the Warriors record to 28-1. It is their third straight 1AA title and 7th championship (and state berth) in nine years. They are the state AA’s tourney’s #2-seed and will play Perham (18-10), the Section 8AA champion. Minneapolis-North (25-6) is the tourney’s #1-seed.