Crestview girls hold off Allen East

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

It was truly a case of survive and advance for top-seeded Crestview on Thursday night, as the Lady Knights defeated No. 3 seed Allen East 36-31 in the Division VI district semifinals at Van Wert High School. The victory puts Crestview in the district championship game against Columbus Grove.

Early on, it appeared the game was going to be a Crestview runaway. Six different Lady Knights scored in the opening period and Crestview barreled out to a 15-0 lead, then made it 17-0 early in the second period.

“I did not anticipate getting out to a start like that but I was extremely proud of our girls for that,” Crestview head coach Mark Gregory said. “Defensively we were making a lot of plays, we were getting up the floor and making good decisions.”

However, Allen East wasn’t about to run and hide. The Mustangs scored the next 15 points of the quarter and held Crestview off the scoreboard for the remainder of the period and trailed by just two, 17-15, at halftime. Brooklynn Crumrine accounted for six of Allen East’s points in the second stanza, while Rilynn Jones and Evelyn Lehman each added three. Kennedy Crider had Crestview’s only basket of the period.

“One play at a time they got back into it, just like we teach our girls,” Gregory said of the Allen East rally.

In the third quarter, an early Jones jumper tied the game 17-17, then after a pair of foul shots by Josie Kulwicki, Taylor Nichols knotted things up at 19–19. Moments later, it appeared the Mustangs took the lead but a basket was waved off for traveling, then Allen East missed a layup. After a Kulwicki layup, the Mustangs missed a three point attempt and Crestview gained some separation with a pair of Ellie Kline free throws and a deep trey by Kaci Gregory that made it 26-19, a score that stood at the end of the period.

“I was so proud of our girls in the third quarter to weather the storm and make plays as the quarter went on,” Gregory said. “We had some really good possessions where we didn’t rush into things. I thought in the second quarter we rushed some things and took some shot that were okay shots but not great shots.”

Allen East chipped away again in the fourth quarter and pulled to within two, 31-29, late in the period. However, Peyton Hoffman gave the Lady Knights some breathing room by hitting four consecutive free throws.

“She’s been doing the things we’ve been asking her to do and those were huge, critical free throws that she put up after missing two before that,” Gregory said.

Hoffman, along with Gregory, Kline and Crider, had seven points in the game. Crider added 10 rebounds for Crestview. Jones led all scorers with 11 points. As a team, Crestview was 10-of-36 from the floor and 12-of-17 from the foul line, while Allen East finished 12-of-38 shooting and 5-of-9 from the free throw line. The Lady Knights had a slight rebounding advantage, 26-25 and committed just four turnovers the entire game, compared to eight by the Mustangs.

Crestview and No. 2 seed Columbus Grove will play at 4 p.m. Saturday at Van Wert High School, with the winner claiming the district championship and a spot at next week’s Bluffton University regional. Columbus Grove advanced with a 50-17 win over Wayne Trace in the second game at Van Wert Thursday night. The Lady Knights and Bulldogs met during the regular season, December 19, and Columbus Grove claimed a 51-45 victory.

“What an opportunity to be able to play again and this time for a district title,” Gregory said. “Anytime you’re able to play for a championship I think it’s awesome and our girls have worked for this all season long.”

Saturday’s game will air live on 99.7FM WKSD.

Box score

Crestview  15   2   9  10 – 36

Allen East   0 15   4  12 – 31

Crestview: Kaci Gregory 3-0-7; Ellie Kline 1-4-7; Peyton Hoffman 1-4-7; Haley McCoy 1-0-2; Kennedy Crider 2-3-7; Josie Kulwicki 2-2-6

Allen East: Brooklynn Crumrine 2-1-6; Rylie Jordan 1-1-3; Evelyn Lehman 1-0-3; Rilynn Jones 4-3-11