MANTUA, OH- The 3rd seeded Crestwood Red Devils hosted the Division 3 / Region 9 Sectional Championship game on Friday night. Their opponent was the 25th seed Smithville Smithies from Wayne County. The Red Devils had a first round bye but were looking to bounce back from a regular season ending loss to Geneva. The Smithies came in winners of two straight including a Sectional semifinal win over Fairless.
Crestwood came out firing on all cylinders jumping out to an 8-2 lead after Dekota Johnson hit his second three ball. After a bucket inside by Smithies big man Quinn Mailbach, the Red Devils went on an 8-0 run highlight by back to back three's from Johnson for a 16-4 lead prompting a timeout from Smithville coach Corey Kaufman. The Smithies would score the final four points of the quarter. Crestwood led 16-8 behind 12 points from Johnson on his four three balls.
Smithville's Quinn Mailbach scores inside in the first quarter
Smithville got things going in the second quarter opening up on a 9-0 run, a run that was 13-0 in total going back to the first quarter. They took their first lead of the game 17-16 before Dekota Johnson ended the run putting the Red Devils back up by one. The teams exchanged one point leads for most of the quarter before a three ball by Smithies guard Ethan Piatt put them up 24-20. They would take a 24-21 lead into halftime. They outscored Crestwood 16-5 in the second quarter.
Crestwood's Dekota Johnson puts the Red Devils up 25-24
Dekota Johnson opened the second half for Crestwood with back to back buckets giving the Red Devils a 25-24 lead. Smithville's Quinn Mailbach took the lead right back with a big and-one conversion. Crestwood would outscore Smithville 7-4 to end the third with a 32-31 lead.
Evan Steiner opened the fourth quarter for Smithville with a three putting them up 34-32. A short time later a James Durham bucket inside for Crestwood tied the game at 37. A big bucket inside by Steiner drew a foul on the converted layup, however the free throw was missed and the Smithies held a 39-37 lead with just over a minute to play.
A big layup for Smithville's Evan Steiner late in the 4th quarter
A pair of free throws by Johnson brought Crestwood within one at 40-39 with 29.8 seconds to play. They were forced to foul the Smithies Dawson Young and Quinn Mailbach who both split the pairs. The Red Devils had opportunities after both sets of free throws but could not convert. James Durham failed to connect on a three ball from the top of the arc as time expired and Smithville pulled off the 42-39 upset win.
Brody Durham misses a three at the buzzer as the Smithies win 42-39
It was a rough night for Crestwood as they missed multiple shots at the rim. Smithville's size was a big advantage for them as well as they held a 28-21 rebound advantage for the game, and Mailbach was a load to handle down low with 16 points and 17 boards.
Dekota Johnson finished with 25 points in the loss for Crestwood.
Smithville will advance to the District semifinal on Tuesday at Veteran's Memorial Gymnasium in Niles.
The Red Devils end their fabulous turnaround season at 19-4.
Unofficial Stats:
Smithville:
Quinn Mailbach: 16 pts, 17 reb
Evan Steiner: 9 pts
Ethan Piatt: 8 pts
Crestwood:
Dekota Johnson: 25 pts
Brody Durham: 8 pts