The Centralia boys hadn’t led in the second half on Saturday until the final seconds.
With 10.2 seconds left in the day’s 10 a.m. game of the Norm Stewart Classic at Mizzou Arena …
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The Centralia boys hadn’t led in the second half on Saturday until the final seconds.
With 10.2 seconds left in the day’s 10 a.m. game of the Norm Stewart Classic at Mizzou Arena against Eldon, Oliver Bohlmeyer made a game-tying layup and hit the game-winning free throw due to a foul on the shot. Centralia won 62-61 after picking up its first lead since early in the first half.
The Panthers (2-2) hadn’t played in the Norm Stewart Classic since 2019, and their new head coach Brandon Crites coached his first game in the event. Crites said Centralia hit the shots it needed down the stretch — such as a couple of 3-pointers each from Anthony Young and Hunter Hull helped close the 10-point gap in the third quarter — but also had the pace it wanted.
“In the second half, we were the most aggressive team,” Crites said. “We practice sprinting the floor. We say, ‘It’s an ugly run like spit should be flying out of your mouth.’ In the first half, we weren’t doing that. That changed the pace of things for us.”
Crites said playing with a quicker pace helps the team score and then the defense ‘gets a little more bouncy,’ meaning the Panthers were on their toes defending Eldon (0-2). Centralia’s edge in rebounding was slim at 34-32, but Eldon was more active on the glass in the first half.
Anthony Ford was named the Gary Filbert MVP after finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Ford only had two points at halftime and wasn’t close to double-digit rebounds until becoming a bigger force in the second half.
“They were very athletic and lengthy, and they played that zone,” Ford said. “They had my number. We got into halftime and Coach was reminding us of who we are. When we came out in the second half, we responded with who we are.”
Through four games this season, Centralia has been a team who played back-and-forth games that go down to the wire. The first two games for the Panthers were decided by one or two possessions and then they lost a double-overtime game at Boonville.
Ford said having that much adversity so early is tough, but it should pay off in the long run. He said most other teams haven’t been in the game situations Centralia has encountered.
“It’s a big weight-off-the-shoulders type of win,” Ford said. “We know how to play when it gets tough. We’re going to be the tougher team in every game. With more practice, we’re going to be so much faster and so much more ahead of everybody else.”
Crites said Centralia “stopped thinking and started doing” in the second half. He said players like Luke Waltemate gave the team a spark by fighting for the basketball and communicating defensively, providing a good example for the team.
Hull finished with eight points, and Young led the Panthers with 14 points, three 3-pointers and three steals. Crites said Young was efficient from the floor and found open spots in the Eldon defense.
“They went to zone in the second half, and he’s one of our best shooters,” Crites said. “There at the end, we drew up a couple of things for him. What we drew up didn’t go down, but he did hit some big shots for us.”
Bohlmeyer finished with 11 points and six rebounds. The freshman sprinted to the rim and had the ugly finish through contact.
Crites said Bohlmeyer being a freshman shouldn’t define him as he has the makings for a great player over the next four years. He said it was the right call to trust his players to make a play instead of calling a timeout after they picked up the defensive rebound.
“He’s not scared and doesn’t back down from anybody,” Crites said. “I noticed right away this summer that he’s fearless. Kids either have it or they don’t. It can be developed by the way you practice, but he came in fearless.”
Crites said adjusting to the bigger arena understandably takes time. He said he hadn’t coached at Mizzou Arena before when he coached Hallsville, but the Hallsville alum played on the court during his senior year.
Ford hadn’t played on the court before Saturday but is thankful to have had the opportunity.
“Just being down under the lights is truly something special,” Ford said. “Not a lot of people get to do this, and for that reason, I’m very thankful.”
“We’re nowhere near where we want to be, but we’re better today with our understanding and our execution to start the week,” Crites said.
