Boys basketball: Eagles pull away late to beat Clyde

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NORTH ROBINSON — Colonel Crawford picked up a win over the visiting Clyde Fliers by a score of 60-51 in a non-league matchup Wednesday night at Mac Morrison Gym.

Colonel Crawford (8-0) built a 15-4 lead after a quarter and led 30-16 at the half. The first half performance would be the difference in this one.

Junior Carter Valentine had a game-high 20 points to lead the way for the Eagles. Senior Chase Walker was tough inside with 12 points, 10 of those coming in the first half.

“Chase was very good,” Colonel Crawford coach David Sheldon said. “A lot of the credit goes to Brock Ritzhaupt because they (Clyde) kept switching off the screen. I think Brock had six assists in the first half and Chase was able to take advantage of that.”

Clyde (2-2) saw their best basketball in the third quarter when they were able to cut the lead to just 39-37 after three.

However, the Eagles pulled away early in the final period, building a 53-40 cushion with 2:51 remaining in the contest.

“We called (Valentine’s) number going into the fourth multiple times. Valentine is skilled and he can shoot it. They (Clyde) tried to get up into him; he did a good job at the free throw line,” said Sheldon. “You know good teams are going to make a run and they (Clyde) made a run in the third, first two minutes of the fourth were huge.”

Clyde was led by junior Brady Wilson and his 13 points, 12 coming in the second half. Senior Caden Berger was next up with 12 points, knocking in a pair of three-pointers.

“Cutting it to two points took a lot to get there, but it took us too long,” said Fliers coach Ryan Fretz. “You can’t come into a place like Colonel Crawford and spot them 14 points at halftime. They are undefeated for a reason. We just got done talking about it, that we have to bring the intensity we brought in the third all game long. Hats off to Colonel Crawford, in the fourth they were able to get easy buckets even when missing free throws.”

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Fliers, who entered play Wednesday on the heels of wins over fellow Sandusky Bay Conference members Vermilion (66-46) and Sandusky (56-50).

Next up for the undefeated Eagles is a Northern 10 Athletic Conference road game at Seneca East on Wednesday, Dec. 30.

The new year opens with a Northern 10 home game against Bucyrus on Saturday, Jan. 2. The Eagles are scheduled to make a trip to Plymouth on Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Colonel Crawford’s Carter Valentine, left, battles to get off a shot under heavy pressure from Clyde’s Andrew Kauble during a non-league basketball match-up on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, at Mac Morrision Gym in North Robinson. Valentine finished with a game-high 20 points to pace the Eagles to a 60-51 victory over the Fliers.
https://www.galioninquirer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2020/12/web1_b-122320j-Clyde-at-CC-bkb_0140.jpgColonel Crawford’s Carter Valentine, left, battles to get off a shot under heavy pressure from Clyde’s Andrew Kauble during a non-league basketball match-up on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, at Mac Morrision Gym in North Robinson. Valentine finished with a game-high 20 points to pace the Eagles to a 60-51 victory over the Fliers. Don Tudor | AIM Media Midwest

By Brandon Little

AIM Media Midwest

Follow @BrandonLittleSI on Twitter.

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