Crenshaw Press Wilts Cleveland

For the past month, neither rain nor sleet nor hail could keep Cleveland High from winning its appointed roundball rounds. Just in case the Cavaliers ran into more inclement weather in Friday night’s City Section 4-A Division semifinal game at the Sports Arena, the team brought along an umbrella.

Not just any umbrella, mind you, but a lucky umbrella that had been brought to the previous six games by a Cleveland statistician. Cleveland, with the parasol in the building, compiled a record of 6-0.

But the Cavaliers encountered a reign of a different sort Friday, and fell to the defending 4-A champion, Crenshaw, 91-90, in overtime. Crenshaw (22-4) advances to the final next Friday at the Sports Arena--for the 15th time in Coach Willie West’s 20 seasons.

It was an element of a different sort--defensive heat, to be specific--that did in Cleveland, which committed 32 turnovers.

“We haven’t seen a press like that all season,” Cleveland Coach Marc Paez said. “No way we can simulate that in practice.”

After finishing in an 85-85 tie in regulation, Cleveland turned the ball over three times in its first four possessions of overtime and Crenshaw center David Washington--who did not score previously--hit two baskets inside to give Crenshaw an 89-87 lead.

A pair of free throws by junior guard Kevin Ollie gave Crenshaw a four-point lead with 1:34 left. Ollie finished with 33 points.

After each team turned the ball over once, seldom-used forward Brandon Battle made both ends of a one-and-one with 25 seconds left to bring Cleveland to within two. Crenshaw’s Nicholas Bragg (13 points) lost the ball out of bounds, however, and Cleveland regained possession with 19 seconds left. After a timeout, Trenton Cornelius was fouled by Washington at the top of the key with four seconds remaining.

Cornelius, who finished with 11 points in one of his best performances of the year, made the front end of the one-and-one to cut the lead to one. West, however, called time between shots in an effort to ice the University of Washington-bound senior center.

Cornelius’ second attempt fell short off the front of the rim, and after what looked like a rugby scrum, Cleveland forward Bobby McRae threw up a blind, desperation shot behind his head with two seconds left, but missed. A jump ball was called on the rebound and Cleveland--with no timeouts remaining--kept possession and inbounded the ball to Hill with 0.4 seconds left. Hill, however, was unable to get off a shot before the buzzer.

As it had in its quarterfinal victory over Fairfax on Wednesday, Cleveland seemed down for good in the fourth quarter, trailing, 80-69, with 4:07 remaining.

“Desperation makes you do some different things,” said Paez, who turned on some heat of his own by ordering the Cavs to return to a full-court press.

Cleveland (21-6) forced three turnovers in the Cougars’ next three possessions and converted all three. Senior guard Eddie Hill scored 12 of his team-high 24 points in the fourth quarter to key the comeback.

After a Crenshaw free throw with 2:12 left, the teams traded baskets, the Cougars taking an 85-83 lead on a follow shot by Aaron Arch with 17 seconds remaining. Cleveland called time out with 11 seconds left and ran an inbounds play to Hill, who buried an off-balance, running, double-clutch jump shot with six seconds remaining to send it into overtime.

Brandon Martin scored 20 points for Cleveland, eight in the second quarter as Cleveland took a 45-38 lead at the half. The Cavaliers turned the ball over nine times in the third quarter as Crenshaw took a five-point lead entering the final period.

Cleveland, once again, mounted a rally.

“They did the same thing to us that we did to them,” Ollie said. This time, however, Cleveland couldn’t quite weather the storm.