Warriors fall to Sedgwick in first round of sub-state
Jeffrey's career-high 27 not enough
The Sedgwick Cardinals used scrappy defense and 61 percent shooting in the first half Monday night, to notch a 70-56 victory against Marion High School in the first round of the Hillsboro 3A sub-state tournament.
The Warriors (6-15) got off to a rocky start, trailing 7-0 after the first two minutes of the game.
Sophomore Eric Vogel then connected on two free throws for Marion's first points.
Isaac Hett and Vogel added two more points during the quarter, and senior Calvin Jeffrey had four of his game-high 27 in the first to cut the lead to 13-10 at the end of the quarter.
The speedy Cardinals kept the Warriors on their heels, but Luke Gordon and Justin Heidebrecht used their size to frustrate the Cardinals guards once they penetrated inside.
A jumper by Gordon two minutes into the second period cut the lead to 17-14, but it was the closest the Warriors would get.
Sedgwick ran off seven straight points to take a 24-14 lead, and the crowd was electric. SHS eventually had a 10-point lead, 32-22, at the half.
It seemed like MHS coach Rex Ostmeyer got his players to respond to his halftime speech as Jeffrey and Gordon opened the second quarter with quick baskets, and the lead was 32-26.
But when playing a fast team like Segdwick, it sometimes seems like they can score in just seconds.
After the two Warrior baskets, the Cardinals responded with two of their own in less than a minute, and the lead was back to 10.
Trailing by 12 later in the quarter, Jeffrey connected on a three-point play, and the lead was back down to 46-37.
However, five Sedgwick points in a minute energized the home crowd as the lead grew to 14.
Jeffrey's long three-pointer three seconds before the third-quarter buzzer still had Marion trailing 51-40 heading into the final quarter.
After senior Justin Heidebrecht scored on a fast-break layup, a Warrior defender accidentally tipped in a basket on the other end, and the frustration for the Warriors continued.
As time was ticking down on his career, senior Chase Carlson made one final memorable play with an acrobatic layup and was fouled with just 40 seconds left in the game.
He made the free throw, and finished the final game of his career with three points and five assists.
Jeffrey had four rebounds and one assist to go along with his 27 points, and Heidebrecht had two points and three rebounds in his final game.
Vogel connected on four-of-five shots from the field and all six of his free throws, to finish with 14 points and five rebounds.
Gordon had eight points and a game-high seven rebounds, while Hett chipped in with two points and three rebounds.
Jeffrey ended the season averaging 16.2 points and 4.5 rebounds, Heidebrecht averaged 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds, and Carlson 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds.
