Crossings Christian defeats Beggs for 3A Title

<p>In maybe the game of the year, Crossings Christian held on to defeat Beggs. Beggs comeback came up just short. The Demons were down by 10 in the second half but fought all the way back to tie it up.</p> <p>Crossings Christian had the ball in a tie game with 15 seconds left on the clock. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="955383" first="Reid" last="Lovelace"] drove, had a quick spin move and nailed a floater over three Beggs defenders. That shot won the game for Crossings, putting them ahead 51-49.</p> <p>The Knights got ahead early, but the Demons had a strong first half. Blake Gomez was huge for this Beggs team, pouring in points from long distance. Gomez couldn’t miss. Once he got going, he knew it, and would extend his range and even showed his impressive ability to hit threes off the dribble. Kendal Daniels also had a huge first half. He was scoring at will, but the impressive part was the rebounding. Crossings simply couldn’t block him out.</p> <p>The Knights struggled to score in the first half. [player_tooltip player_id="745387" first="Cooper" last="Gudell"] was the only one who was able to get in a rhythm. He hit two huge threes to keep the Knights in it. The Knights also got huge plays from Brody Gibbs. Gibbs used his energy and speed to get steals and turn them into lay-ups, including a tough and-one early on.</p> <p>In the second half, it looked like it was going to be all Crossings. The Knights extended their lead to as much as 10 at one point. Part of that was thanks to [player_tooltip player_id="955383" first="Reid" last="Lovelace"]’s huge half. He had 8 straight points during one stretch and nailed two deep threes. Drew Middendorf also hit two threes in the second half. In the fourth quarter, though, Crossings looked like they were just trying to hold on.</p> <p>Beggs made a furious fourth quarter comeback behind their stars. Trey Gaines got to the free throw line and finished through contact all night. Gomez hit two more threes. Jameson Ross added two big threes, too, for Beggs. Kendal Daniels sat in the middle of the Demon’s press and picked off passes all night long. Beggs fought back hard and gave an inspiring comeback effort.</p> <p>Trey Gaines hit two free-throws to tie it up with 15 seconds left before Lovelace hit the game winner that gave Crossings the state championship.</p> <p>For Crossings coach Shawn Schenk, he wins his first state championship. Schenk has coached everywhere, including the 6A level. He has also coached NBA players, such as Josh Richardson. But this is finally a new accomplishment for Schenk, who belongs in the conversation for one of the best coaches in the state. In the past two years alone, Schenk has a stunning record of 50-6. He also notched an impressive milestone during last night’s win, his personal 300th win. What a season from Coach Schenk, who deserves his recognition.</p> <p><strong>PROSPECTS:</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955383" first="Reid" last="Lovelace"] Crossings:</strong> Lovelace led the Knights all season long and wasn’t scared of the bright lights. In his first trip to the state tournament, he had 15+ points every game and hit the game-winner in the championship game. He displayed his range by hitting deep threes and consistently attacked the rim where he scored or got to the free-throw line. He also averaged nearly 8 assists during this state tournament run. Lovelace also showed that he didn’t need a ball screen to do his damage, beating people off the dribble all weekend.</p> <p><strong>Trey Gaines Beggs:</strong> Gaines finished last night’s game with 6 points and 5 rebounds but was so much bigger than that. The impact he had on the game was impossible to recreate. He was a great on-ball defender and found a way to force so many steals. Gaines is a great scorer, and even though it didn’t show in the box score last night, it showed all season long. He also hit the free-throws to tie the game up late. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="745387" first="Cooper" last="Gudell"] Crossings:</strong> Gudell led all scorers last night with 16 points. He played a huge role for the Knights in their state tournament run. Gudell and Lovelace were counted on for a bulk of the scoring, and they did their part. Gudell showed his long range shooting abilities this weekend, even scoring 20 points in one half. In the state championship, he hit three triples, but also got some huge buckets late when he drove to the basket. Gudell became a more complete basketball player this season.</p> <p><strong>Kendal Daniels Beggs:</strong> Daniels will absolutely be successful at the next level. Yes, he’s playing football, but he’s a heck of a basketball player too. Daniels is athletic and strong and has a knack for rebounding the ball. In the full court press, the ball seemed to gravitate towards Daniels. Daniels is also solid on the offensive end, as he can create his own shot by his ability to get in the lane. He knows how to use his strength and size to his advantage. Impressive season for Daniels and Beggs.</p>