Central's fight not quite enough to dethrone Hamilton
No. 1 Hamilton ousts Lancers from tournament
Brookfield Central's Alex Diciaula (25) shoots over Hamilton's Giovanni Bray during the first half of the sectional semifinal at Greenfield on March 12. Hamilton won, 47-43. Diciaula scored a game-high 16 points. Photo By PETER ZUZGA
March 15, 2010 | 0 comments
Heading into the WIAA Division 1 sectional basketball showdown with Milwaukee Hamilton on Friday night, Brookfield Central boys coach Mark Adams had one main goal for his team.
"Our theme all week was just to battle," Adams said. "If it meant getting there on a closeout, if it meant getting there in defensive position, it if meant getting there to set a good screen, it was just to battle. If something didn't work, then win the next battle."
Adams got his wish, as his Lancers indeed battled the powerful Wildcats every step of the way before losing a tough 47-43 decision at Greenfield High School.
After trailing early by as many as 13 points, Central came back and actually held the lead on several occasions in the second half.
Hamilton (19-3) went ahead twice late in the fourth quarter, but the Lancers tied it at 41-41 on a clutch 3-point goal from senior guard Alex Diciaula and again at 43-43 on two free throws from sophomore forward Nick Olson with 1 minute, 30 seconds left.
Junior guard Kiwane Crowder put Hamilton ahead 45-43 when he nailed a shot from the left corner with 1:15 remaining. Central then missed two shots at tying the game and junior forward Jalonie Parks was fouled and hit both free throws for the Wildcats to make it 47-43 with 16.1 seconds left.
The Lancers then missed three shots in the final seconds.
"Boy, we had chances," Adams said. "We put ourselves in a position to win the game, and that's all you can ask for."
The defeat ended a strong late-season run for Central, which rallied from a 7-9 start to finish 14-11 by winning seven of its last nine games.
That resiliency and comeback spirit were in evidence all night against Hamilton, which tried for an early knockout punch. Junior forward Darnell Harris tallied nine points and Parks added six as the Wildcats jumped ahead, 20-10, after the first period.
The lead went to 28-15 on a three-point play by Parks midway through the second period, but then Central started its comeback.
Sophomore forward Seth Mortag, sophomore guard Jason Meichtry and junior forward Nick Hubbard all scored to bring Central within 28-21 by the half.
The Lancers then scored the first nine points of the third period, highlighted by a 3-point shot and two free throws by Diciaula, to go ahead, 30-28. Hamilton, meanwhile, was held without a point for about seven minutes by Central's 1-2-2 zone defense.
"We talked about the first three minutes of the second half," Adams said, "and we just came out like gangbusters. We kept saying, push the ball. I really felt like in the second quarter, when we were pushing the ball, that they (the Wildcats) were tired. We wanted to just keep pushing that tempo."
Central took a 33-30 lead, but Parks then turned in one of the biggest plays of the game, turning a missed Hamilton shot into a putback and three-point play at the third-period buzzer, tying it at 33-33.
Olson scored from the lane to put Central up 38-36, but Hamilton responded with five straight points to go ahead 41-38. Diciaula tied it with a 3-pointer at the 3:20 mark, setting up the drama of the final minutes.
Diciaula finished with 16 points, 11 in the second half, while Mortag added 10. "He was active around the basket, and he was active defensively too," Adams said of Mortag. "We need him on both ends of the floor."
The Lancers earned the respect of Hamilton coach Tom Diener, he of the five WIAA state championships. "Brookfield Central is a very good team," Diener said. "Those kids are used to winning, and it's a program that's used to going down to state. Those kids always come to play. They've very smart and well-coached. That 1-2-2 zone they play, it's tough."
Adams was also proud of the way his team played down the stretch this season. "(We were) playing at a completely different level of basketball than early in the year," he said. "It's amazing how it will suddenly just kick in. I can't even say why, but you're thankful that it does."
STREAKY SEASON
Here is a brief breakdown of Brookfield Central's 2009-10 season, which ended at 14-11:
START: lost three of four games, then won four straight
MIDDLE: went 2-6
END: finished 7-1 before loss to Hamilton, outscoring opponents by average of 62.9 to 55.8
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