Class of '66 Old Fart

And the 44 historical upsets apply to them as well.

The dreaded 5 seed.   44 times the 5 seed has been upset.   This link give you the number of upsets that have occurred as you start to fill out your brackets.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Men's_Division_I_Basketball_Championship_upsets

Expecting any minute to hear UCLA is a 3 seed the way the Pac 12 is getting schmoozed.

Brian Rosenthal ‏@HuskerExtraBR 4m4 minutes ago Lincoln, NE Look, CBS, we've already lost one hour today ....

The Valspar Open is going into OT and it's a helluva lot more interesting than Charles Barkley.  :laugh:

I don't follow Warsaw basketball so I have no idea what kind of offense they typically run but they've only lost 1 game, so they're doing something right.  Yes, it was only 13 - 9 at halftime, but Warsaw scored 33 points in the 2nd half, so clearly they didn't play stall ball the entire game.  My take is they wanted to prevent Crown Point from getting into any kind of rhythm with outside shooting and it worked.

Lunardi's latest has us as #4 in Denver vs. UNC WIlmington.  Game 2 would be against the winner of California vs. Arkansas Little-Rock.   http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology

It may not be exciting, but it doesn't bother me.  It takes a degree of basketball talent to control the ball for extended minutes without making a careless mistake especially with 16 - 18 year olds who play NBA style on the playground.  On the other side of the coin, if you can't put enough pressure on the defensive side to force mistakes or you give up easy back door lay-ups, then you're not that talented or well-coached on the defensive side of the ball.  I've seen McCutcheon play numerous games and while they don't play stall ball, they can be a wonderfully patient team with sharp crisp passing and very few turnovers.  I find it refreshing to watch vs. the cross mid-court, make 1 or 2 passes and heave up a 3.

  Another newspaper account of the championship game:  http://www.aurorasentinel.com/sports/preps/boys-basketball-overlandeaglecrest/

When his pro career ends, wouldn't he make a great assistant coach and lead recruiter?

Great game plan by Warsaw and they really stuck it to Crown Point.  Great match-up next weekend with Warsaw vs. McCutcheon and Robert Phinisee for the semi-state.   MICHIGAN CITY --- "This is boring! This is boring!" As Warsaw painstakingly held the basketball in the first half of Saturday's Class 4A Michigan City Regional championship, the Crown Point student section implored the Tigers to pick up the pace. But Warsaw didn't get to 25-1 and one win from the state finals by being anything but patient on offense. The Tigers secured an early eight-point lead and put the game in the deep freeze, icing the frustrated Bulldogs with their deliberate style that carried them to a 46-33 triumph and a trip to semistate and a matchup with McCutcheon. "A team like us, we're up five, it's like 15," Tigers point guard Paul Marendet said. "It's hard to come back. That's our game. We frustrate the opposition. We just want to win, whatever it takes. They can not like how we play. That's fine, but we're regional champs." Marendet set the plan in motion, slow motion that is, scoring the Tigers' first 10 points to stake them to a 10-2 second-quarter advantage over cold-shooting C.P. "That's it right there," Bulldogs coach Clint Swan said. "We had to get off to a better start. They're a really good team. They're 25-1 for a reason. They mentally wear you down. Our style being what it is, we have to make shots and they didn't go down. We missed shots we normally hit. We were tired, but that's no excuse. They were tired, too." The Bulldogs went 1 of 10 from the field in the first eight minutes and 3-of-16 for the half, including nothing of seven from the arc, yet managed to stay within four with a football-like 13-9 halftime score. "I liked where we were at," Swan said. "The start of the first and third quarters did us in. We got off to another slow start. You have to seize the opportunities."   But it didn't Kyle Mangas warmed up quickly following an 0-for-5 start. burying three third-quarter treys and C.P. along with it. He notched 11 Warsaw points and the margin quickly went to 10 as the Bulldogs (19-9) continued to misfire. Crown Point picked up the pace, pressing and trapping, but Warsaw kept it at bay with free throws, 16 of 19 in the fourth quarter, the very method that helped the 'Dogs reach this point. "They make you pay the price," Swan said. "The times we did turn them over, we couldn't convert them into made shots. It's a tough place to be, behind a team like that." Mangus booked all 18 of his points in the second half. Marendet scored the same. No other Tiger had more than three. Grant Gelon topped C.P. with nine, all coming on fourth-quarter triples. The 'Dogs shot 12 of 47, that aided by a loose final few minutes, and was 4 of 28 (14 percent) from the arc. C.P., which lost 77-74 in last year's final to South Bend Riley, was playing for its first regional title since 1998, the only team it has advanced that far in the tournament. "Special," Swan said of his graduating group. "This senior class was in third grade when I came here. It's the first group to come up all the way through our youth league to their senior year. We were in a bad place when they were freshmen. Brick by brick, they built us back up. I'm gonna miss 'em. I'm hoping the younger kids took a lot of notes because that's how you do it." Warsaw's last regional title came in 2010, when it was state runner-up. Given their method of play, the Tigers were no stranger to suspense this season, winning 10 games by single digits. Five of those came in overtime, including a 42-38 victory over Lake Central and the regional semifinal against Riley. Warsaw also topped LaPorte 53-48. Its sole regular-season loss was to Carmel.

Full account of the regional championship game:  http://www.newsandtribune.com/sports/class-a-seymour-regional-bulldogs-win-first-regional-title-since/article_68fda80a-e8e9-11e5-8121-bbe3fb3ae9ed.html   Key paragraphs: Langford shot 14-of-26 from the field, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, distributed four assists and had two steals. “Langford is as good as advertised. He’s phenomenal,” Reitz head coach Michael Adams said. “We didn’t do a very good job on him. He’s really good, but we just didn’t get a body on him and we let him have free runs to the basket. He killed us on the boards obviously. He’s special and we just didn’t have an answer for him.” For the day, Langford combined to score 71 points. He poured in a game-high 34 in the Bulldogs triumph over Bloomington South. Langford passed current Bulldog assistant coach and former standout guard Derick Hobbs for fourth place on the school’s all-time scoring. Langford now has 1,229 career points. He needs eight points to overtake former Bulldog center Donnie Hale for third. Hale had 1,236 points during his New Albany career from 2006-10.

Pitino's seat getting warmer and warmer.   http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/14951432/three-former-louisville-basketball-recruits-told-ncaa-investigators-attended-stripper-parties-had-sex-them Source: Louisville recruits told NCAA about sex, stripper parties LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- At least three former University of Louisville men's basketball recruits have confirmed to NCAA investigators that they attended parties inside an on-campus dorm where strippers danced for them and prostitutes were paid to have sex with them, a source close to the NCAA investigation told Outside the Lines. The source said the three former Louisville recruits met with NCAA investigators in October and November. Chuck Smrt, the person hired by the University of Louisville to monitor the progress of the NCAA's investigation, also attended those meetings. "There's no question this stuff happened," the source said. "There's no question the people at the University of Louisville know this happened. Katina Powell is not an admirable person, but she told the truth."   Ex-Louisville recruit: 'Like I was in a strip club' Five ex-Louisville basketball players and recruits told OTL of parties at a dorm from 2010 to '14 that included strippers paid for by the team's graduate assistant coach. Source: Pitino, NCAA to discuss scandal in April Louisville coach Rick Pitino is slated to meet with NCAA officials for the first time regarding allegations of sex parties involving players and recruits at a team dormitory, a source told ESPN.   The recruiting and sex scandal first came to light in October, when Powell, 43, a self-described former escort, detailed the recruiting parties in the book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen." According to Powell, from 2010 to 2014, Andre McGee, a former Louisville graduate assistant and later director of basketball operations, paid her roughly $10,000 to supply dancers and escorts to parties that occurred inside Billy Minardi Hall, the on-campus dorm that houses basketball players and other athletes. Those parties, Powell said, were primarily designed to lure basketball recruits to the Louisville program. A person familiar with the NCAA enforcement process told Outside the Lines that, based on the statements from the three players to the NCAA, the Louisville program might have violated NCAA rules on impermissible benefits to players and/or shown a lack of institutional control. "If you've got three [recruits], that's a slam dunk" to put together a case, the source said. "That's the enforcement staff's dream." Both sources spoke to Outside the Lines on the condition of anonymity, citing the on-going NCAA investigation. In October, five former University of Louisville basketball players and recruits told Outside the Lines that they attended the recruiting parties. One former recruit, who went on to play at Louisville, said that he had sex with a dancer after McGee paid her. Another recruit, who ultimately signed to play elsewhere, said of the parties: "I knew they weren't college girls. It was crazy. It was like I was in a strip club." It's not clear whether any of those five players have spoken to NCAA investigators. The three recruits who met with NCAA investigators also provided information about the amount of money they were given by McGee at the parties to tip the dancers who stripped, the source close to the investigation said. "It's a pathetic story," the source said. "McGee gave the players a stack of dollar bills ranging from $200 to $500. Everybody in the room got the money -- the recruits and the current members of the team. Not only that, but McGee himself had his own stack of dollar bills. If this guy's spending $2,000 to $3,000 on a recruiting weekend, where's this money coming from?" Outside the Lines spoke briefly this month with McGee in Kansas City, where he is working as a driver for the car service Uber. When asked where the money came from to pay for the recruiting parties, McGee responded by saying, "You can talk to my lawyer for any questions." When asked if there was anything he wanted to say to clear his name, McGee added: "My name will be cleared. I just need you to talk to my lawyer." McGee's Louisville-based attorney, Scott Cox, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, athletic director Tom Jurich and school president James R. Ramsey have declined to be interviewed by Outside the Lines. On Thursday, a source told ESPN's Dana O'Neil that Pitino will be interviewed by the NCAA in April. Pitino has repeatedly said he knew nothing about the parties with strippers and escorts. "I can't find one person, not one, that knew anything about it," a visibly angry Pitino said in January. During that same media session, Pitino said he was "pissed off at ESPN" for giving Powell a forum. He went on to acknowledge McGee's apparent involvement. "Did one person do some scurrilous things? I believe so. What I know now, I believe so," Pitino said. In early February, the University of Louisville self-imposed a one-year postseason ban, preventing this season's Cardinals team from playing in the NCAA tournament. Ramsey, the university president, acknowledged at the time that it was "reasonable to conclude [NCAA] violations have occurred in the past." Even so, Pitino has questioned several elements of Powell's story, including the amount of money she says McGee provided to dancers and escorts and whether Powell even wrote the journals that formed the foundation of her book. "Rick made it personal," Powell said in an interview this week for Outside the Lines. "I may not have come from the same side of the tracks that you come from, but only thing that makes us different is money." Pitino is far from alone in questioning Powell's story. Twelve plaintiffs have signed onto a civil lawsuit filed against Powell in Jefferson County, Kentucky, Circuit Court. The complaint names Powell, her publisher, Indianapolis Business Journal Book Publishing and the book's author, former Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Dick Cady, as defendants. Six women suing Powell appear in a photo in Powell's book. The photo was used without the women's permission, said Nader Shunnarah, the attorney for the plaintiffs. Another plaintiff, a Louisville barber, claims Powell lied in the book when she indicated his barbershop was the place she had met Paul Puryear, the man who Powell said had introduced her to Andre McGee. "We believe there was dancing, and possibly stripping, but I can tell you that we have six women who deny that there was prostitution," Shunnarah said. "I hired [Powell] for a few bachelor parties, and that's it," Puryear told Outside the Lines in October. When asked if he ever organized parties at Minardi Hall, Puryear said, "No, sir," and hung up the phone. Shunnarah said the barbershop where Powell claims she met Puryear didn't even open until 2013, more than two years after Powell allegedly began supplying dancers and escorts to the University of Louisville. Powell's attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the case. A hearing is scheduled for March 30. The University of Louisville police continue to investigate the case, according to a school spokesperson. Though Powell has yet to speak with police, she and her attorney, Larry Wilder, did meet Monday for a second time with NCAA investigators.  "They've spent a lot of time trying to, I think, discern who provided the funds to pay for the parties," Wilder said, when asked about the focus of NCAA investigators. "I think that they conclude, much like Ms. Powell has said, that certainly Mr. McGee did not have the financial wherewithal to fund these events that were taking place in Minardi Hall." When asked about the degree to which Pitino has taken responsibility for the issues within his program, the source with knowledge of the NCAA investigation told ESPN: "He's not accepting any responsibility over several years. This is not a guy who is turning his head to academic fraud; this is much worse than that. If any other coach was connected to this story, by now he'd have already been fired." Producer Caitlin Stanco of ESPN's Enterprise and Investigative Unit contributed to this report.

What an outstanding young man.   Victor Oladipo Honored for Strong Commitment to Deaf Children, Orlando Community by Jared Zwerling in Community March 11, 20160 Comments A- A A+ (Photo courtesy of Victor Oladipo's Instagram) 2 Magic guard Victor Oladipo has dreams of starting his own basketball camp for deaf children. One of his older sisters, Kendra, became deaf when she was in the second grade, and Oladipo has made helping those with hearing disorders an emphasis in his extensive charity work. For his commitment to the Central Florida community, Oladipo received the 2015-16 Rich & Helen DeVos Community Enrichment Award at the 26th Annual Orlando Magic Youth Foundation Black Tie & Tennies Gala, which was held this past week at the Amway Center. The honor, which Oladipo also received last year, highlights a Magic player who has dedicated his efforts off the court for the purpose of enhancing others’ lives. For the recognition, the third-year player was also granted $50,000 from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation to donate to a charity of his choice. “Giving back is what I do,” Oladipo said at the event, which included more than 700 guests for an evening of different auctions and interactions with Magic players and front-office members. “I just love it. I just wake up thinking about it. It’s just something that I want to do that’s real deep in my heart. I believe that God put me in this position for a reason, and it’s my duty and obligation to give back to everybody and try to change people’s lives. And that’s what I try to do every day.” Oladipo, who was named the NBA’s Community Assist Award winner in December, visited children last summer at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf—on the campus of Gallaudet University—where Kendra is now a substitute teacher. This season, he hosted a holiday party for deaf children at the UCF Listening Center, enjoying arts and crafts, face painting and karaoke with the kids. He also donated money to the expanding establishment, which opened in 2013. Kendra has always been little brother’s source of inspiration. “I saw my sister struggle, real-life struggles,” Oladipo said. “She wasn’t born hearing impaired, but she had to change her life drastically. So I feel like me giving back to [UCF] is kind of like me giving back to her. That one was really special to me. I actually got a chance to bring her and my mom out here for that, so it was really special.” Here are other ways Oladipo has left an imprint on the Orlando area this season: Served breakfast at the Coalition for the Homeless on Thanksgiving Surprised one family in need with a new Kia car over the holidays Participated with service men, women and their families in a Hoops for Troops service project Surprised YMCA youth at a Magic holiday basketball camp Took part in the Magic FIT Kid Celebrity Chef Showdown to stress staying active and eating healthy Provides tickets for underprivileged youth to attend Magic games Greets terminally-ill children before games in support of the Magic Makers program, which grants wishes for kids with life-threatening conditions “There’s a lot of eyes looking up to me,” Oladipo said of his involvement with children. “When a kid comes up [to me] and says I’m their favorite player, it’s still kind of crazy to me. It’s hard to fathom that there are people looking up to me, so I have to lead by example.”

Warsaw defeats Crown Point 46 - 33.  Gelon with 9 pts. on 3 of 8 on 3's; Stefanovic with 3 pts.     In the 2 games played today, Paul Marindet of Warsaw hit 28 of 29 foul shots.

McCutcheon defeats Homestead 85 - 66.  Broadcast ended without giving any individual stats but I know that Phinisee at one time had hit 9 of 10 free throws in the 4th Q.   McCutcheon plays the winner of Warsaw vs. Crown Point in the semi-state next Saturday.

New Albany defeats Ev. Reitz 84 - 70   Langford with 37 pts. and 14 reb.   New Albany faces Southport next Saturday in a semi-state game.

Warsaw playing stall ball and lead Crown Point at halftime 13 - 9.  Marindet for Warsaw with 10 of Warsaw's 13.  Kenneally with 4 and Stefanovic with 3 for Crown Point.

At the half, New Albany leads Ev. Reitz  41 - 31.  Langford with 17 pts.; 15 of them in the 2nd Q.

If true, seems odd that the family wouldn't have already made CTC aware of their plans.  And if so, still odder that JBJ is still involved with the team as recently as our last regular season game against MD.  If he had made the coaching staff aware of his plans, can't imagine many coaches who wouldn't cut the cord at that moment especially if the move was to a D-1 level school and one that could be a direct competitor.  Also, most schools would announce the fact immediately rather than allow it to 'grow legs' via social media.  How is CTC to respond if asked the question directly?  Or any member of the team for that matter?   Not saying the story isn't true, but my advancing years make me skeptical of how it seems to be playing out.

To me, a transfer elsewhere only makes sense if the rehab hasn't gone well and it's clear he's not going to be able to physically play at the same level.     And for the record, I'm now over 2,000 posts and still haven't received my commemorative t-shirt for my 1,000th post!!  :P

All is not necessarily well in Westwood and doesn't it sound amazingly like another school we all know and love?   Big buyout and highly-rated class likely buy Alford another year Jerry Meyer - Mar 11, 1:27 PM UCLA ended its dismal season in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament with an embarrassing 95-71 loss to crosstown rival USC. It's no surprise a 15-17 record is not sitting well with the Bruins fan base. There are calls for Steve Alford's ouster even after consecutive Sweet 16 finishes. But an enormous buyout and a loaded rerouting class should keep Alford safe for at least one more year.   About that buyout: $10.6 million is steep price to remove a coach, especially for a public institution. That buyout amount alone would likely be enough protection with Alford having reasonable success in three seasons in Westwood. Add an incoming recruiting class ranked No. 4 in the 247Sports Composite Recruiting Rankings and No. 1 in the Pac-12, and it appears likely that Alford will have the opportunity to coach these recruits as freshmen.   Although the program is at quite a low point, there are two five-star prospects in UCLA's recruiting class that could turn Alford’s fortunes around. Jumbo point guard Lonzo Ball, all 6-foot-6 of him, has won multiple Player of the Year awards for leading Chino Hills High School to an undefeated record and No. 1 ranking in the country, all while averaging a triple-double. The best passer I’ve scouted in my 13 years in this business, Ball is expected to take over the point guard position next season. This would free Bryce Alford up to play shooting guard and focus on what he does best, which is score from the perimeter.   The other five-star recruit, T.J. Leaf is a highly skilled 6-foot-9 power forward who can also play at center for the Bruins. Like Ball, Leaf is a likely starter. And like Ball, he is a cerebral player with the talent to push UCLA to the top of the Pac-12. Also included in the recruiting class is a four-star center Ike Anigbogu. Physical and athletic, he could contribute with defense and rebounding as a freshman. Down the road, he could make an impact on the offensive end.   The fourth prospect in the class, Kobe Paras, is an upside prospect. The 6-foot-5 wing will likely see limited minutes next year. With Tony Parker as the only senior on this year’s roster, Alford will be expected to have a top-20 ranking type season, which has the markings of a do-or-die proposition for Alford going into his fourth season. But expect tension to remain high with boosters and fans. Another disappointing season, especially with the incoming talent, would likely be Alford’s last season with the Bruins, especially as the buyout decreases to $7.8 million.

In the category of can you believe this really happened? Tulane's Ed Conroy Heard He Got Fired in Middle of Upset, Players Overheard By Thomas Duffy , Featured Columnist Mar 12, 2016This is a cold world, people. Tulane head coach Ed Conroy found that out Friday during his team's upset victory over Houston in the American Athletic Conference quarterfinals. According to Conroy, "three guys behind the bench" told him he was fired, and his players overheard. After heading into halftime trailing 36-28, the No. 10-seeded Green Wave rallied to defeat second-seeded Houston 72-69. Following the upset, Conroy addressed the situation with the press (h/t NBC Sports): I know I had two guys behind the bench put their phone up and tell me "Hey, Coach you're gone." So that was fun when you're trying to come back from an eight-point deficit. But you know what? I talked to our guys about it before the game and what we have been saying all along, we are the madness.

McCutcheon stuns Carmel with late heroics Sam King, sking@jconline.com 2:55 p.m. EST March 12, 2016   LOGANSPORT — Eddy Collins is a young man of few words and fewer emotions. Saturday afternoon, after delivering a 25-footer to save McCutcheon’s season, the emotion was there but he still couldn’t put together the words to describe it. “I am speechless right now,” Collins said. “I can’t really make up words.” Fair enough, hero. Collins’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the volleyball line forced overtime and Darnell Butler sank a jumper with 2.1 seconds left to go to lift the Class 4A No. 4 Mavericks to a 56-54 victory over Carmel. McCutcheon (26-3) plays defending state champion Homestead (21-5), a 56-52 winner over Fort Wayne Carroll, in the 8 p.m. championship at the Berry Bowl. The loss avenges last season's regional semifinal setback to the Greyhounds (17-9). Coach Rick Peckinpaugh, who sweated out an 11-2 Carmel run to end the third quarter that had McCutcheon down 39-28 going into the fourth, has been doing this long enough that he can find the words his junior guard couldn’t. “We had another timeout and I was almost ready to call it to set up a last-second shot,” Peckinpaugh said. “I saw Eddy had it and I thought, ‘He can make it from anywhere on the court.’ It doesn’t matter where he shoots it from, it’s got a chance of going in and it did.” Trailing 52-49 with 10.4 seconds left, the sharpshooting Collins became the obvious choice for the last shot, especially with leading scorer Robert Phinisee fouled out of the game. Four minutes earlier, Collins hit a 3 from the wing that brought the Mavericks within 43-40 and delivered life into a fading McCutcheon student section. Collins finished with 11 points, hitting 3 of 5 3-pointers. Phinisee took control of the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points on 4 of 4 shooting. He finished with 15 points before fouling out. Butler started overtime with a jumper to give McCutcheon its first lead. Moments later, starting forward Charles Phinisee fouled out with nine points and six rebounds. After Carmel tied the game on a pair of free throws, McCutcheon nearly turned the ball over, but called timeout with 2:26 remaining. Desperate times called for desperate measures, as the cliché goes. Peckinpaugh’s Mavericks shunned their offense and made it a two-man game with Collins and Butler up top. Those two handled the ball flawlessly for nearly two-and-a-half minutes before Butler broke towards the basket, stepped back and drained a shot. “I was off balance, but it felt good,” said Butler, who finished with eight points. Carmel’s long pass was batted away by Haden Deaton, who was the lone bright spot in the first half when McCutcheon shot 6 of 22. Deaton finished with 15 points, but Butler, who saw his most playing time since injuring his ankle three weeks ago, was the difference maker. Along with his eight points and four rebounds, he was a defensive catalyst that helped force 13 Carmel turnovers. “We wouldn’t have won this game without him and we didn’t have him last week until the sectional championship game, but against Zionsville, he played a few minutes and wasn’t nearly 100 percent,” Peckinpaugh said. “We knew to beat the top teams in the state, we’d have to have Darnell and have him play well. Fortunately he did today.”

By Justin Sokeland TheHHCSports.com SEYMOUR – Clutch doesn’t ask for a birth certificate, or a superstar pedigree, or even a starter’s badge. It just asks, when the time arrives and the pressure is suffocating, when the season is at stake, if an athlete can perform under the intensity of the spotlight. Clutch found more worthy of admission to its privileged society in the opening game of the Class 4-A regional at Seymour on Saturday morning. Perhaps New Albany sophomore sensation Romeo Langford was already a card-carrying member, perhaps Bloomington South senior Tucker Blackwell has already been inducted. If not, they are now. So too is New Albany’s Rondale Moore, who was cool in the heat of the moment during a tense overtime. Blackwell buried a long jumper to force the extra session, the highlight of his 32 points, but Langford scored 34 and Moore drilled huge free throws in the final quarter and overtime as No.1 New Albany escaped with a 73-66 victory over the No.10 Panthers. New Albany advanced to the regional final to face Evansville Reitz, the defending champion and last year’s state runner-up. Reitz stormed back in the second semifinal to deck Franklin Central 81-80.   With its postseason fate hanging on every shot and decision, especially after a 13-point lead vanished into oblivion in the third quarter, New Albany needed heroes. Langford always has been one, and he came through again with 14 points (most from foul line) in the final 12 minutes. Moore, only a 64-perccent shooter from the line during the season, was targeted to prove himself and was 8 of 10 there late. “The kids that have to take a deep breath and go out there are young,” New Albany coach Jim Shannon said. “We made ‘em, didn’t we? We had sophomores going to that line. That’s crazy.” New Albany (24-1) had to prove itself when the lead – 33-20 after Langford started the third with a rebound of his own miss – disappeared. That magician was Blackwell, who was quiet during the first half but loud and aggressive during South’s stormy charge. Blackwell drilled two treys and scored 12 third-quarter points as South sliced the lead to 43-40. After New Albany opened the fourth with a Langford slam, South took advantage of Josh Jefferson’s fourth and fifth fouls (the latter on a technical) for a five-point possession with 6:04 left to draw even.   From that point, nothing was safe. “I thought we controlled the game for the most part, until we had a couple of calls not go our way and one of our kids lost his mind,” Shannon said. “All of a sudden, it’s a game. Pressure gets to some kids.” Pressure didn’t faze Blackwell. As his teammates kept fouling out, he kept popping jumpers, including a bomb with 12.5 seconds left for the 55-55 deadlock after regulation. “Blackwell was special today,” Shannon said. “We could have run two players at him like they did Romeo. Is he that good? He was that good today. He was making some tough shots.” New Albany reclaimed the upper hand in the overtime. Michael Maxwell’s layup (New Albany’s only field goal in the extra four minutes), and free throws by Adrian Pratt-Thomas and Langford gave the Bulldogs a 62-57 lead with 1:50 left. That started a trade-buckets-for-fouls parade. South kept sending Moore up there, and he kept delivering. So did Langford, who was 8-for-10 in the overtime. New Albany was 16 of 20 in the extra period, a whopping 37 of 49 overall. “You can’t guard Romeo at the free-throw line,” South coach J.R. Holmes said. “You can’t guard him anywhere, so I know we can’t guard him at the line. I don’t know what else we could do.”   South (21-5) became so dependent on Blackwell for its offense, and he had 27 of South’s 46 in the second half, including the gutsy shot that seniors are expected to take and make. Chance Coyle, one of four Panthers to foul out, totaled 10 points. “We showed a lot of toughness in the second half,” Holmes said. “If they are 1, we were 1-A today. I thought we battled them really hard.” Jefferson had 11 points, including three 3-pointers, before his departure. Moore had all 9 of his at the line. Langford did most of the rest, including 8 rebounds. He had 26 points, and missed only two shots, in the second half. “Romeo is as cool as a cucumber,” Shannon said. “It’s the tournament and we’re still young. We’re gaining experience as we go. “That was definitely a challenge. We’re just blessed to survive and move on. That’s all you can do, get to the next one and see what happens.” In the second semifinal, No.7 Reitz (22-4) rallied from a 58-33 deficit in the third quarter to stun Franklin Central (18-7). Blake Ruckman had 29 points and Dru Smith added 18 for the Panthers. Marcus Burk had 8 treys and 36 points for the Flashes, but his last-second shot rimmed off. That set up a rematch with the Bulldogs. Reitz had a similar rally against New Albany in last year’s regional semifinal, battling back for a 64-59 win. New Albany conquered Reitz 72-53 during the regular-season clash on Dec. 30 at New Albany.