Crane holds off Clark's furious late comeback for a crucial Red West win
Crane has two of the best players in the city in 6-6 senior Brad Blackman and 6-2 junior guard Jamier Montgomery. The Cougars opened the season just outside the Super 25 and had very high expectations internally. Things started slow against a challenging early schedule but Crane is clicking now with recent wins against Kenwood and Simeon.
Thursday’s crucial Red West conference matchup at Clark, a fellow Class 2A power, was a rollercoaster but the Cougars held on to win 68-60.
“We had some early season distractions and some issues internally that we had to deal with,” Crane coach Mekiel Posey said. “Once we got guys being consistent we started to put it together.”
Senior guard JR Swift, a transfer from Proviso East, has started to acclimate to Public League basketball and is making a major impact. He had 15 points and five rebounds for the Cougars (11-8, 3-3).
“[Swift] started slow but he’s been coming along,” Posey said. “He carried us for a stretch of games. He’s a lot more comfortable now.”
“It was a major change with this bigger atmosphere,” Swift said. “But I’m a lot more used to it now. The key is getting the ball to Brad Blackman.”
Blackman had 12 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. He’s one of the most reliable double-doubles in the city and an excellent shot blocker.
Crane led 54-30 after three quarters but Clark (15-4, 5-1) came surging back in the fourth quarter, scoring 30 points. Montgomery hit a key three to hold off the comeback and the Cougars were 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute.
“We just played together as brothers,” Montgomery said. “That’s how we pulled it out in that adversity.”
Montgomery is one of just a handful of promising college prospects in the Public League. He’s matured significantly since last season,
“It is just another year of experience under his belt,” Posey said. “He didn’t play freshman year so he’s behind and playing catch up. It is like on the job training for him.”
Montgomery finished with 25 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
“The game has slowed down a lot for me,” Montgomery said “I’m making better decisions and getting my teammates involved early.”
Clark was an unknown heading into the season but coach Terry Head’s team has been turning heads lately. The Eagles jumped out to 16-4 lead but then fell apart with a barrage of turnovers. Clark had 20 turnovers in the game.
Senior guard Jeremie George led Clark with 24 points and nine rebounds. Jamareon Rained added 18 points and junior Allen Robinson scored seven.
“For some reason we don’t get off to great starts,” Posey said. “That is something we have to work on. For a lot of guys it is the first time playing in an environment like this. Once we shake the jitters off we got some baskets to go in we were able to set up our defense.”
Crane, Clark, Hope Academy and Christ the King are all threats to win the Class 2A state title and are all in the same sectional, which doesn’t have a host yet.