By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
It took some overtime heroics, but the Cair Paravel Latin boys kept their win streak – and their hopes to make the school’s first-ever state tournament appearance – alive Wednesday. The Lions edged Doniphan West 52-45 to advance to the Class 2A sub-state finals.
The Lions overcame illness, bumps and bruises and foul trouble, but they almost didn’t overcome an ugly first half that found them in a 20-14 hole.
Cair Paravel finally found its footing in the third period, but Doniphan West continued to trade blows with the home team. The Lions trailed 38-33 with one quarter left to extend the season.
Senior Caleb Cleverdon dropped a couple of big shots to help the Lions close the fourth-period gap. Missed free throws by the Mustangs opened the door, and the Lions tied the score at 42-42 in the final minute to send it to overtime.
Lucas Marichal, frequently the Lions’ top scorer, scored just three points in regulation and spent much of the game on the bench, weakened by a recent illness. But when the opportunity presented itself in overtime, the senior knew he had to step up.
“I’ve been fever-free since Monday, but I haven’t been full strength,” said Marichal, who missed school and practice on Tuesday and was held from the starting lineup Wednesday. “I’d been pretty low energy, pretty fatigued for most of the game.
“When I got subbed out in the fourth quarter with about two or three minutes left, I was like ‘Dang, is this really it? Is my season going to end with me on the bench being sick?’ ”
The Lions’ desperation increased when sophomore Caleb Hastert, the team’s leading scorer with 13, fouled out with 3:03 remaining in overtime. Marichal began finding creases in the Mustang defense and hit two driving floaters. He then hit two foul shots to give Cair Paravel a 48-44 lead.
“We just needed to score. It was, win the game and move on, or if we lose, you know, I never get to play basketball with these guys again,” Marichal said. “I realized that we needed to get some shots going. So, I just took it to the rim a couple of times and got some takes to go in. We figured it out because good teams find a way to win games.”
The Lions’ defense held Doniphan West to just four points in the fourth quarter and three in the overtime period, paving the way for the comeback.
“It’s technically March, so crazy things happen in March,” said Cair Paravel coach Chip Kueffer. “That was certainly not the way you want to start a game. But I’m proud of the grit they showed to finish it.”
Cair Paravel entered the game on an 18-game winning streak, seeded first in its eight-team bracket. Kueffer said the Lions might have been affected by the importance of the moment.
“I think jitters (bothered us), for certain,” Kueffer said. “I think (Doniphan West) is a good team. They hit shots, they pop you in the mouth and you’re kind of dizzy for a little bit. It felt like when we did hit shots, they responded really quickly. In the third quarter we tried to make a run there, then they’d respond with another three-pointer.
“I felt like we finally played like us in the fourth quarter. We started to pressure them a little bit. We felt like we could see the finish line. All right, probably better empty the gas tank now.”
Following Hastert’s 13 points was Cleverdon with 11 and Marichal with nine. Drew Fay and Blaine Durbin each contributed eight.
The Lions will travel to neutral-site Mission Valley Saturday to face St. Marys with a state tournament berth on the line. Cair Paravel has only reached the sub-state final round once previously, a heartbreaking 58-57 loss to Troy in 2022.
Kueffer reflected on the now 19-game win streak and the character required to win some of those close games.
“You’ve got to win when you play bad,” the third-year coach said. “And we certainly did that today. We played bad, but I was proud of the resilience that our captains showed.
“There have been a lot of one, two possession basketball games. So, I’m really proud of our senior class. There’s a lot of games we could have very easily lost. And so, you kind of start to develop that identity as seniors of, ‘Maybe we’re winners. If we’re winning close games, maybe we can be competitive. Maybe we can be winners.’ ”
CAIR PARAVEL BOYS 52, DONIPHAN WEST 45
Doniphan West 8 12 18 4 3 -- 45
Cair Paravel 8 6 19 9 10 -- 52
Doniphan West (13-12) – Ko. Peterson 5-9 0-0 11, Albers 2-3 0-4 4, Keller 0-5 0-0 0, Veach 4-14 0-0 12, Ke. Peterson 1-7 2-4 4, Shelton 5-10 0-0 14, Paolino 0-0 0-0 0, Harring 0-0 0-0 0. Totals17-48 2-8 45.
Cair Paravel (22-2) – Gossard 1-4 1-2 3, Hastert 5-14 0-0 13, Durbin 3-6 2-6 8, Cleverdon 4-7 0-0 11, Fay 3-9 2-4 8, Marichal 3-6 3-6 9. Totals 19-46 8-18 52.
3-point goals – Doniphan West 9 (Veach 4, Shelton 4, Ko. Peterson 1), Cair Paravel 6 (Hastert 3, Cleverdon 3). Total fouls – Doniphan West 18, Cair Paravel 12. Fouled out – Hastert. Technical fouls – Harring.
