CENTERBURG — A slight shift in defensive philosophy turned the Johnstown boys basketball team into a explosive volcano.
The Johnnies stopped gambling defensively late in the second quarter and turned a four-point deficit into an 18-point lead as quickly as a volcanic mountain can blow its top. That stretch helped the Johnnies sting host Centerburg, 55-35, in a Division III boys basketball tournament game Friday night.
“At the quarter, I spoke to the guys about defensively quit gambling so much and just really lock in. Play your position, as far as moving our feet,” said Johnstown coach Kevin Eckenrode. “Offensively, we put Gavin Foe on the blocks and we were able to pull their bigs away from the basket and had some success there.”
That’s when Gavin Foe took over.
Foe scored on a layup, hit a three-pointer, then hammered down a dunk at the buzzer to lift the Johnnies to a 27-22 lead at intermission.
“Gavin has been flying under the radar. His upside is just tremendous,” Eckenrode said. “That (dunk) was huge momentum wise. When our guys came into the locker room, we had to settle them down a little bit because they were so fired up. That was a tremendous momentum swing going into halftime.”
The Johnnies came out swinging in the third quarter, making 7 of 8 shots from the field. The only miss was a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Johnstown (17-7) also turned up the heat defensively, holding Centerburg to just four points on 2 of 11 shooting.
The Johnnies never looked back.
“They are a really good basketball team. They are strong and big and do things right,” said Centerburg coach Sky Brusco. “We had our shots, we just couldn’t put it in the basket. I thought maybe we shot the ball too quickly.”
Foe finished the night with 22 points, seven rebounds and three steals to lead the Johnnies. Jake Lusk added 14 points and eight assists, while Derek Foe had 12 points and eight rebounds.
Centerburg was led by Carter Jones, who scored 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Jones finished his junior year just four points away from 1,000 for his career.
Hayden Hankinson added seven points, while Mick Mead and Landon Griffith had five points each. Mead also handed out three assists and had two steals for the Trojans.
The game was the final one in high school for Hankinson, Hayden Sutton and Andrew Waddell.
“Those are great kids and great leaders with great integrity,” Brusco said. “They got to go out with a league championship. There’s nothing better than that.”
The Johnnies will advance to the district semifinals Tuesday where they will play the winner of Bishop Ready and Northridge.