It didn't come without some drama, but Crane kept its date with history in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 1A boys basketball final Saturday night at Baker High School.
The second-seeded Mustangs were pushed to the limit by No. 1 Mannahouse Academy of Portland in a much-anticipated showdown, but made enough clutch plays in the fourth quarter to win 45-42 and capture their fourth consecutive state championship.
Crane joins 6A Jesuit (2009-12) and 6A West Linn (2013-16) as the only teams in state history to win four titles in a row. By completing a 30-0 season, the Mustangs also set the state record with a 57-game winning streak, surpassing Oakland, which won 56 in a row from 1999 to 2001.
“Me and my teammates are really close, and for us to do it together means a lot,” said Crane senior post Cody Siegner, who was a part of teams that went 121-2 in the last four seasons. “We always talked about it, playing playground basketball when you're eight years old, we're going to go all four years winning it. But you never really know for sure until it's actual reality.”
The Mustangs, who started five seniors, went out by leaving a big impression on the history books.
“That's not what we set out to do, but that's sweet,” coach Eric Nichols said. “That's the cream on the hot chocolate, the cherry on top. Sweet and awesome for these kids to be recognized for all that great stuff. That's secondary, but that's super cool.”
If that wasn't enough, for the third time in four seasons, Crane's boys and girls teams won state championships on the same night. The boys followed the girls' state title win over Union.
Trailing Mannahouse Academy 36-32 early in the fourth quarter, Crane cranked up its defense and went on a 9-0 run to lead 41-36 with 3:52 remaining. Senior forward Joah Friedrichsen hit a three-pointer, senior forward Josh Zander made two free throws, Zander drove for a dunk and Siegner hit a jumper in the surge.
“It wasn't a thing of beauty,” Nichols said of the run. “They battled through so much. It was just super gritty, just super down-and-dirty, physical basketball. That's good stuff.”
After Mannahouse Academy senior forward Owen Osborn made a jumper to cut the lead to 41-38 with 1:15 left, Crane made four free throws – three by Siegner – and came up with stops to lead 45-38. Lions senior Mattias Tonning hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.
“We just kind of fell back on what we've done in the past,” Siegner said. “We've been in this situation before, so we just fell back on everything we've worked on up to this point. We worked together and got through it.”
The Mustangs' response was no surprise to Nichols.
“Those boys have been in those pressure situations, and we trust each other,” Nichols said. “I trust them and they came through. Mannahouse is so good. What a great game plan they had.”
The 6-foot-7 Siegner led Crane with 15 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. Friedrichsen scored 12 points (three three-pointers) and Zander made up for 1-for-8 shooting with a strong all-around game of four points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Senior Caleb Dickinson had a team-high 16 points, seven rebounds and two steals for Mannahouse Academy (28-4), which shot 30.9 percent from the field, including 2 for 18 on three-pointers.
The Lions, who moved to 1A after making the 2A semifinals last year, were going for their first title since winning the 1A crown in 2013, when they were known as City Christian.
In the first meeting between the teams this season Jan. 3 in a tournament at Salem Academy, Crane won 57-53, which was its closest margin of victory entering the tournament.
Mannahouse Academy was hopeful that 6-10 senior Joshua Louka, who missed the first game with Crane with an ankle sprain, would help counter the interior presence of Siegner. But Louka was plagued by foul trouble and finished with four points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes.
The Lions led 36-35 in the fourth quarter when senior point guard Nolan Schweiss was called for an offensive foul and technical foul, resulting in his disqualification. Zander made the ensuing two free throws to put Crane ahead for good, 37-36, with 5:30 remaining.
Crane led 26-25 at half. The Mustangs went up 25-16 on a three-pointer by Friedrichsen in the second quarter, but Mannahouse Academy answered with a 9-0 run to draw even at 25-25 with 1:18 left in the half.
jerryu@osaa.org
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