Division 4 will have a new champion crowned later this month after Warren JFK knocked off last year's winner in Cornerstone Christian 75-72 in a back-and-forth bout on Friday.

The Eagles and first year coach Marc Komlanc will travel to Canton on Tuesday to face a local foe in McDonald. 

At First:

Officials seized control of the game early on and the fouls on the scoreboard tallied up to 16 total midway through the opening quarter. 

Cornerstone junior Mike Bothwell took advantage of the quick whistles and completed an old fashioned three-point play after putting in his own miss. The Patriots held on to just a one point lead as a result of JFK junior Alec Burzynski drilling a late three to make it a single possession game after one quarter of play.

The defending state champs picked up the pace to begin the second quarter and their pressure on the defensive end resulted in a pair of quick buckets.

Realizing that there was no one on the floor to protect the rim, Coach Komlanc subbed 6'6 Antonio McQueen back in the game for his Eagles squad after picking up his second foul. The athletic senior made an immediate impact in the paint, grabbing a handful of his 11 rebounds and altering shots around the bucket.

With their defensive anchor back in the lineup, JFK was able to hang around and back to back high wire finishes from Nate Woods knotted things up at 31, setting the table for a major shift in momentum. 

Turning Point:

Despite having a Cornerstone defender draped all over him, Justin Boffenkamp's halfcourt heave fell through the net just as time expired and his team ran back to the locker room up 34-33.

Another scoop shot for Woods followed up by a two-hand throwdown for McQueen forced the crowd onto their feet and added fuel to the fire for the Eagles who were ready to play coming out of the break.

Cornerstone found themselves on the ropes heading into the final frame after a 21-11 quarter went in favor of JFK.

Bothwell, last year's Division 4 Player of the Year as a sophomore,  single handily erased the Cornerstone deficit. The smooth lefty sent his defender out of the picture with a filthy crossover and he had just enough space to knock down third triple of the night en route to matching his career-high with 41 points.

Woods, who was having a solid night of his own, received a baseline feed from McQueen and put in a circus shot of his own to put his team up seven with 1:16 left in the game.

Ultimately, there wouldn't be enough time for Cornerstone to overcome a slow second half start and the Eagles out of Warren were able to knock off a talented and experienced team that many thought were on the road to repeating.  

Standout Performers:

The duo of Boffenkamp and Woods combined to score over half of their team's points, 17 and 23 respectively, taking advantage of the smaller Cornerstone frontcourt. It was Boffenkamp's hail mary right before the half that sparked a third quarter run and opened the door for Woods to get in a groove.

Cornerstone junior Mike Bothwell will have one more crack at it next season to repeat last year's run. The 6'3 wing has a knack for putting on his version of the Superman cape come playoff time and I don't expect that to change in his final year with the Patriots. His 40-point game marks the second consecutive year that he has reached that mark in the regional tournament.