Just being in the field wasn't going to be enough for this group of Wolverines.
Playing in its first District 9 boys basketball playoff game since returning from District 10 - a game four years in the making - Sheffield wouldn't be denied.
The Wolverines shook off a sluggish start, overcame several Venango Catholic rallies and advanced to Friday's District 9 Class A Quarterfinals with a 54-51 victory Wednesday over the Vikings at Sheffield Area High School.
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Times Observer photo by Allen Seybert
History in the making
Sheffield’s Mark Sprandle, left, Kalil Slaughter (12), George Fitch and Nick Bonavita, rear, celebrate on the court after the Wolverines’ 54-51 victory over Venango Catholic in the first round of the District 9 Class A boys basketball game Wednesday at Sheffield Area High School. The Wolverines advanced to the D-9 Class A quarterfinals Friday at Ridgway with a 54-51 win over the Vikings.
Sheffield will travel to Allegheny Mountain League Champion Ridgway at 7 p.m. Friday for the D-9 Class A Quarterfinals. Ridgway beat the Wolverines twice during the regular season - 73-36 on Jan. 10 at Sheffield and 76-44 on Feb. 3 in Ridgway.
This team's first playoff win will have special meaning to Sheffield coach Todd Fitch and his six seniors. According to Fitch, winning in the playoffs has been a goal the Wolverines have been aiming at for the past four years.
"These guys made a commitment four years ago to take Sheffield basketball into the playoffs and to win once they got there," said Fitch. "To watch them set that goal and to turn it into a reality is just incredible. I couldn't be happier for those kids in that locker room."
Fact Box
Sheffield previously played in District 9 in the 1950's, '60's and 70's prior to joining District 10 in 1977, and then joining District 9 again. Sheffield won five District 9 boys basketball titles between 1956 and 1965.
Fitch also credited the scores and scores of Sheffield faithful that packed the Ralph Santo Gymnasium.
"What a crowd," he said. "They were loud and they were energetic and our guys fed off that energy. They were a big reason why we were able to pull this one out tonight."
Sheffield guard Ike Nearing, who led the Wolverines with 15 points, was elated at what he and his teammates were able to accomplish on Wednesday.
"A lot of us guys have been playing together since third- or fourth-grade," said Nearing. "This win means a lot. The community came together and got behind us and the atmosphere was amazing tonight. I've never seen anything like it."
The win is the latest accomplishment in what has been a historic season for Sheffield boys athletics. In the fall, the football team qualified for the D-9 playoffs for the first time, and the basketball team did the same three months later after a return to District 9. In records obtained by the WTO, Sheffield previously played in District 9 in the 1950's, '60's and 70's prior to joining District 10, and then joining District 9 again.
While the football team struggled in a 40-0 loss to Moniteau, the eighth-seeded Wolverines were able to topple the ninth-seeded Vikings.
"On the football field, we were a little overwhelmed and maybe even satisfied with just making the playoffs," said guard Nick Bonavita. "That wasn't going to be enough for us tonight. We had the chance to do something that had never been done and we wanted to take advantage of that opportunity."
Early on, it didn't look like Sheffield's evening would end in such jubilation. The Vikings jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead and held the hosts without a point until the 3:16 mark of the opening stanza.
After Bonavita found Josh Anderson for an easy layup, the Wolverines offense started to find its rhythm. Aided by a couple of nice inside moves by George Fitch, Sheffield closed the quarter on a 10-2 run to lead by a point after a quarter.
Sheffield's pesky zone defense limited VC to mainly 3-point attempts early in the second and the Wolverines extended the lead to 14-9. Even after a 3-pointer by Garrett Hawkins got the Vikings within a pair, Nearing answered right back with a 3-pointer of his own to extend the lead back to five.
The Wolverines made sure they took the momentum into the break as well after Fitch hit a jumper and the defense came up with a stop in the closing seconds of the first half. Sheffield was on top, 23-17, after the first 16 minutes of play.
The tempo of the game picked up in the second half as Venango Catholic's shooting and a bevy of fouls called on Sheffield allowed the Vikings to crawl back into the game. The Wolverines were whistled for their seventh foul of the second half with 1:51 left in the third quarter - and before the Vikings had even been called for one.
Still, Sheffield clung to a lead of 36-35 as the final seconds ticked off the third quarter clock. With time winding down, Sheffield's Mark Sprandle stepped up and made the biggest shot of the night to that point, burying a three and making it 39-35 after three quarters.
Despite the VC rally, the Wolverines never allowed it to pull ahead.
"Keeping the lead allowed us to stay in our zone," said Fitch. "We knew they had a great inside game and playing the zone helped us take that away. If they were going to beat us, we were going to make them beat us from deep."
Momentum continued to seesaw back and forth during the final quarter and Sheffield led 42-38 with just over 4:30 to play. During the next 52 seconds, the Wolverines would get a clutch jumper from Sprandle and driving layups from Nearing and Bonavita to make it 48-38 with 3:38 to go.
The Vikings didn't go away. Leading scorer Ben Guth scored five quick points and Matt Kuhn hit an "NBA range" 3-pointer to get VC within 51-48 with 1:07 to play.
Neither team was able to score until just 38 seconds remained in the game when the Vikings were forced to foul Nearing. Nearing missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Kalil Slaughter came out of nowhere to grab the rebound.
Instead of pulling the ball out, Slaughter went up strong, scoring the hoop and extending the Sheffield lead to five, 53-48. During the Vikings' next trip down the floor, Kuhn was fouled shooting a three and the senior calmly made all three freebies to make it 53-51 with 0:17 left.
The Vikings fouled Sprandle and the senior guard made one of two to push the lead to three. The Vikings hurried up the floor and Guth got a good look at a game-tying shot with four seconds left, but it came up just short. The battle for the rebound resulted in a jump ball, giving Sheffield possession.
Sprandle was able to inbound the ball to Brendan Winslow who escaped the defense and dribbled out the clock, giving Sheffield the win.
Nearing's 15 points tied with Guth's 15 for the game-high. Sprandle added 14 points, Slaughter 10, Fitch six, Bonavita five and Anderson four. Fitch pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds and Nearing added seven boards and four assists.
"Ridgway is going to be a tough game on Friday, but right now I'm not even thinking about that," said Fitch. "I'm just so happy for those kids and this town. It's been a long time coming, but they did it."
Sheffield previously played in District 9 in the 1950's, '60's and 70's prior to joining District 10 in 1977, and then joining District 9 again. Sheffield won five District 9 boys basketball titles between 1956 and 1965.
District 9 Class A First Round Playoff Game
at Sheffield Area High School
VENANGO CATHOLIC (51): A.J. Toy 4 0-0 10, Matt Kuhn 1 5-6 8, Alex Thurau 4 2-4 12, Garrett Hawkins 2 0-0 6, Ben Guth 7 0-0 15, Totals: 18 7-10 51
SHEFFIELD (54): Ike Nearing 5 4-7 15, Mark Sprandle 6 1-2 14, Kalil Slaughter 5 0-0 10, Nick Bonavita 2 0-0 5, George Fitch 3 0-1 6, Brendan Winslow 0 0-0 0, Josh Anderson 2 0-0 4, Totals: 23 5-10 54
Venango Catholic 9 8 18 16 - 51
Sheffield 10 13 16 15 - 54
3-pointers: V- Toy 2, Kuhn, Thurau 2, Hawkins 2, Guth; S- Nearing, Sprandle, Bonavita