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Johnston survives OT to make state

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING - Johnston senior guard Reid Grant, right, brings the state qualifier banner to the Dragons’ student section after scoring 20 points in his team’s 65-63 overtime victory over Cedar Rapids Kennedy in Tuesday’s Class 4A Substate 3 boys basketball final at the Roundhouse in Marshalltown.

Jubilation. Relief. Pride.

Those emotions and more were clear as day on the faces of the Johnston boys’ basketball team once the clock struck all zeros in overtime of Tuesday night’s Class 4A Substate 3 Final against Cedar Rapids Kennedy. The Dragons had just knocked off the Cougars (15-8) 65-63 in a classic playoff game, filled with questionable calls, late drama and a half-court buzzer-beater to end the first half.

The Dragons (10-4) persevered through 10 missed free throws and regrouped after they felt they were spurned of a chance to win the game at the free throw line in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter, when center Max Roquet appeared to be fouled by Colby Dolphin and Caleb Schlaak in the paint right before the buzzer. At first, two refs signaled that there was a foul. But after a discussion, Johnston coach Brian Frick said he was given two different explanations: first, that the foul occurred after the buzzer, and second that there actually wasn’t a foul.

So, he had to gather his team up and try to regroup before an overtime period began.

“I just told them to take a deep breath, and now we got to go win a four-minute game,” Frick said. “That’s part of life, things don’t always go your way. That happened to us twice. It’s a hard job to officiate, I get it.”

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING

The Dragons took a 61-56 lead and were able to hold on despite again missing some free throws in the extra period. It was the team’s vets, like Roquet, Reid Grant and Carter Borwick who hit big shots in the final four minutes of action.

Grant was the Dragons’ offensive leader from start to finish. Johnston struggled early on, falling behind 9-4 and trailing after the first quarter thanks to a tough CR Kennedy defense and missed open looks from the Dragons. CR Kennedy made life difficult all game long for the Johnston guards, but a half-court shot from Grant gave the Dragons a 27-26 lead at the halftime break.

Kennedy took a lead after the third quarter thanks to hot shooting from Schlaak and Dolphin, as Schlaak scored a game-high 21 points and Dolphin hit a three to give the Cougars a 39-37 advantage.

In the fourth, Johnston took control with less than three minutes left and looked well on its way to taking a spot at Wells Fargo. But the missed free throws gave Kennedy a window back in, and Kenzie Reed hit the three that sent the game to overtime.

But after the seniors for Johnston took control, it was enough to take the Dragons dancing.

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING

Grant, who led the Dragons with 20 points, said it was a thrill to get to experience the moment with guys he’s been playing with since elementary school.

“It’s great, because I’ve been playing with Max and with Carter since we were in second grade,” Grant said. “We were on a team called the Johnston Zombies. It’s great to still be with those guys and it’s a surreal feeling being with those guys in a game like this and making it to state.”

The Dragons play Dowling Catholic in the 4-5 game of the state tournament March 10 at 10 a.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.

Johnston 65, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 63, OT

CR KENNEDY (15-8) — Colby Dolphin 5 0-0 12, Max White 2 0-2 5, Cole Hrubes 1 0-2 2, Caleb Schlaak 7 5-6 21, Kenzie Reed 2 6-6 11, Avante Ballinger 3 0-2 9, Jack Schissel 0 0-0 0, Jackson Bowman 1 0-0 3. TOTALS 21 11-18 63.

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING

JOHNSTON (10-4) — Jacob Runyan 0 0-0 0, Trey Lewis 3 4-6 12, Steven Kramer 3 1-3 7, Reid Grant 6 5-7 20, Max Roquet 8 0-1 16, Mason Ryan 0 0-0 0, Carter Borwick 3 2-5 10. TOTALS 23 13-23 65.

CR KENNEDY 12 14 13 15 9 — 63

JOHNSTON 11 16 10 17 11 — 65

3-Point Goals–CRK 10 (Ballinger 3, Dolphin 2, Schlaak 2, White, Bowman, Reed), Johnston 6 (Lewis 2, Grant 2, Borwick 2). Team Fouls–CRK 21, Johnston 18. Fouled out–Schlaak, Kramer.

T-R PHOTO BY NOAH ROHLFING

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