5A boys: Carroll wins in five overtimes over Kapaun

Even the final one, a heave from near midcourt, swished through the net.

Kapaun Mount Carmel seemingly would not miss from beyond the arc, but on this wild night when it took five overtimes and more than 200 points to decide who would be playing in Topeka next week, Bishop Carroll would not be denied.

Even though Kapaun connected on 17 three-pointers, 11 of them coming in the overtimes and the final on a Chris Meitzner half-court shot, it was Carroll who prevailed with a 103-102 victory on Saturday in a Class 5A sub-state championship game.

It was the first loss for Kapaun (17-5) at home during its first City League outright championship season in 42 years, as Carroll (12-10) advanced to the Class 5A tournament on Thursday.

“It’s one of those games for the ages,” Carroll coach Mike Domnick said. “It’s one of those games when I retire, I’ll look back and say that was unbelievable. I’m so glad to be a part of this.”

Domnick will remember the heroics of sophomore Clay Cundiff, who scored a career-high 31 points, and junior Luke Evans, who added 26, and senior Adam Theis, who twice extended the game on last-second, game-tying shots to revive Carroll from a dire situation.

But he will also remember Thomas Wells, Mitchell Woodward, and Chris Meitzner, Kapaun’s big three that combined to score 86 points and delivered some of the most clutch, crazy, and wild shots he has seen in his 26-year coaching career. Wells and Woodward each made four three-pointers in the overtimes, each one more critical than the last.

“They’re like an ex-girlfriend,” Theis said. “We couldn’t get away from them.”

“After about the 10th time they made a crazy shot, you just started expecting everything they threw up to go in,” Evans added.

Somehow, it wasn’t enough.

While Kapaun was other-worldly when it came to its efficiency when it was trailing, it failed to deliver the final dagger when it had the chance.

The Crusaders held the lead with under 10 seconds left in regulation, only to allow Theis to receive a dribble hand-off and drive in for the game-tying lay-up without much resistance. They also held the ball for the final chances in three of the first four overtimes, but couldn’t make the final shot each time.

And now, to their disbelief, the Crusaders’ season is over.

“I’m emotionally spent,” Kapaun coach John Cherne said. “My kids left everything on the floor. Everything.

“I feel like I let the seniors down. I don’t know if there was anything else I could have done, but it came down to one possession and one point again. Just like last year. One possession and we have a ring. For whatever reason, it just wasn’t meant to be. It’s part of a bigger plan.”

Kapaun trailed 62-56 with 1:45 to go in regulation, but back-to-back three-pointers from Wells and Meitzner erased the deficit. After a Carroll turnover, Meitzner gave Kapaun a 64-62 lead before Theis’ layup sent the game to overtime.

Both teams erased deficits in the first two overtimes, as a Woodward three-pointer tied the score in the final seconds of the first overtime and then Theis forced a third overtime when he got a three-pointer to roll around the rim and drop in the final seconds of the second overtime.

Carroll’s best chance appeared to come in the third overtime when it built an 86-81 lead with 45 seconds left, but Wells canned a fade-away, contested three-pointer. After Carroll split its pair of free throws, Woodward snuck open on a pick-and-pop play and swished the game-tying three-pointer from the wing as the clock expired to bring on a fourth overtime.

“You couldn’t take a deep breathe,” Domnick said. “After regulation, you just couldn’t. We had them down by six with 30 seconds left. For most teams, that’s game over. But not those guys. Holy crap.”

Carroll again built a two-possession lead in the fifth overtime, as a Logan Kennedy three-point play after a steal and run-out gave Carroll a 102-96 lead. This time the Golden Eagles would hold on.

Meitzner’s half-court heave made the score a one-point game, but Kapaun never had a chance at a tie after Carroll went up 102-96.

“Kapaun-Carroll, this was historical,” Theis said. “I mean we scored 103 points, that’s crazy.”

Even with Wells, Meitzner, and Woodward making three-pointer after three-pointer, Carroll never once lost its composure.

On Saturday night, the night they qualified for the state tournament, the Golden Eagles discovered a new level within themselves.

“I never felt like we were going to lose that game,” said Carroll’s Luke Evans, who had 26 points. “I never felt like anybody else thought we were going to lose. We thrived in adversity.”

This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 10:57 PM with the headline "5A boys: Carroll wins in five overtimes over Kapaun."