Boys Town Tops Wahoo For State Title

Boys Town was known for its offense this season, but it was the Cowboys' defense that saved the day Saturday in the Class C-1 state tournament final against Wahoo.

Boys Town forced a turnover with five seconds left and then iced the game with two late free throws to defeat the Warriors 58-55 at the Devaney Center. The top-ranked Cowboys locked up their seventh state title and first since 2006.

"It's an amazing thing," Boys Town coach Tom Krehbiel said. "We had a big target on our back all season and we responded every time."

The 27-1 Cowboys, who average 77.3 points, trailed most of the game before taking the lead midway through the fourth quarter on a layup by Shannon Moon. That advantage grew to five before the Warriors fought back, closing within one with 37 seconds left on a basket by Jonathan Abbott.

A Boys Town turnover with 28 seconds left gave the ball back to Wahoo, but a 3-point try from the corner by senior guard Max Cook bounced off the rim. Cook then fouled Fernando Hildreth with 18 seconds left, but he missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to give the Warriors one last chance.

Wahoo again turned to leading scorer Cook, who dribbled out front looking for the last shot. But he was stripped of the ball by David Austin, and Devon Watts grabbed it for the Cowboys.

"I think David was a little confused about what I wanted from him on offense," Krehbiel said. "But he was clear on what I wanted on defense. Max is a great player and we knew we needed to stop him."

Watts was fouled by Cook with one-tenth of a second left and converted both free throws to put Boys Town up by three. Wahoo threw the ball down-court but was unable to get off a shot at the buzzer.

The final horn prompted a celebration at center court, highlighted by a backflip from senior forward Markquel Jones.

"It came down to one play and they made it," Wahoo coach Kevin Scheef said. "That's a great Boys Town team, and credit to them for turning up their defensive pressure in the second half."

Cook helped stake the sixth-ranked Warriors to an early advantage, scoring 13 first-half points to give Wahoo a four-point lead at halftime. That quickly grew to 10 in the third quarter when Casey Brown nailed consecutive 3-pointers, but the Cowboys crept back within a point entering the fourth.

Wahoo held its last lead at 49-45 after a layup by Ben Scheef. Boys Town countered with baskets by Watts, Austin and Moon to give the Cowboys their first lead since early in the game.

A jump shot by Quinn McGill tied the game for the Warriors, but Watts took over from there. He scored the final seven points for Boys Town, finishing with a game-high 20.

"I felt I had to take things over," the senior guard said. "I knew we couldn't be scared out there."

Krehbiel said the state title provides a satisfying end of the season for his Cowboys.

"When you look at where our kids come from, they would have every excuse to quit in a game like this," the coach said. "But they didn't do it, and now they're all champions."

Boys Town is one of the largest nonprofit, nonsectarian child and family care organizations in the country, providing research-proven treatment for behavioral, emotional and physical problems.