A Shot For The Ages: Chrapliwy’s Triple Punches Glenn’s Ticket To Semi-State
You can see it now … five, 10, 20 and 30-plus years from now John Glenn High School boys basketball fans will be reliving Joe Chrapliwy’s game-winning three-point shot that continued the Falcons’ magical postseason ride and punched their ticket to the Class 3A semi-state.
That shot helped lift Glenn to a thrilling 58-54 win over No.9 South Bend Washington this past Saturday at the Great Western Forum.
The Falcons have now won four straight games this postseason and knocked off two top-10 ranked Class 3A teams to win their first sectional and regional titles since 2005.
This run has put Glenn in position to make history this Saturday at Elkhart’s North Side Gym.
If Glenn defeats 18-9 Delta in the morning and knocks off the winner of the No. 1 Northwood/Fort Wayne Dwenger in the championship game that evening, the Falcons will win the school’s first ever boys basketball semi-state championship.
Who would’ve thought that was even remotely possible after Glenn lost its regular-season finale to Goshen by 25 points at home about three weeks ago?
Probably not even Falcon head coach Travis Hannah, who would love nothing better than to lead another team to a state championship after accomplishing the feat with Oregon-Davis in 2006-07.
Hannah’s Falcons postseason run was in jeopardy after Washington went on an 11-1 fourth-quarter run to grab a 54-53 lead with 34 seconds remaining.
But the 6-foot-2 Chrapliwy came to the rescue. With the fans going wild, the junior buried a three-pointer near the corner of the court across from the Glenn bench with 20 seconds to go.
To Chrapliwy’s credit, he didn’t celebrate much. Instead, he sprinted down the floor and got a hand on Terrance Reid’s shot with 5.9 ticks remaining.
Brycen Hannah grabbed the blocked shot and sank a pair of free throws at the other end to seal the victory.
Chrapliwy finished with 19 points, the most points he’s scored this postseason.
Hannah added 22 points, and junior point guard Chase Miller contributed 13.
It’s been that three-headed monster who really has the Falcons rolling in March.
In four postseason games, Hannah has averaged 20.3 points per game, Chrapliwy is averaging 13.3 points and Miller 11.
Don’t think, however, for a second it’s been just a three-player show for Glenn because it hasn’t.
Senior Noah Dreibelbeis’ defense and hustle have been key. Remember he scored 14 points to help upset 10th-ranked Tippecanoe Valley in the opening round of the Knox Sectional.
Junior Carson Krueger’s outside shooting has been clutch, too. He had 11 points against Tippy. Classmates Joey Shoue and Ty Larkin have been vital as well.
You see Hannah is blessed to have a bunch of gritty kids, who love to compete. Although this season has been a rollercoaster of sorts with the Falcons enduring 10 losses, they’ve persevered and their chemistry is really good. As a result, the Falcons are without question a force to be reckoned and they’re on as good a postseason run as any team in the state.
Although the Falcons won’t be favored to win the semi-state, don’t bet against them and don’t be surprised if they find a way to soar yet again come Saturday.
Special thanks to A&M Home Services in Plymouth for being one of our loyal sponsors. Please give their website a visit by going tohttps://roofsandbasements.com/
You can follow me on my personal Twitter page – @DougGriffMAX983 – as well as keep an eye on his posts on Twitter @Maxsports983 and on Facebook (facebook.com/wymrradio) and MAX’s website – MAX983.net.
