2004-05 Boys Basketball
CIM Conference Tournament - Semifinal
#2 Woodlawn vs. #3 Hickory Day School

Woodlawn entered the CIM Tournament as the second seed in the "A" League, and faced Hickory Day in opening round action. Having already beaten HDS twice during the regular season, the Trailblazers went into the game with confidence and immediately jumped out to a 13-3 lead by shooting a blistering 6-for-8 from the field during the first quarter. On their initial possession of the game, Will M. hit a cutting Michael L. on a beautiful back-door play for a layup. Michael then provided an emphatic exclamation point at the end of the quarter, swishing a rainbow 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

In the second quarter, however, the game threatened to turn into a nightmare as the Trailblazers went stone cold. They could only manage a single point in the entire quarter, shooting an anemic 0-for-5 from the field and 1-for-7 from the line. To make matters worse, the Hickory shooting guards suddenly found their range, scoring three times from beyond the arc and racking up 17 total points. By halftime, Woodlawn's comfortable margin had evaporated, and they now found themselves trailing by 6 points.

Coach Merrell then made a significant adjustment, assigning Will M. to the opponent's top scorer in a "diamond and one" defensive scheme. Will's tenacious effort sparked the Trailblazer defense, who allowed only 9 points in the second half of the contest. On the offensive end, Tyler W. hit two quick buckets in the third quarter, and Michael L. repeatedly drove into the lane to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. When the buzzer sounded, Woodlawn held an 8-point lead and began looking ahead to Thursday's tournament final.

Final Score: Woodlawn 37, HDS 29

Scoring:

Michael L. Eric B. Will M. Tyler W. Curt B.

17 9 5 4 2