Posted: Feb. 25, 2010 |(0) Comments

The reaction said it all for Germantown boys basketball coach Steve Showalter.

Moments after the finish of the Warhawks' workmanlike 56-50 win over archrival Homestead that clinched a share of a most remarkable third North Shore Conference title in four years, Showalter walked over and congratulated Highlander coach Ray Curry for the fine effort.

Then he just let loose.

Even for this normally impassioned coach this was some response.

He hunched up a bit, clapped his hands very quickly for several seconds, his face exploding in a smile that almost threatened to break through the walls of the Germantown gym.

And then he ran over to the scorer's table, put his head down and pounded his fist repeatedly so hard, that you'd thought he'd crack the wood.

That's how much this particular title, shared with the pre-season favorite Port Washington, means to him. Means to the four sophomores that make up the core of the team: his son and leading scorer Zak, point guard Josh Mongan, swingman Joe Medley, and center Dan Studer.

And to the junior who almost transferred to another school, but who came back to become the key defender on the team (Malcolm Bowers) and to the seniors, especially center Jake Keefe (team high 14 points) and guard Jordan Infield.

They didn't want to be the ones who let the program down after its meteoric rise to the top of the North Shore and to regular rankings in the state polls threatened to evaporate after the recent graduation of two-time All-Suburban Player of the Year Ben Averkamp.

No, this title might be the most favorite of all, in almost everyone's eyes.

"Our goal at the beginning of the year was to have these kids play in a game that meant something," Coach Showalter said. "Every kid should have that chance. ...And for this group to play in a game like this at this point in their careers is just huge, win or lose."

"But they took care of it, and not in a million years did I think we'd be cutting down nets this season (in celebration). Unbelievable. Just unbelievable."

With the win, the Warhawks finished at 10-4 in league play and 16-6 overall. Port, which easily beat Grafton 59-39 this evening, finished at 10-4 and 18-4, respectively.

And as with everything this young Germantown team has achieved, this was not done easily. The Warhawks had to set aside the discouraging 64-57 defeat the Highlanders (11-11) had handed them last month and what's more they were dealing with the uncertainty surrounding the ankle injury that Zak Showalter (10 points) had suffered in practice on Monday.

"It still doesn't feel good, and it will probably hurt like heck tomorrow," Zak said, "but there was definitely no doubt that I would be going tonight. This is our biggest game of the season. Winning this now means a lot and it may mean more for us the next two years (as the Warhawks will return a great deal next season)."

"But this is a great feeling that will last a lifetime."

And it was a mix of all the classes down the stretch that decided this tense game for the Warhawks.

Until the end, there was no more than a five-point difference between the two teams. The Highlanders Max Beckers gave Homestead its last lead of the night at 46-45 on a post shot with 4:35 remaining, but a short time later, Bowers took the ball coast-to-coast for a lay-up to give Germantown the lead for good at 47-46 with 3:41 to go.

After a Homestead miss, Medley hit a tough shot in the post to make it 49-46, but the Highlanders came back with a putback by John Laihinen (8) to make it 49-48 Germantown with just 2:27 to go.

The Warhawks had stifled the powerful post Laihinen with a sagging zone defense that let Highlander teammates Coy Smith (15) and Lamonte Moore (13) get their shots, but didn't let the physical center dominate the game.

"We had to pick our poison," said Coach Showalter.

Keefe then hit one of two free throws at the 2:17 mark to make it 50-48 and after a Homestead turnover, Zak Showalter zipped a nifty pass from the top of the key into Medley in the post for an easy hoop and a two-score lead at 52-48 with 1:47 left.

The lead would remain at at least four the rest of the way.

For Keefe and Infield, even as they were being jostled at midcourt by happy schoolmates, they had no problem expressing their joy and relief.

"It means everything," said Keefe, who got the first cut of the net. "We came in (this season) not knowing what we could do or accomplish. We didn't know what we'd be like."

"We came out and surprised everyone," said Infield. "We improved everyday and kept to a balanced approach. Every lift (in the weightroom), every hill we ran, it's all worth it now."

Bowers and Mongan matched Showalter with 10 points apiece.

And Bowers is now happy to have a conference title that he can share with his older brother Rick, who was the point guard on the Warhawks' previous two champions.

"We just didn't expect a lot going into this season," he said. "All we could do was play as hard as we can and work as hard as we could in practice. That was the only way we'd reach our potential."

And for the coach, who helped the kids reach that potential, there was a moment after his exuberence, where he gathered his thoughts and then grabbed the microphone from the scorer's table.

"To the parents and the fans who believed, thank you," he said to the cheering masses. "Thank you for everything. We knew we'd have a lot of work to do early and it showed, but we're going to keep working hard to keep this going."

"But now we're going to cut down some nets!"

And that's when the crowd's roar matched the coach's excitement.