Posted: Feb. 27, 2010 |(0) Comments

Germantown — The reaction said it all for 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 Highlanders coach Ray Curry for the fine effort.

Then he just let loose.

He 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 so hard, that you'd thought he'd crack the wood.

Sophomores step up

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.

Showalter knew that they didn't want to be the ones to let the program down after its meteoric rise to the top of the North Shore threatened to evaporate after the recent graduation of two-time NOW All-Suburban Player of the Year Ben Averkamp.

"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, the same night, finished at 10-4 and 18-4, respectively.

Homestead fights all the way

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."

Until the end, there was no more than a five-point difference between the two teams, but when Bowers took the ball coast-to-coast for a layup at the 3:41 mark, Germantown had the lead for good at 47-46.

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 Highlanders 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 least four the rest of the way.

Afterward, Keefe and Infield 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 weight room), every hill we ran, it's all worth it now."

Bowers and Mongan matched Showalter with 10 points apiece.

"We just didn't expect a lot going into this season," Bowers 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."

More work to do

And for the coach, who helped the kids reach that potential, there was a moment after his exuberant display, when 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.

UP NEXT

Champion Hawks look to WIAA tourney

WHAT: Germantown will be looking for its fourth straight WIAA regional title this week.

WHO: The third-seeded Warhawks host Milwaukee Madison (1-16) in a Tuesday regional final. If they win they will host the winner of sixth-seeded Sussex Hamilton (12-10) and 11th-seeded Oconomowoc (10-11) on Saturday in a 7 p.m. regional final. The regional champion advances to sectional play at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee on March 12.

NOTES: Germantown, which has won 12 of its 14 games, beat Hamilton in the season opener Nov. 28, by a 63-57 count.