Cole Crabtree, after making a steal, gets fouled by Dominick Gramaglia in the fourth quarter. Crabtree sank both free throws and finished with a game-high 22 points.
Photos Ron Nunnari | The Register-Herald
Dominic King gets horizontal to drive past Eaton guard Ramy Ahmed.
Preston Orr scores inside for Eaton.
Brendan Fisher launches a three-point shot.
Fans hold up signs in celebration of Brookville coach Jeff Davidson’s 200th career victory.
BROOKVILLE — Brookville basketball coach Jeff Davidson was doused in water by his players Friday moments after Brookville rallied from 14 down in the first half to outscore Eaton 17-3 in the final 3:10 to win 59-50 as Davidson earned his 200th career victory.
The win lifted the Blue Devils to a record of 9-5 on the season and Eaton dropped to 7-7 on the campaign.
The final quarter was frantic. Brookville led 40-38 when Eaton went on a 9-1 run to lead 47-41 with 3:30 left in the game.
Brookville would call a time out and the game totally changed as Brookville went on a 17-1 run to seal the win. Eaton would score a basket with just over ten seconds left to end the game with the scoreboard reading 59-50 Brookville.
During the run Jace Wood made two free throws and Dom King scored on a layup.
Two steals by Cole Crabtree were key to Brookville securing the win. Crabtree stole the ball and grabbed a rebound after he missed the shot and scored a layup to tie the game at 47 with two minutes remaining.
Crabtree again stole the ball and was fouled. The senior hit both free throws and with 1:45 left the Blue Devils led 49-47.
“He has been incredible the last or four games,” Davidson said about Crabtree. “I always know what I am going to get from Cole in terms of effort and being a team player. He is still kind of a defensive guy. We always put him on the other team’s best player. He has really risen to the challenge here and he has produced on the other end too, so I am super happy for him. He does all the little things the best that he can and he does things the right way. It’s nice to see kids like that get rewarded.”
Wood scored on a fast break, and Aaron Rogers of Eaton made a free throw. The score was now 51-48 with 1:08 left.
Brookville missed a pair of charity tries but Eaton was called for a technical foul for a elbow to the face of a Brookville player.
Crabtree went to the line to shoot the technical free throws and hit both shots. Brookville’s Dom King made a free throw on the ensuing possession. It was now 54-48 Brookville with 46.4 seconds left in the game.
Brookville then made five free throws to complete the amazing comeback.
When asked how it felt to earn his 200th win, Davidson was modest and credited his players for their comeback.
“It feels good, but I am happier for my players for the way they came back like they did,” Davidson said. “It proves that resiliency and togetherness can lead to great things. The 200th win is great and all, but it is about the players. That 200th win is a credit to a lot of great coaches that have work alongside of me and great players.
“These guys had their backs against the wall tonight,” Davidson added. “The same thing happened to us against Valley View when we were down nine at the half and we just kind of flipped the script and won it in the second half like we did tonight. I’m just super happy for our players.”
Brookville got behind early as Eaton dominated the first quarter leading 20-6 before a Blue Devil free throw came as the quarter ended. It was 20-7 Eagles after one period of play.
Ramy Ahmed drained a pair of three-pointers and hit another basket for eight points to lead all scorers in the period. Connor Bach added four for the Eagles.
Brookville got a trifecta from Cole Crabtree and an old fashioned three-point play, a basket and a free throw, by Brendan Fisher.
The Blue Devils slowly worked their way back into the game in the second period outscoring Eaton 18-14 in the stanza. The halftime score was 34-25 Eagles. Ahmed and Preston Orr each scored five points for the Eagles. Crabtree had six and King five for Brookville.
The third quarter was a defensive struggle as both teams had trouble scoring. Brookville scored the final six points of the period to tie the game at 36 heading into the final eight minutes. Crabtree had five points in the period and Ahmed scored the only basket for the Eagles.
Brookville shot 39 percent on the game making 16 of 41 tries including 5-18 behind the arc. Brookville was 22-29 from the foul line as they were the aggressor during the game. Eaton was 5-9 during the game from the foul line. Brookville amassed 14 steals, had 12 assists, and snagged 16 rebounds.
Scoring for Eaton shows Ahmed with 17 points. Connor Bach and Aaron Rogers each added nine points. Preston Orr scored seven.
Brookville stats show Cole Crabtree with 22 points, four rebounds, and five steals. Brendan Fisher had 11 points and five steals’ Dom King added 11 markers and four assists. Jace Wood tallied ten points, grabbed five rebounds, had three assists, and two steals.
Keegan Mehr had three points, four assists, and four blocked shots. Braedan Smart and Nathan Waggoner each scored one point.
All 200 of Davidson’s wins have come as Brookville’s head coach. His first win came against Eaton in December of 2006; Number 50 came against Carlisle on January 31, 2012; Number 100 against Oakwood on Dec. 22, 2016; and number 150 against Greenon on Feb. 22, 2019 in the tournament at Northmont.
