No. 5 Eagles stunned by Iowa Central
The Kirkwood Eagles never imagined their season would end in bitter disappointment in the regional semifinals against a team they defeated twice during the regular season, but that's exactly what happened at Johnson Hall Thursday night.
Iowa Central stunned the fifth-ranked Eagles, 75-74, on a shot by Tray Croft with five seconds left to end Kirkwood's season a lot earlier than anyone expected.
Kirkwood won the conference title this season and finished six games ahead of Iowa Central in the league standings, but the Tritons will be playing for the regional title Saturday while the Eagles rue their misfortune. Iowa Central finished 5-7 in the league this year compared to an 11-1 mark by Kirkwood, but that does not matter now.
"It's just disappointing," said Kirkwood Coach Bryan Petersen, who led the Eagles to the 2016 national title and was hoping for another shot this season. "I feel bad for our group, because we had a really good year and obviously that's not the way we want to go out."
Kirkwood finished with a 24-6 record. There are no at-large bids to the national tournament, so the Eagles are done.
Croft, a sensational 6-foot-1 guard from Alabama, torched the Eagles for 31 points, including the game-winner from just inside the foul line over Kirkwood soph Ethan Meeker.
Croft played all 40 minutes and shot 13 for 26 from the field, with four 3-pointers. He also snared a game-best nine rebounds and had three assists.
Last Updated on Friday, 09 March 2018 05:35
