CALEDONIA — Caledonia boys basketball won its first home playoff game in six years on Tuesday, taking down Senatobia 63-58. Jonathan Comer’s Cavaliers team scored 43 points in the second half to come from behind, hitting clutch shots down the stretch and taking over on the defensive end.
The Cavaliers, 19-8, trailed going into halftime, but they were able to slow things down defensively. They cleaned up the turnovers that started fast breaks, but they needed to win on the boards in the second half and find a way into the paint if they were going to turn things around.
“I just told them to keep a level head,” Comer said. “Shots weren’t falling in the first half, we rely on the three-pointer so I told them to keep shooting, get back in transition and rebound. They were killing us on the boards, we were a lot better in the second half being physical and matching their physicality.”
The change in intensity was noticeable in the third quarter, but leading scorer Chris Blevins started to deal with cramps. He got some fluids and was able to continue on, but the scoring burden fell to his teammates, and they answered the call.
Gary Smart hit two big buckets in the third quarter and was even more impressive grabbing boards, Charlie Sullivan found his shot in the second half and Ethan Halbert came to life with 19 second-half points.
“I trust my guys,” Blevins said. “I know when I get out I want to rush back to the floor, but I know my guys got me. That’s what happened, I started cramping in my leg and Ethan came in clutch.”
Halbert was on fire from distance, hitting five shots from beyond the arc to help the Cavs take control of the game.
“We faced a lot of adversity in the first half but we came back,” Halbert said after the game. “We put trust in each other and came back strong. Coach Comer had faith that we’d come back strong, and we did. That’s what makes him a great coach.”
As Senatobia made one last push they began fouling to extend the game, with freshman Aaron Harris targeted by the Warriors.
Harris hit a three-pointer in the first quarter and had mostly been working the boards since then, but when called upon he hit four shots from the line to ice the game for the Cavs.
It was the first time the Cavaliers hosted a playoff game in the first round since 2006, and their first playoff win since 2019. It has been a process for Comer, who has helped his players buy into the program as it moved into a state-of-the-art new gymnasium built by the school.
“They’re putting money and effort into us to show that we can win,” Blevins said. “That’s what it was with the Jordan uniforms, $8 million gym, so we came out and executed for our team and also for Caledonia.”
“It meant a lot.” Comer said of the win. “The community turned out for us, and I appreciate them being here, and it means a lot to the guys. It’s a testament to their effort this year, it’s a young group who bought in, and I’m glad to see their work paid off.”
The Cavaliers are on the road in the next round at Leake Central at 7 p.m. Saturday.
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