Parkway slips by Calvert in tight regional semifinal

BOWLING GREEN — Calvert ended up with two chances to knock off Parkway. But each time — first on a jumper in the paint from Blake Ronski, and then on a beyond halfcourt heave by Nick Seifert — the ball just dropped harmlessly from the rim. And thus, Calvert's remarkable run to the Division IV regionals ended, with a 44-42 loss to the Panthers. The Senecas, making their first regional appearance in 15 years, looked poised to reach Friday's regional final after an impressive comeback in the final minutes. With Calvert and Parkway tied at 33 in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's regional semifinal at Bowling Green, the Panthers got a tiebreaking 3 from Caleb Kinney with 4:43 left, then, after a stop, got another from Caden Slusher at the 4:10 mark. Parkway had its biggest lead of the game, 39-33. What was just as bad for the Senecas was losing Mitch Nielsen seconds later, when the senior captain fouled out. But Calvert fought back, going on a 9-2 run and taking a 42-41 lead after a steal and layup from Seifert with 1:57 remaining. "This team's battled through a lot all season," Seifert said. "It's do or die." But the Panthers retook the lead in the final minute. Dylan Hughes was fouled with 29 seconds left, and made both free throws to put his team up 43-42. Calvert had a pair of looks at the basket on the ensuing possession, but neither fell. Ronski's shot in the paint was off, and the Panthers' Nick Hawk rebounded with three seconds left. "Good, hard strong takes," Calvert coach Jon Otterbacher said. "Ball didn't go down." "Communicate," Hawk said of Parkway's defense in the final seconds. "Everything will work itself out." Hawk made the first free throw but missed the second. Seifert had a clean look at the basket from beyond half court, letting it fly just before the buzzer. Seifert was asked if he thought the heave was going in. "Off the hand," Seifert said, "I did." Some feet to his left, his coach had similar feelings. "I thought it was gonna bank in," Otterbacher said. Instead, Seifert's attempt clipped the front of the rim and fell off. Calvert's season ended at 20-7. "What a battle," Parkway coach Doug Hughes said. "Great contest." The Panthers are 20-7, and will play Columbus Grove here Friday. Kinney paced the Panthers with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Hughes and Slusher each had nine points and Hawk eight. The Senecas got 14 points and 13 rebounds from Seifert, and eight points off the bench from Blake Ronski. Garrett Spaun had seven points and six assists. Calvert never trailed in the first half. The Senecas led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter, then opened a 16-7 advantage after a layup by Ronski with 6:34 left in the half. Parkway came right back, ending the half on a 10-3 run and getting with 19-17 after a trey by Slusher. The teams were tied at 30 after three quarters. Parkway's players, making their first regional appearance, said they knew Calvert was going to be a hard matchup. "We knew they'd be tough the entire game," Hawk said. "We stuck with it." So did Calvert. It just came up a little short.