Illinois Wesleyan 65, Wartburg 60;
Camardella stars in IWU victoryBy RANDY REINHARDT, Pantagraph staff
WAVERLY, Iowa -- Was that the slightest tint of orange in the hair of John Camardella?
No, the Illinois Wesleyan sophomore did not brush the painted rafters of Knights Gymnasium Saturday. But his heroic, exquisitely timed leap in the final five seconds has the Titans flying high into the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament.
Camardella's high-wire act of a steal followed by a driving three-point play with three seconds remaining preserved Wesleyan's tense 65-60 second-round tournament victory over Wartburg before a feisty crowd of 1,622.
"Titan basketball is back," proclaimed a jubilant Camardella after IWU advanced to its first sectional since 1998. "After last year, it's good to get back on the map."
The 17th-ranked Titans (21-6) will meet College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin rival Elmhurst Friday in the sectional round. The sectional site will be announced today with Elmhurst or the University of Chicago as the likely host. The other sectional game will feature the University of Chicago vs. Lewis & Clark.
IWU's Laban Cross missed the front end of a one-and-one with eight seconds left and Wartburg rebounded.
As Jacob Olsen tried to pass downcourt, Camardella rose into his path and picked the ball out of the air before proceeding in for the clinching basket.
"I just stepped in front and jumped," Camardella said. "He tried to throw it over me, and luckily I jumped high enough to get it."
"We were probably in a little too much of a hurry," Knights' coach Dick Peth said. "Wesleyan made a great decision and a great play and it allowed them to get the win."
No. 12-ranked Wartburg finished at 24-4 while seeing a 20-game home winning streak snapped.
After Pat Morrison's 3-pointer with 3:02 remaining tied the score at 60-60, turnovers and missed shots ruled until Camardella found an open Adam Osborn on a back door cut for a layup at the 40-second mark.
Troy Osterhaus then missed a long 3-point try for Wartburg, and Cross corralled the rebound.
"John is a great leaper. He made a great play at the end," Illinois Wesleyan coach Dennie Bridges said. "It was not Xs and Os as much as it was determination."
Determination certainly described the play of Osborn, Luke Kasten and Eric Starkey. All played with injuries and were in search of ice bags after the game.
"Luke was a warrior. He played the whole second half. I tried to use my timeouts to rest him," Bridges said. "Adam had a couple of really big drives to the basket."
Kasten scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half to keep IWU close despite suffering a strained tendon in his calf Friday in practice.
"I was running on pure adrenaline. It hurt so bad out there," said Kasten. "It kind of feels like a really deep bruise. Rest is the only thing for it."
Osborn and Cross added 13 points each against a rugged Wartburg defense that held IWU to 39 percent first-half shooting and 41 percent overall.
"They would not let us get into the offense," said Camardella, who ended with nine points and seven rebounds. "They were pushing, grabbing, holding. They were really tough defensively. They knocked us out of our flow."
The Titans trailed 36-33 at halftime and got a huge injection of momentum from Cross early in the second half with three quick 3-pointers that boosted IWU into a 44-40 edge at the 16:08 mark.
"That was a big swing for us," Cross said. "We were down a few and that got us up a couple."
The Knights, who shot just 36 percent and hit only 6 of 29 from 3-point range, last led at 49-48 before a key 3-pointer from Wesleyan's Chris Silagi.
"It was a situation where their size really made the difference in the outcome," Peth said. "They got some offensive rebounds and put backs that really hurt us."
Cross and Kasten joined Camardella with seven rebounds as the Titans enjoyed a 37-29 margin on the boards.
Mike Pipho paced Wartburg with 20 points. Morrison and Olsen chipped in 11 each.