COLUMBIA — Creek Guerin’s pep talk to himself paid winning dividends for Chadwick in its 52-49 Class 1 semifinal win Friday.
Guerin, a freshman guard, made 5-of-6 free throws in the second half as part of the Cardinals’ comeback from a six-point, third quarter deficit.
“You have to be (confident) or you’re not going to make them,” Guerin said of his mindset. “I had that through my mind the entire game. If I’m not confident, I’m not going to do well, I’m not going to make anything and I’m going to turn it over.”
Guerin made two free throws with 1:47 remaining to give Chadwick a 47-46 lead. After a Green City 3-pointer put the Gophers up 49-47, Guerin hit 1-of-2 free throws with :23 to play.
He was upset after his miss and worried it would come back to haunt the Cardinals.
“It would have put us up,” Guerin said. “It’s so hard being a freshman and missing that. We could have lost and it could have been on me. I don’t want to disappoint the older guys. It’s so hard to focus while all that is going through your mind.”
Guerin also responded admirably while handling the ball. He didn’t have a turnover in 15-plus minutes of playing time while picking up two assists and a pair of steals.
"I’ve been in situations like this quite a lot and to see how he handled it as a freshman, it was super impressive,” junior guard Tristan Smith said. “The way he reacted shows how much he cares about our team and Chadwick basketball as a whole.”
"He was nervous, you could tell, and he was upset with himself that he missed the last one," coach Shawn Guerin said of his son. "But he handled himself well."
