ROCHESTER – The Glenville-Emmons Wolverines came out firing, shocking the tournament-savvy Bethlehem Academy Cardinals and their veteran coach, Franz Boelter.

Tuesday, March 05, 2002

ROCHESTER – The Glenville-Emmons Wolverines came out firing, shocking the tournament-savvy Bethlehem Academy Cardinals and their veteran coach, Franz Boelter.

Then the Wolverines started getting into foul trouble. And things were never quite the same.

The Wolverines nursed their early lead as long as they could but spent most of the second half fighting for their playoff lives and their season. In the end it slipped away 56-50 in a Section 1A West semifinal at the Rochester Mayo Civic Center Monday night.

It ended the greatest boys’ basketball season in school history for the Wolverines, who finished 18-5.

But it ended on a bitter note for coach Jeff Rayman and his son, Chase, one of seven seniors on the squad.

&uot;We’re real disappointed what happened tonight,&uot; said Rayman. &uot;It’s a tough way to lose. We really wanted to be in the championship game, and we knew we could do it. But it wasn’t to be tonight.&uot;

It wasn’t that the Cardinals had more firepower. It’s that much of the Wolverines’ firepower was confined to the bench in foul trouble much of the time.

With their starting five on the floor, the Wolverines bolted to an 11-2 lead. It began to slip away when Paul Kleven – who hit two threes in the early going – got his third foul with 3:51 remaining. BA cut it to 11-9, but Chase Rayman hit a basket and Nick Flatness a free throw to make it 14-9 at the end of the first quarter.

With Maurice Chessmore and Jake Hansen coming off the bench for key baskets, the Wolverines maintained control through most of the second period, leading 26-19 inside the two-minute mark. But BA hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to cut it to 26-24 at halftime. Kleven, the Wolverines’ season scoring leader, did not play in the second quarter.

Chase Rayman’s fourth foul came with 4:20 left in the third and the score tied at 30. BA quickly made it 36-30 but the Wolverines fought back, getting a three by Richie Mathis and a basket from Kleven to take a 37-36 edge into the fourth.

Three-pointers by Mathis and Kleven kept the Wolverines close in the fourth. An apparent basket by Chase Rayman that would have cut it to one was nullified by an offensive foul, his fifth, with 3:55 remaining.

The Cardinals hit a three on the ensuing possession, making it 49-43, but Mathis answered with another three. Mathis hit a three, was fouled and converted the free throw with 1:52 left, cutting it to 52-50. But it would get no closer. The Wolverines were forced to foul in the final minute and the Cardinals made four of five.

Mathis and Kleven led the Wolverines with 13 points apiece. Kleven had a team-high five rebounds. Flatness scored nine points, Rayman seven, Hansen four, Zach Adams two and Chessmore two.

Seniors graduating off the squad include Mathis, Adams, Rayman, Kleven, Flatness, Chessmore and Chris Olson.