Springfield, IL -- In a tightly contested battle, Calvary Academy (56-53) upset O.S. Springfield (14-5, 5-2) after the Eagles lost Conor McCaffrey to concussion protocol in the first quarter.
Springfield started hot with a 14-7 lead, fueled by five quick points from Jace Easley and dynamic plays from McCaffrey. However, disaster struck when McCaffrey took a shot to the side of the head and struggled to regain his balance, forcing Coach Phillip Heppe to pull him for medical precautions.
-- McCaffrey finished with 6 points, 4 assists before exiting.
-- After his departure, Calvary tied the game at 16 midway through the first half and seized momentum.
Despite McCaffrey’s absence, Jace Easley put the team on his back, scoring 33 points. However, it wasn’t enough to counter Connor Brown’s 29-point performance for Calvary.
-- With 4:08 left, Brown buried a clutch three-pointer to give Calvary a 52-51 lead—one they never surrendered.
-- Easley had a chance to send the game to overtime, but his last-second three-pointer hit the back of the rim.
"I thought it was going in," Easley said postgame. "Honestly, it felt good."
Jeremiah Perkins added 10 points and 11 rebounds, but O.S. couldn’t find enough offense without McCaffrey’s playmaking.
Coach Heppe didn’t hold back on his team’s performance, acknowledging their lack of focus leading up to the game.
"We were sloppy and not sharp," Heppe admitted. "I’ll take the blame on this one. We were just as bad in practice the last two days as we were in the game."
-- McCaffrey’s status will be crucial moving forward. The Eagles rely on his court vision and leadership.
-- O.S. must tighten up their execution. This game exposed offensive struggles without McCaffrey, making Easley the sole focal point.
-- The Eagles look to bounce back in their next conference matchup, but they’ll need McCaffrey healthy to return to form.
This loss serves as a wake-up call for Springfield, proving that they need all their weapons to compete at the highest level.