Culver IN. Culver took on Bowman Academy Friday night in the last game of the regular season. It was senior night for the Eagles, and three cheerleaders, two managers, and five players were all recognized before the game. The CMA Corps of Drums performed before the game as well in front of a packed student section.
           
Culver started the game with the five seniors, Amir Gates, Andrew Macheca, Colin Chupp, Jokubas Skurdenis, and Daley Stein all on the court. Skurdenis and Gates hooked up early and Skurdenis put in two from the paint off assists from Gates. Skurdenis quickly scored again off an offensive rebound by Macheca but couldn't convert the and-one attempt. Gates added his name to the scoring tally with an and-one bucket, and another free throw off a foul from a breakaway steal. Skurdenis scored yet again off a steal from Stein to put Culver up 12-4 late in the first-quarter. Skurdenis would get another bucket to get to ten in the quarter off a stolen pass. Fola Fayemi showed off his inside scoring with a strong finish through contact, but couldn't knock in the free-throw on the and-one. Cooper Farrall scored his first points soon after on a high low hookup with Fayemi. The Culver big man would then finish the quarter with two straight scores, finishing with an assist from Farrall in transition to end the quarter. Culver would head into the first break with a lead of 22-8.
           
The Eagle offense cooled off in the second quarter. Farrall started with a bucket down low to extend the lead to 16, then scored again on a put-back to make it 18. Bowman started to get some offense going and were able to get some points on the board, but they couldn't contain Farrall as he continued to put the ball in the basket. A trip to the free-throw line and a putback score on the next possession gave Farrall four more, although Bowman was able to answer each time. Finally, Bowman was able to catch a break and turned a dry spell offensively for Culver into an 11-1 run to end the quarter, with Culver's lone-point coming from Farrall from the line. Culver still held a lead of eight heading into halftime with a score of 31-23.
           
Bowman got the second-half rolling with a score off a turnover from Stein, however Skurdenis picked him up with a big three on the next possession. Farrall then got going with four quick points, two from a steal from Thomas Collins, and two from the free-throw line. Bowman managed to answer with offense of their own each time and Culver couldn't quite pull away from Bowman. Farrall got another score inside, and Fayemi scored off a great pass from Macheca, but Bowman continued to score to keep the lead from expanding. Collins scored his first points of the night off a layup, and Gates turned a steal into a score for a quick four-point swing. Bowman ended the quarter's scoring with a pair of free-throws, but Culver still lead by 13 heading into the final period, 46-33.
           
The fourth-quarter was riddled with turnovers and trips to the line for CMA. Collins got to the line and scored both to open the scoring. Bowman responded quickly, scoring four quick unanswered points. Farrall got himself to the line and scored both, but Bowman again turned that into seven points thanks to missed shots from Culver. Late in the fourth, Farrall got another trip to the line and the Seniors for Culver checked back in to finish the game. Farrall hit both shots and gave the Senior lineup a nine-point lead with a few minutes left in the game. Bowman scored on the next possession and a turnover, cutting the lead to five. Gates put in one of two from the free-throw line and on the ensuing possession, Bowman drilled a three to make it a one-possession game. Colin Chupp got a score from the post to bring the lead back to five and that would be just enough to help Culver stay on top. After a Bowman score, they had to foul to stop the clock. Macheca would hit both shots from the line to make Culver's lead five once again, and Bowman couldn't get their next shot to fall. Culver took the win on Senior Night with a final score of 57-52.
           
The Eagles finish the season at 15-7 and end the season by winning five of their final six, giving them momentum going into the tournament. Culver will begin their State Championship run on Tuesday against the 16-7 Kankakee Valley Kougars at Kankakee at 7:00pm Eastern.