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2017 Boys Basketball State Tournament Recaps

Division II Semifinals

Wauseon 42, Columbus Eastmoor Academy 35
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 8 Wauseon used a stifling defensive effort to hold off Columbus Eastmoor Academy 42-35 in a Division II boys basketball state semifinal Thursday morning at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
 
It was tough sledding offensively for both teams in the first half. Wauseon held Eastmoor to single-digit point totals for the first two quarters of the game. The Eastmoor defense held Wauseon to only three points in the second quarter, tied for a state record for lowest team point total in a quarter in a Division II semifinal game, but trailed at the half by a score of 13-10. Both teams combined to shoot just 32 percent from the field (10-of-31) in the first half.
 
Division II state semifinal game records for fewest points by a winning team (42) and fewest combined points by both teams (77) were set in the game.
 
6-foot-9 junior Austin Rotroff defended the rim and owned the paint for Wauseon, finishing with seven blocks and seven rebounds to go along with 6 points—all on dunks. Junior forward Brooks Gype finished with a team-high 14 points and senior guard Carter Bzovi added 13 points for the Indians.
 
Junior guard Taevion Kinsey, an Associated Press Division II First Team All-Ohio selection, led Eastmoor (22-7) with a game-high 15 points.
 
Wauseon (27-1) will face the winner of No. 11 Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and No. 2 Trotwood-Madison in the Division II state final Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
 
Attendance for the game was 8,837.
 
 
Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 62, Trotwood-Madison 60
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary senior guard Jayvon Graves drove the baseline and hit a buzzer-beating layup to defeat Trotwood-Madison 62-60 in a Division II state semifinal game Thursday afternoon at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The win propels Akron the Irish to their tenth state final appearance in school history.
 
The contest was a scoring duel between the two 2017 Associated Press Division II Co-Players of the Year—Graves and Trotwood’s Torrey Patton.
 
Graves finished with a double-double for the No. 11 Irish, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Lunden McDay added 15 points for the Irish.
 
Trotwood-Madison senior Torrey Patton broke the state record for most points in a Division II state semifinal game set in 1992 by Bill Cain of Columbus St. Charles (33). The 6-foot-4 guard finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Myles Belyeu added 13 points for the Rams. No. 2 Trotwood ends the season with a 26-3 record.
 
Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (24-5) will play No. 8 Wauseon in the 2017 Division II state championship game Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
 
Attendance for the game was 8,556.
 
 

#OHSAA D2 SEMI: Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary beats Trotwood Madison on a Jayvon Graves layup with one second left.

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Division IV Semifinals

Cleveland Heights Lutheran East 50, Delphos St. John's 25
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Cleveland Heights Lutheran East defeated Delphos St. John's (21-5) by a score of 50-25 in the OHSAA Division IV semifinals on Saturday night at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
 
Following a tightly-contested first half in which Lutheran East (19-9) led 16-13 thanks to a late 3-pointer, the Falcons used a full-court press to stifle the St. John's offensive attack. The three-point deficit grew to be 24 by the end of a third quarter where the Blue Jays failed to score a point and turned the ball over six times. The third quarter shutout ties an OHSAA Division III boys basketball state semifinal record for least amount of points scored in a quarter.
 
Lutheran East was led by junior forward Jordan Burge, who finished with a game-high 16 points. St. John's senior center and Northwest District Player of the Year, Timothy Kreeger, was held to just two points on 1-for-6 shooting.
 
The Falcons will be looking to win the school's second boys basketball state title when they play the winner of Columbus Wellington and Lima Perry on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
 
 
 
Columbus The Wellington School 68, Lima Perry 47
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Vying for spot in the OHSAA Division IV boys basketball state championship, Columbus Wellington School (22-7) defeated Lima Perry 68-47 on Saturday night at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
 
Following the first quarter, it looked as if the quick guard-heavy lineup that Lima Perry (24-4) utilized would cause Wellington problems. However, down 18-13 starting the second quarter, Wellington went on an 8-0 run and never looked back. In the final three quarters, Wellington outscored Perry 55-29 while shooting 18-for-33 from the field.
 
Junior guard Solomon Pierre-Louis led Wellington in scoring with 16 points, while center Dustin Harder finished the game with nine points and 21 rebounds, tying the OHSAA Division III boys basketball state semifinal record.
 
Lima Perry was led by its senior back court Plummie Gardner and Orion Monford who combined to score 33 points.
 
Saturday's championship matchup against the Lutheran East Falcons will be Wellington's first visit to the OHSAA boys basketball state title game.
 
Attendance for the game was 8,457.

Division III Semifinals

Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph 73, Proctorville Fairland 50
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (22-6) defeated No. 4 Proctorville Fairland 73-50 on Friday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center to advance to the OHSAA Division III boys basketball state championship game.
 
Although the two teams traded baskets early in the first quarter, Fairland (25-2) had no answer for the lethal No. 8 Villa Angela-St. Joseph offensive attack. VASJ had four players finish the game with double-figure scoring outputs. Senior forward William Butler contributed 16 first-half points off the bench, while sophomore first team all-district center Alonzo Gaffney led the team in scoring and rebounding, with 18 points and nine rebounds. For the game, the Vikings shot an astounding 61% on 28-for-46 shooting from the field.
 
Junior guard Keedrick Cunningham played well for Fairland coming off the bench, finishing with a team-high 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
 
Friday's victory for the Vikings puts them in the OHSAA boys basketball state title game for the thirteenth time in school history, and gives them the opportunity to win their  seventh state championship.
 
Attendance for the game was 9,485.
 
 
Cincinnati Roger Bacon 68, Archbold 43
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Cincinnati Roger Bacon will be looking to win its third OHSAA boys basketball state championship after defeating Archbold (22-6) 68-43 in the Division III semifinal on Friday afternoon at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
 
Tenth-ranked Roger Bacon came out of the gates with a high-pressure ball-denial defense that forced more Archbold first-quarter turnovers than it allowed points. Up 14-5 after the first quarter, Roger Bacon only pressed harder and extended its lead to as many as 38 points early in the fourth quarter. Archbold was held to 29% shooting and turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 25 Spartan points.
 
Unfortunately for Archbold, the Roger Bacon offense was just as dominant as its defense. Led by three seniors, Craig McGee Jr., James Johnson and Justin Johnson, the Spartans' offense shot 28-for-41 (68.3%) from the field.
 
Roger Bacon (25-4) will face No. 8 Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph in the OHSAA Division III boys basketball state championship game on Saturday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center with the game set to tip at 5:15 p.m.
 
Attendance for the game was 9,396.

Division I Semifinals

Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller 57, Pickerington Central 47
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 1 Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller used a dominating fourth-quarter effort to down No. 2 Pickerington Central 57-47 in a Division I state semifinal game Friday evening at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
 
Trailing 26-22 at the half, the Crusaders took their first lead of the game on a Jeremiah Davenport layup with 1:30 remaining in third quarter, but trailed by one heading into the final period. From there, Moeller outscored the Tigers 20-9 in the fourth quarter.
 
Davenport came off the bench for Moeller (28-0) and finished with a game-high 17 points. The Crusaders finished with four total players in double-digit scoring, including Associated Press Division I First Team All-Ohioan Keegan McDowell who finished with 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Associated Press Division I First Team All-Ohioan sophomore Jeremiah Stanley led Pickerington Central (26-3) with a team-high 16 points. 6-foot-11 senior and University of North Carolina commit Sterling Manley finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
 
Moeller will play the winner of Lakewood St. Edward and No. 4 Massillon Jackson in the 2017 Division I state final Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. The Crusaders are looking to become the first Division I team to finish a season undefeated since Zanesville (26-0) in 1995.
 
Attendance for the game was 11,091.
 
Massillon Jackson 75, Lakewood St. Edward 64
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Massillon Jackson used a high-octane, high-flying offense to defeat Lakewood St. Edward 75-64 in a Division I boys basketball state semifinal Friday night at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
 
The Polar Bears shot nearly 60-percent from the field in the victory, including several highlight-reel dunks. 6-foot-7 senior forward Kyle Young, an Associated Press Division I First Team All-Ohio selection and Butler University basketball commit, led the Polar Bears with a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds. Junior Jaret Pallotta stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with seven points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
 
Senior guard Thomas Schmock paced St. Edward (23-6) with a team-high 23 points and added six rebounds. He was the only Eagle to finish in double-figure scoring.
 
No. 4 Massillon Jackson (27-2) will play No. 1 Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller in the 2017 Division I state championship game Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
 
The attendance for the game was 11,009.

Division II Final

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary Ties State Record for Most Boys Basketball State Titles, Defeats Wauseon 45-30
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary used a 10-0 run to close the game and take home a 45-30 victory over Wauseon in the 2017 Division II state championship game Saturday morning at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The win marks the seventh boys basketball state title in school history, tying Middletown for the most in Ohio high school history.
 
After state final losses in 2016 and 2013, the Fighting Irish used a suffocating defensive effort to win its first title since 2011. St. Vincent-St. Mary forced 23 Wauseon turnovers and converted them into 25 points. The 30 points scored by Wauseon were a state-record low for a Division II state final.
 
“Too many times I’ve been here, and I’ve said it was my fault we lost because we didn't play St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball,” said Fighting Irish head coach Dru Joyce. “This year, I wasn't going to hold them back. We were going to press and trap and play all 94 feet.”
 
Trailing by nine heading into the final period, Wauseon was able to cut the lead to five with four minutes left in the game but could not close the gap any further, as the Irish used a flurry of steals and dunks to close the game on a 10-0 run.
 
“They [the players] saw the urgency on my face,” said Joyce. “They knew we needed to end this thing.”
 
Associated Press Division II Co-Player of the year senior Jayvon Graves led St. Vincent-St. Mary (25-5) with a game-high 25 points and added seven steals and six rebounds. Senior forward Justin Sampson pitched in six points and eight rebounds.
 
6-foot-9 senior forward Austin Rotroff finished one rebound shy of a double-double, garnering a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds for Wauseon (27-2). It’s the second state runner-up finish for the Indians, the first coming in 1994.
 
The game set Division II state championship game records for fewest points scored by a team (30) and fewest combined points by both teams (75).
 
Attendance for the game was 11,928.

Division IV Final

Lutheran East Grinds Out a Win to Take Home its Second State Championship
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Cleveland Heights Lutheran East Falcons are the 2017 OHSAA Division IV Boys Basketball State Champions after defeating the Columbus Wellington School 43-38 on Saturday afternoon at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
 
After going down double digits early in the first quarter, Lutheran East (20-9) turned the game around by upping the defensive pressure. Applying a full-court trapping press, the Jaguars were able to tie the game at 18 at halftime, and take their first lead early in the third quarter. "I felt like the game started to turn in the second quarter," stated Lutheran East coach Anthony Jones.
 
 The normally well-disciplined Wellington offense was unable to figure out the Falcons full-court pressure and ended up turning the ball over 26 times, with 13 coming in the final ten minutes of the first half. Wellington's 26 turnovers led to 15 Falcon points in a game where points were difficult to come by.
 
Following a 16-point performance in the semifinals, junior forward Jordan Burge once again led the team in scoring and was the only Falcon to finish in double-digits. Burge, who played sparingly in the fourth quarter due to foul trouble and eventually fouled out, finished with 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals.
 
Coach Jones addressed Burge's foul trouble in the post-game press conference, "I told the guys that one of our strengths is numbers. I had the most faith in anyone I put out there in the fourth quarter."
 
Despite first-half foul trouble, senior forward Dustin Harder finished the game with a double-double for Wellington (22-8). Harder's team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds follows his nine-point, 21-rebound performance in the Jaguars' semifinal win over Lima Perry.
 
This championship for Lutheran East is the second in school history, with the first coming in 2005.
 
Attendance for the game was 8,302.

Division III Final

Cleveland Villa-Angela St. Joseph Wins Third State Title in Five Years, Defeats Cincinnati Roger Bacon 54-52
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 8 Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph took down No. 10 Cincinnati Roger Bacon 54-52 in the 2017 Division III state championship game Saturday evening at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The victory marks the third state title in the last five years for the Vikings and seventh in school history, tying them with Middletown and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary for the most boys basketball state titles in Ohio high school history.
 
“This isn’t about winning seven state championships,” said Villa Angela-St. Joseph head coach Babe Kwasniak. “It’s about winning our state championship.”
 
It was a back-and-forth game throughout its entirety, with sixteen lead changes in the second half alone. Roger Bacon was able to cut the Viking lead to two multiple times in the fourth quarter, but could never pull even. Up just two points with a minute remaining, Villa Angela-St. Joseph extended its lead to 10 with 35 seconds remaining before Roger Bacon hit a few shots to cut the final deficit to just two.
 
“They [Roger Bacon] were the best team we played all year, defensively,” said Kwasniak. “They were electric on defense.”
 
Villa Angela-St. Joseph (23-6) finished with three players in double-digit scoring, led by junior guard Jerry Higgins’ 16 points. 6-foot-8 sophomore Alonzo Gaffney posted a double-double, scoring 12 points and nabbing 10 rebounds.
 
Senior forward Justin Johnson came off the bench and led Roger Bacon (25-5) with a team-high 14 points. Sophomore guard Alec Pfriem posted a double-double for the Spartans, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
 
Attendance for the game was 8,712.

Division I Final

Massillon Jackson Spoils Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller’s Perfect Season With 39-38 State Championship Game Victory
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Massillon Jackson’s Kyle Young split a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining in the game to break a tie and give the Polar Bears the upset victory over undefeated Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller 39-38 in the 2017 Division I state championship Saturday night at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
 
The game was a defensive battle, as both teams held each other to well below their respective season team-scoring averages. The last time a winning team scored less than 40 points in the Division I state final was 1945 when Bellevue defeated Middletown 36-34 (Class A).
 
Second-chance points proved to be the pivotal point in the outcome, as Massillon Jackson won the battle 12-6 and collected nine offensive rebounds. The Polar Bears also shut out the Crusaders in transition, as they did not allow a single fast break point from the Crusaders.
 
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle from the two heavyweight squads.
 
Massillon Jackson entered the final stanza with a three-point lead at 30-27. The Crusaders were able to work the game to a tie at 38 after Keegan McDowell sank a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining. A foul call on Archbishop Moeller on the next possession put Massillon Jackson’s Young at the line for what proved to be the game-winning free throw. A Hail Mary three from Archbishop Moeller’s Keegan McDowell sailed wide left, and the Polar Bears claimed their second state title in school history.
 
“This is all about Jackson,” said Polar Bear head coach and AP Division I Co-Coach of the Year Tim Debevec. “You can see these fans and families that came out tonight; these fans have been amazing. We’ve got a community program, and it’s all about these boys and all about Jackson.”
 
Senior Logan Hill finished with a team-high 12 points and grabbed six rebounds for Massillon Jackson (28-2). After a 25-point performance in the state semifinal against Lakewood St. Edward, AP Division I First Team All-Ohioan Kyle Young was held to just five points but did pull in 10 rebounds for the Polar Bears.
 
Sophomore guard Miles McBride led Archbishop Moeller (28-1) in scoring with 15 points and added nine rebounds. Associated Press Division I First Team All-Ohioan McDowell finished with 14 points and eight rebounds for the Crusaders.
 
With the Archbishop Moeller loss, Zanesville remains the last Division I team to finish a season undefeated when the Blue Devils went 26-0 in 1995.
 
Attendance for the game was 11,750.