Ohio crowns its state champs

COLUMBUS, Ohio – This year’s Ohio State Boys Basketball Tournament ended as it always does, with four State Champions being crowned on Saturday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of the Ohio State University. The 95th annual edition of the tournament did not disappoint, as crowds were left with lasting memories of great team, and individual, performances. Here’s a look at the day that was, and the teams that will be bringing a State Championship trophy back to their school….

Massillon Jackson 39 Cincinnati Moeller 38: Jackson made it a four-way sweep for Northeast Ohio in the final game of the ’16-’17 season on Saturday night, narrowly defeating Moeller in a matchup of two disciplined heavyweights. With the final stat lines looking nearly identical across the board, Jackson got just enough production from their dynamic front-court duo of senior forwards Kyle Young and Logan Hill to seal the deal, as the Polar Bears captured their second State Championship. The Polar Bears looked like locks to win with around thirty seconds remaining, before Moeller’s Jeremiah Davenport came up with a key blocked shot, leading to two game-tying free throws from Keegan McDowell; all of which set up the final possession. After running some time off of the clock, Jackson’s Young was fouled on a drive the basket (a call which the Moeller faithful passionately protested), and Young converted one of the two free throws to put the ball in Moeller’s hands with a little less than three seconds remaining. Moeller’s final attempt fell short, giving the Polar Bears the D1 crown in front of a crowd of almost 12,000. Logan Hill led the Polar Bears in his final game, finishing with 12 points and 6 rebounds, while junior wing Jaret Pallotta also was in double figures with 11 points, as well as 7 rebounds and 3 assists. While he only finished with 5 points and 10 rebounds on the night, Kyle Young was the go-to player for Jackson, and he marked his place in history with the game winning free throw. Moeller was led by the outstanding play of sophomore guard Miles “Deuce” McBride, who finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals and an assist. Also chipping in for Moeller, senior guard Keegan McDowell finished in double-figures with 14 points and 8 rebounds, while junior wing Jeremiah Davenport added 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks off of the bench.

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s 45 Wauseon 30: The Irish broke open a 6-point game with just under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter, as three straight STVSM steals led to layups or dunks to build an insurmountable lead and propel the Irish to their first State Championship since 2011 and their 7th overall. Akron’s finest out-shot Wauseon by a count of 47-28, all due to the fact that Wauseon committed 23 turnovers. Usually known as a stout defensive team, Wauseon was able to limit STSVSM in the half-court, but the Irish guards were simply too good in transition after steals. Senior guard Jayvon Graves, a Buffalo signee, had another outstanding game for the Irish, capping his career with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 7 steals in the win. While Graves was the only double-figure scorer, senior point guard Jon Williams, sophomore forward Lunden McDay, sophomore forward Darius Cone and senior wing Justin Sampson were also key contributors for Akron STVSM. For Wauseon, 6’9 junior post Austin Rotroff was excellent in scoring 18 points (8/10 FG) to go along with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks; as the D1 college prospect almost single-handedly kept his team in the game in the second half. However, despite Rothroff’s best efforts, this one belonged to the Irish, as St. Vincent-St. Mary’s held Wauseon to just 4 points in the final quarter as the Irish reclaimed a State Title that had eluded them the past two seasons.

Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joe’s 54 Cincinnati Roger Bacon 52: The Vikings captured their third State Title in the last five years, and third in Coach Babe Kwasniak’s six year coaching tenure, as they outlasted Roger Bacon in a battle of two gritty teams on Saturday evening. Roger Bacon’s James Johnson made a three-pointer as time expired to cut the final deficit to two, as VASJ junior point guard Gene Higgins had essentially sealed the deal for his Vikings seconds before when his free throws extended the lead to two possessions. The two teams appeared to be evenly matched from start to finish, as no team won an individual quarter by more than one point, with both teams being built around team play and half-court defense. Higgins was tremendous on the evening for VASJ, finishing with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, while shooting 8/9 from the free throw line (many of them coming in the fourth quarter). Along with Higgins, sophomore forward Alonzo Gaffney also produced a standout performance, as the 6’8 super athlete finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Finally, VASJ also benefited from the play of senior wing William Butler, who capped a great weekend of play with 10 points and 3 assists for the Vikings. A Roger Bacon senior class who made it to three State Tournaments in four years ended their career’s in style, as forward James Johnson led the Spartans with 13 points and 5 rebounds, forward Justin Johnson was the team’s high scorer with 14 points and point guard Craig McGee chipped in with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Sophomore forward Alec Pfriem was also a key contributor for Roger Bacon, as he made several second half shots in finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists.

Cleveland Lutheran East 43 Columbus Wellington School 38: In the sloppiest game in recent memory, perhaps even State Championship history, Lutheran East made their free throws and got enough defensive stops down the stretch to get the job done, and capture their second ever State Title and first since 2005. The Falcons relied on full-court pressure to create turnovers, and even though they turned it over 16 times themselves, the 26 turnovers of Wellington were the telling stat in the game. Wellington jumped out to a double-figure lead in the first quarter; however, Lutheran East stormed back in the second quarter, and the two teams went blow for blow in the second half, before a few key Lutheran East jumpers fell in the fourth quarter to give the Falcons a lead that they would not relinquish for the rest of the afternoon. Junior guard Jordan Burge led the way for LE on the day, finishing with a team-high 13 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while supplying plenty of vocal leadership as well. Guards Maurico Tate, Tyler Powell, Travis Sanders and Kaylin Heard also were key for Lutheran East, as the Falcons employed a five-guard approach for much of the second half. Wellington was led by the game-high 14 points of senior power forward Dustin Harder, who also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in the loss. No other Jaguars players scored in double-figures; however, junior forward Noah Berry and junior guard Solomon Pierre-Louis each added 7 points in the contest.