R.J. Greer dribbles past an Ursaline defender en route to a 73-37 drubbing to punch a ticket to the state title game. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Jeff Gilbert)
Shooting lights out all day long, Kettering Alter jumped to a 20-4 lead and trounced Youngstown Ursuline in state semifinal. R.J. Greer scored 24 points to pace the tradition-rich Knights, who are seeking their first state title since 2001.
Dayton, OH – A glance at Kettering Alter’s season stats offers a glimpse of what makes the Knights shine.
Alter’s top six players each shoot at least 37 percent from three-point range with the team overall coming in at a 38-percent clip. It doesn’t matter if you’re 6-feet-8. You’ve still got the green light.
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“That three-point line makes a big difference in the game,” Alter coach Eric Coulter said. “Once those start going down, it allows you to do a lot of different things in terms of spreading out the floor and creating driving lanes.”
Veteran central Ohio columnist Steve Blackledge writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros.
The Knights knocked down four treys in a 20-4 first quarter and breezed to a 73-37 rout of Youngstown Ursuline in a Division II state semifinal at University of Dayton Arena Saturday. Much of the fourth quarter was played with a rolling clock.
On the night, Alter shot 62.2 percent from the field (28 of 45) and 47.4 percent from the arc (9 of 19). Just as impressive, the Knights assisted on three-quarters of their baskets.
“My general comment on the game is we hit a lot of shots tonight,” he said. “We’re dialed in right now. We’re making the extra pass and creating good opportunities.”
Ursuline coach Keith Gunther said his team’s chief focus was to guard the three-point line.
“They’ve got five guys on the floor who can hit them, and tonight even one guy who never made them all year got a couple,” he said. “The thing is they’re not just three-point shooters. They’re skilled enough to beat you off the dribble as well. They’re pretty darned good.”
Alter’s Grady Conner tosses a pass into the lane during a 73-37 blowout of Ursaline in the state DII Semi-Final at UD Arena in Dayton.
R.J. Greer scored 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting (4-of-5 on threes) to pace ninth-ranked Alter (22-7), who will play for its fourth state title, but first since 2001 at 5:15 p.m. Sunday against the Shelby-Zanesville Maysville winner. Joe Brand added 17 points and four steals.
“After our (65-36) loss to (Dayton Chaminade Julienne) to end the regular season, we really came together as a team,” Greer said. “The biggest thing we’ve been focusing on is our composure.”
Fourth-ranked Ursuline (24-4) shot just 28.3 percent from the field and went 2 of 20 from three-point range. The Irish were manhandled on the boards 37-21.
“That’s the first time all year I think the lights got too big for us,” Ginther said. “We were a little bright-eyed and didn’t follow our game plan. They kind of picked us apart right out of the gate and, mentally and physically, we just couldn’t recover. It was like we were swimming uphill the rest of the way.”
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