Xavier McKinney scores in traffic during a Regional Semi-Final game in the Taft Coliseum. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Embroiled in close games, Reynoldsburg and Olentangy Liberty each pulled away down the stretch to set up a compelling Division I regional championship showdown Saturday at the Taft Coliseum.
Columbus, OH – Reynoldsburg came into a Division I regional semifinal matchup with Dublin Coffman Thursday night averaging 75.2 points per game – making them easily the most potent team in central Ohio, if not the entire state.
But don’t get the idea that the Raiders are simply a run-and-gun outfit that overwhelms opponents with a unique blend of height (four starters between 6-feet-4 and 6-6), athleticism and college-bound talent.
Those attributes come in equally handy on the defensive end, and that’s how Reynoldsburg was able to fight off feisty Dublin Coffman 60-54 before a noisy crowd at the Ohio Expo Center’s Taft Coliseum and reach the elite eight round for the first time in program history.
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“Our length has done that to people all year,” Raiders coach Andy Moore said. “We can crash the boards for offensive rebounds, block shots and do other things that makes things awfully difficult for opponents. Because of the (non-league) schedule we’ve played, we’ve been in a lot of tight games. Our guys know what it takes down the stretch.”
Veteran central Ohio columnist Steve Blackledge writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros.
Using a similar strategy that Hilliard Bradley employed Saturday in a tight 57-51 defeat to Reynoldsburg Saturday in a district final, Dublin Coffman ran patient sets with multiple screens to create open shots, and took care of business on the defensive end.
The Shamrocks (14-11), who took fifth place in the rugged six-team Ohio Capital Conference Central Division, fought the Raiders tooth and nail to the final minute.
Clinging to a three-point lead, 6-6 Toby Nwokolo made a huge block on a three-point shot in the corner by Stone Clifton with 1:25 left. From that point on, Reynoldsburg badgered Coffman into three turnovers while dominating their own offensive glass.
Jordie Bowens keeps a close eye on Coffman’s Colin McClure.
“We knew it was all about getting stops and making things uncomfortable for them,” Nwokolo said. “At halftime, we realized they were too comfortable on their end of the floor and we had to speed them up. We work for late-game situations like this in practice every day. We expect to win these.”
Coffman coach Adam Banks conceded this his team simply couldn’t get over the hump in the final two minutes despite keeping it a one- to two-possession game much of the night.
“We were right there, but I give a lot of credit to Reynoldsburg,” he said. “We broke their press OK, but we just couldn’t secure any defensive rebounds when they missed, and that’s a testament to how tough and talented their kids are. They turned us over and blocked shots at key moments.”
Ohio University signee Jordan Fisher scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Reynoldsburg (24-1), which will face Olentangy Liberty (21-4) at 6 p.m. Saturday for the regional title. Olentangy Orange meets Groveport at 2 p.m. Saturday in another regional final Saturday at Wittenberg University, assuring the OCC of getting two teams in the big-school final four.
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Nwokolo added 17 points and Xavier McKinney 11 for the Raiders, who blocked seven shots on the night.
“The guys were pretty excited to learn after the game that this was the first time our program had ever reached a regional final,” Moore said. “That’s another thing off our check list of goals, but there are a few more left.”
Thomas More-bound Colin McClure capped his brilliant Coffman career with 22 points, and Gabe Schmidt added 15. But nothing came easy for the ‘Rocks.
“We tried to send more guys at McClure in the second half, but he can be a one-man wrecking ball sometimes,” Moore said. “We did work to make him get his shots, though.”
Tyler Kropp leaves no doubt late in the game that the Patriots were going to advance to the Regional Final.
Moore said before the game that freshman Mekhi Roddy, who punched Hilliard Bradley player Ben Mirgon in the groin Saturday in a videotaped incident that went viral, was suspended for the remainder of the postseason. Moore said the decision was made jointly and unanimously by the team and the school.
Olentangy Liberty 58, Upper Arlington 39
Liberty broke up open a tight game with a dominant fourth quarter to beat OCC Central rival Upper Arlington for the third time this season. The other margins were 12 and 24.
With the outcome still within two possessions, Upper Arlington (14-10) felt compelled to press full court and paid the price as Tyler Kropp finished a textbook press breaker with a thunderous dunk in transition. That made it 44-36 with 3:15 remaining. Liberty made three more dunks in transition the rest of the way to coast into just its second regional title game.
“The final score was not indicative of what happened tonight,” Liberty coach Greg Nossaman said. “They had a good game plan for us, and while it wasn’t one of our best shooting nights, I liked the way we handled things in the fourth quarter when the game was still on the line.”
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Kropp, a 6-9 Northwestern signee, celebrated his 18th birthday with a solid 15-point, eight-rebound performance. Nick Butterfield added 13 points and Christian Moulton 10.
Kropp’s 6-9 counterpart, Ohio State junior commit Alex Smith, had a fabulous game in front of future coach Jake Diebler, scoring 29 points. But he was one of only three Golden Bears to score.
Christian Moulton gets 2 of his 10 points on the night on this play.
“Smith was a handful for us, but we did a great job on the other guys,” Nossaman said.
While they likely will square off in the Big Ten, Kropp and Smith are completely different type players. Smith does much of his work from 15 feet out while Kropp is a more traditional forward type.
“Of course, there’s a little rivalry when we get to play against each other, but the bottom line for me is just to win,” Kropp said. “Having played against each other so often, our teams know what each other is going to do. There are no real secrets. Our big emphasis this week was on defense … and to keep them from breaking us down for open shots.”
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