The Vikings made a valiant run late in the fourth quarter, including this dunk by Jason Singleton, but the deficit to powerful Lutheran East was too much to overcome. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
In a rematch of last year’s Division V state title game, the Vikings again fell to the Falcons as Lutheran East won a state-record fourth consecutive championship and seventh overall.
Dayton, OH – Throughout the last two seasons, the little things added up to big totals for the Columbus Academy boys basketball team.
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It helps when your team’s best player takes the lead in being detail oriented as senior Jason Singleton often did during that time, as that mentality proved to be an infectious positive to back-to-back Division V state runner-up finishes for the program.
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“Jason Singleton’s a superstar, not just on the basketball court, but with his leadership, it’s easy for guys to want to step in and follow him,” coach Jeff Warstler said. “It makes my job a lot easier, just the fact we come to work every day and nobody steps out of line. We had a young man who’s new who took his shoes off before we got into the locker room. I walked in and told him to put his shoes back on because details matter to us. That’s what can win you games and lose you games.”
The Vikings won an awful lot the last two seasons, including finishing 24-5 this winter, but for the second consecutive season, they couldn’t shake a team that’s accomplished feats never seen before in Ohio prep basketball.
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Cleveland Heights Lutheran East defeated Academy 50-36 on Saturday at the University of Dayton Arena, handing the Vikings a second consecutive state final loss. The Falcons have now won 32 consecutive postseason games and four consecutive state championships—both OHSAA records—and have now won seven titles overall. Not including 2020 when the postseason ended at the regional level because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Falcons have been to the state tournament every season since 2017.
Rey Perez found the the going to rough in the pain, as The Lue’s swarming defenders made it difficult to get baskets inside.
During this year’s run, Lutheran East put together a 25-2 record that included beating Division IV state runner-up Cleveland Glenville as well as other state powers like Westerville North, which is looking to defend its Division II state championship Sunday.
“I tell these guys all the time, it’s something you can’t take for granted,” Falcons coach Sam Liggins said. “What we’ve been able to do the last four years is remarkable. It’s never been done before. The fact these guys bought into it since June, it was the goal. We made our schedule as hard as possible to face as much adversity as possible to do something no one’s ever done before.”
Singleton, a 6-4 senior who was the two-time District 10 Player of the Year and a Mr. Basketball finalist, is a Harvard commit who averaged 21 points and shot 51 percent from the floor. With more than 1,300 career points and a four-year starter, Singleton understandably received heavy attention defensively from the start.
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He didn’t score his first basket until the final seconds of the opening quarter as Lutheran East held a 12-5 lead.
Mitch Zumberge defends against Bryce Erby during the Division III title game at University of Dayton Arena.
Singleton, who was the only key player from last season who was on the floor during this year’s state final for the Vikings, didn’t score again during the first half as the Falcons built a 28-10 halftime advantage.
“Jason is a heck of a player and had a great career,” Liggins said. “Their coach is an outstanding coach. When you’ve got a player like Jason, at this level, it’s hard to keep them down. Those guys are very talented athletically. We said in pregame let’s stay in his face all game long. The other guys have to get the ball out of his hands. As the game started going long, that was the game plan—to wear him down because he’s a really good player.”
The Vikings, who lost last year’s state final to the Falcons 53-49, scored on the opening possession of the third quarter on 6-5 junior center Rey Perez’s layup. Lutheran East, however, didn’t let any momentum build and led 38-19 heading into the final period.
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The Falcons led by as much as 26 during the fourth quarter before the Vikings put together a 9-0 run that included a turnaround jumper from Singleton.
Will Bundy gets his shot blocked from behind by a Lutheran East defender.
Singleton scored on a dunk with 2 minutes, 45 seconds remaining and finished with 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting and added six rebounds.
“I’m just grateful for it all, to get back (to the state final) two times in a row and have a good four-year career,” Singleton said. “I’m glad to be here with my friends.”
Mitch Zumberge, a 6-8 sophomore, finished with eight points and nine rebounds.
The Vikings were limited to 31.9 percent shooting for the game, including making just two shots in both the first and second quarters.
Lutheran East had five returning key players from last season, including junior forward Devontey Perkins (18 points, 12 rebounds) and sophomore guard Dylan Ziegler (14 points, five rebounds, four assists).
“I’m super grateful for my teammates—they just push me every single day,” Zumberge said. “They mean so much to me and my development. Compared to last year getting more minutes on varsity, I think my teammates helped me earn a spot to help us get back here.”
End of an era. This marked the final game of John Exline’s illustrious 58-year career at Columbus Academy, 54 of which was spent as an assistant coach.
Academy will have a new look next season after losing Singleton among a seven-member senior class, but its attention to detail won’t change under Warstler, who has guided the program to a 253-100 mark in 14 seasons.
“We never quit, never say die,” Warstler said. “It’s what the program is and what the culture demands. We don’t do a lot of scoreboard looking. We talk about the next play and winning the next three minutes coming out of the half. It’s all a credit to these guys buying into what we’re selling. … I would say that probably when I get old, I’ll look back and in a time of reflection, I’ll certainly have a smile for this group.”
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