Wellington wants to atone for last year’s loss

Wellington basketball players were still trying to get over a loss in a Division IV state tournament semifinal when they went into a deeper funk finding out that Willoughby Cornerstone Christian had won the championship by 18 points over Van Wert Lincolnview.

Two days before, the Jaguars had that same Cornerstone Christian team down by four points with 2:56 left in the fourth quarter of a semifinal, only to lose 73-67 after a series of breakdowns.

“I didn’t watch the championship game, but I saw the score and said, ‘Man, I wish we could have been playing in that game,’’’ forward Noah Berry said.

Wellington (21-7) has given itself an opportunity for a second chance at a happy ending, beginning with a state semifinal against Lima Perry (24-3) at 8:30 tonight in Value City Arena.

There are key players back in Berry and 6-foot-9 Dustin Harder, plus transfers in point guard Guy Schmidt from Grandview and 6-3 forward Solomon PierreLouis from Columbus Academy.

The Jaguars started the season 7-4 waiting for Schmidt and Pierre-Louis to become eligible. They eventually became starters and the team took off in losing only three games the rest of the way, including to Division I powers Upper Arlington and St. Charles.

“We came out of nowhere last year and, darn it, we’ve done it again,’’ third-year coach Artie Taylor said. “We’re prepared for this. Not being in a conference, we’ve got to schedule every single game with the mindset where we want to put ourselves into a situation to be ready for the tournament.’’

Taylor said the players are determined to make up for last season, when they were leading Cornerstone Christian 66-62 down the stretch. The Jaguars then misfired on four straight possessions.

“Absolutely, they think we left something on the table,’’ Taylor said. "We took some untimely shots that led to fast-break points. The next thing you know we were down. Since the summer they’ve been working hard to get back and give themselves another chance.’’

Harder, who has signed with Belmont Abbey, said the players have handled this second-chance journey well.

“This year we have more of a target on our backs,’’ he said. “We know going into each game that we’re going to get the best from opponents.’’

Berry thinks the team will be better prepared for the inevitable ups and downs of playing on the big stage.

“It will come down to execution and how much you want it,’’ he said. “We know what is waiting there for us. I think we’ll know how to handle it.’’

Taylor saw the look of wonder in the players’ eyes last season. He expects the team will be more locked in for the job at hand.

“There is something different about these guys this year,’’ he said. “We’re walking in there to get it done. We’ve been there. There won’t be any surprises. There won’t be any shock and awe. We’ll stick to our game plan and go after our goals.’’