Wauseon too strong for Eastmoor
Eastmoor Academy’s length was trumped by Wauseon’s strength, and it made for a frustrating Division II state boys basketball semifinal for the Warriors.
Buoyed by a stifling defense and pivotal rebound baskets down the stretch, Wauseon defeated Eastmoor 42-35 Thursday before 8,837 fans at Value City Arena.
“It certainly was a battle to control tempo today,” Eastmoor coach Jim Miranda said. “We wanted to push the ball and create as many turnover opportunities as we could with full-court pressure. It’s hard to simulate their style in
practice. It was a tough game for us. They were a sound, solid, tenacious team and they came out on top.”
There were six lead changes in the tactical contest, but a third-chance basket by Owen Newlove early in the fourth quarter gave Wauseon (27-1) a 26-25 edge it wouldn’t relinquish.
Brooks Gype converted a three-point play to make it 35-31 with 2:05 left and also had a putback of a missed foul shot by Austin Rotroff at the 1:21 mark to give the Indians a 37-33 lead.
“We’ve talked all year about how defense never sleeps and rebounding never sleeps, and I think that’s what pulled us over the top,” said Wauseon coach Chad Burt, who played for the Indians when they last reached the state championship game, 23 years ago.
Gype scored 14 points and Carter Bzovi 13 for Wauseon, which converted seven putback baskets. Rotroff, a 6-foot-9 junior center, had six points on three dunks and contributed seven rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Taevion Kinsey had 15 points to lead Eastmoor, which shot 31.9 percent from the field (15 of 47) and hit just 1 of 10 three-point attempts. Five of the Warriors’ baskets came on layups after steals.
Kinsey tried to make sense of Eastmoor’s woes in the half-court.
“They played very sound weak-side defense,” Kinsey said. “The presence of the big man in the middle was a big factor. I think we kind of shied away from him until he got in foul trouble, then we started going to the bucket.”
Burt echoed Kinsey’s comments.
“Austin made some emphatic, statement blocks,” he said. “Bring it strong or the big man’s going to swat it out of there. He was a game-changer.”
On the heels of a 7-16 season in 2015-16, Miranda said Eastmoor’s successful run merely set the table for 2018. Seven of his top nine players return, including four starters.
“Our goal is we’ll be back here next year,” Miranda said. “If only we play a little bit stronger and a little bit smarter and nail some outside shots, we can be on the winning side.”