Worthington Christian falls in Division III championship
DAYTON — It took Worthington Christian nearly seven minutes to score its first points of the game.
The Warriors eventually got their offense going, but it wasn't enough, as they fell, 61-56, to Lutheran East in the the Division III state championship game on Sunday afternoon.
Every time it seemed like Worthington Christian (27-2) had narrowed the gap enough to possibly take the lead, the Falcons (16-3) came up with a big shot to stay in front.
D.J. Moore, Tyler Kindberg and Kobe Buford did everything they could to cut into East's lead, and a stolen inbounds pass and finish by junior Tommy Anthony with 55.7 seconds left made it a twopoint game. The game hadn't been that close since early in the second half.
On the ensuing possession, the Falcons went to the free-throw line and made 1 of 2 shots to extend the lead just enough.
“We really lost the game in the first five minutes of the game,” Worthington Christian coach Kevin Weakley said. “We didn't respond to (the Falcons' physical play) with what we needed to respond to it with, and combat it with it our own aggressive play, until it was too late.”
The slow start hurt. Moore broke the scoreless drought with 63 seconds left in the first quarter, stopping Lutheran East's 7-0 run. For much of the opening frame, the Warriors missed open looks and couldn't capitalize on the Falcons' turnovers, though their defense did keep the game from getting firmly out of reach.
But in the second quarter, many of the same issues continued. As Worthington Christian continued to struggle to shoot the ball, Lutheran East's offense picked up and enabled the Falcons to extend their lead.
As Worthington Christian continued to struggle to shoot the ball, Lutheran
East's offense picked up and enabled the Falcons to extend their lead.
After shooting a mere 25% from the floor in the first half, Worthington Christian's offense came to life in the second half. But, unfortunately, for the Warriors, so too did the Falcons' Jay Billingsley.
Billingsley, who averaged 18 points per game this year and is committed to play at Georgetown, had seven points in the first half but lit up for 17 in the second to finish with 24 total. bjohnson@dispatch.com @baileyajohnson_