The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Fairview bows out in regional
CANTON >> Fairview found out firsthand what Lutheran East brings to the table.
The Warriors trailed early against the defending state champions and couldn’t recover in a 90-49 defeat March 13 in a Division III regional semifinal at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse.
Their dream season that resulted in the program’s first district title ends with a 19-7 record.
“I told them that they have to focus on the positives,” Fairview coach Ryan Barry said. “It hurts right now, but there’s so much work that goes into this. Although we’re sad it’s over, it’s just emotional when it ends because these kids have sacrificed for so long. There’s tears in their eyes and there’s tears in mine, but we’ll always have each other. What we’ve accomplished is something special.”
Fairview fell behind, 122, early on but only trailed by seven at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors got it going offensively in the second quarter, but couldn’t make timely perimeter shots to make it a tight game.
They trailed only 40-26 at halftime after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Burke Lowry (team-high 20 points), but turnovers and missed opportunities piled up. The Falcons’ length, which the Warriors rarely see, had something to do with that.
“We don’t have the pieces to necessarily handle some of that stuff. But I thought our guys did a good job of executing the game plan,” Barry said. “I just wish we would have hit a few more shots in the first half to make it a closer game longer.”
Lutheran East (20-5) is in the midst of its ninth consecutive district championship run, and it played like a team destined to be playing in Dayton next weekend.
Ronald Taylor (gamehigh 35 points) and Michigan State signee Jesse McCulloch (30 points) combined for 65 points and scored the first 33 for the Falcons. Taylor made seven of the team’s 10 3-pointers and McCulloch dominated inside with 11 made field goals and 12 rebounds.
“Our motto is, shoot 3s and play defense,” Lutheran East coach Sam Liggins said. “If you noticed, having Jesse inside helps shoot 3s as well because he puts so much stress on the defense. But Ronald Taylor puts a lot of time into his craft and with Anthony Bruce, when those two guys are going, I think it’s hard for us to be stopped. We got a lot of guards that put a lot of time in on their job.”
The Falcons can turn on the switch and make a run. Fairview kept it within striking distance heading into the second half, but Lutheran East quickly put an end to any potential upset. The lead got up to 20 points, and McCulloch re-entered the game and put up six quick points to increase it.
“Just knowing we have a switch and we can turn things up and up, it really goes into the preparation before the game,” McCulloch said. “It feels good, especially since it’s our senior year, that we don’t have that much time left. We have to go out every game and leave it all on the floor.”
Although Fairview couldn’t find its footing for the remainder of the game, it kept fighting until the final whistle. Behind Lowry, Will Allen scored 15 points to lead the Warriors. In the final minutes, their two seniors, Collin Lucas and Owen McMonagle, got their moment from the fans who made the trip. Both scored six points in their final career game.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be a part of this team,” Lucas said. “I’m so thankful for this group of guys that they were able to get me one more opportunity to go out there. It might not have ended how we wanted it to, but I can’t explain how thankful I am. I love playing with them.”