The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Finally, Heights reaches bright lights of state
Spartans seal first boys hoops final four berth in school history in tense thriller
CANTON >> Just six seconds remained in a Division IV regional final at the Canton Field House between Richmond Heights and New Middletown Springfield on March 15.
The Spartans had just extended their precarious onepoint lead to 46-43 on two free throws by Gbolahan Adio.
But now the Tigers had the ball.
A 3-pointer by Adam Wharry was off the mark, but Shane Eynon grabbed the rebound and passed to an open Beau Brungard.
The Spartans’ season flashed before their eyes, as they watched the shot take flight.
The ball clanged off the rim, and Richmond Heights and its fans erupted with joy as the miss meant the Spartans had held on to win and at long last, after two near misses earlier in the decade, are headed for the state final four.
Richmond Heights (21-6) led, 38-30, early in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers cut it to 3836 with 5:22 left. It was still a one-possession game, at 42-40, with two minutes left, when Jevontae Jones dunked for the Spartans to make it 44-40.
But Richmond Heights couldn’t put the Tigers away, and a 3 by Drew Clark brought the Tigers within 44-43 with 16 ticks left. But Adio’s two freebies forced the two missed triples by the Tigers.
“That was them trying to hurry up and end the game instead of being poised,” Richmond Heights coach Quentin Rogers said of the hectic final two minutes. “Lucky for us our defense was disciplined and solid. We got a couple key blocks, and it ended up working out for us.”
Adio led the Spartans with 12 points, four assists and three steals. Anthony Maxie had six rebounds and four blocks. Curtis Houston had nine points and made all four of his free throws. Jevontae Jones and Jamarr Talbert contributed eight points each.
Springfield’s 2-3 defense and strong first-half rebounding made Richmond Heights work hard for every shot and play in a half-court game. The Spartans struggled a bit from the field in the first two frames, converting just 9 of 22 attempts.
A trey by Isaiah Martin gave Richmond Heights a 24-19 lead at halftime, after it had trailed after the opening stanza, 9-8.
“In the first half we came
out pretty slow, so at halftime we came into the locker room and said we had to pick it up,” Houston said.
The Spartans, working patiently to score against the Springfield defense, took a 32-23 lead in the third quarter
when Jones scored on a pass from Maxie. A dunk by Maxie kept the lead intact after three, 36-30.
Although Richmond Heights was outscored in the fourth, 13-10, four huge blocks in the frame by Maxie,
including one he knocked out of bounds with six seconds to play, helped the Spartans’ defense make the difference.
“I was just trying to bring energy,” Maxie said. “I couldn’t really get it done on offense, so I had to do what I can and bring it on defense to help the team.”
Clark led the Tigers with a game-high 18 points, which included four 3s. Eynon, Springfield’s only senior, finished with 14 in his last game.
“Fantastic,” Springfield coach Steve French said regarding his team’s effort. “We talked about believing that we belonged in this game. We fought the whole game. We were able to get some pressure and some turnovers to get back in it, and just missed a couple shots down the stretch.”
Richmond Heights will play Convoy Crestview on March 22 at the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State.
The Spartans won’t be satisfied with simply making the trip.
“We’ll tell them to enjoy this tonight, then tomorrow we’ll start getting prepared.” Rogers said. “We’re not going down there just to visit.”
Houston, one of six Spartans seniors, has waited a long time for this chance.
“No plays off. We can’t watch no plays,” Houston said regarding what his team has learned going into the state semifinal. “We’ve got to go hard every single play.”