The Hoosiers comparison has already been made. But it continues to stick for
Jackson Center (Ohio).
The undefeated Tigers set up a highly anticipated match-up with
Hiland (Berlin) in Saturday's small school OHSAA state final with a 53-50 come-from-behind win over Africentric Early College (Columbus) in Thursday's Division IV state semifinals at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center.
A crowd of 9,362 watched as Jackson Center (27-0) fell behind 14-2 and trailed by 15 points (28-13) in the second quarter. The Tigers took their first lead (48-46) on an Andy Hoying lay-up with 3:28 to go. It was the game's only lead change.
Jackson Center's comeback was still in doubt until freshman guard Gavin Wildermuth drained two free throws with 13 seconds left. Wildermuth is just 15 years old.
"I knew I would make those free throws because my teammates gave me the sign," Wildermuth said, putting one fist over the other. "I think about it all the time, shooting free throws to win the game. I've rehearsed the moment since fourth grade."
Jackson's Center's legend has been building longer than that.
The town has had two teams make state (1963) and one win it (1985). The '85 squad first scripted memories of Hoosiers when it beat heavily favored Columbus Wherle in the semifinals (60-55) and then beat Graysville Skyvue (63-61) in the Class A final when Jeff Teeters, a little used sub, hit the winning jump shot at the buzzer.
Teeters, who didn't earn a varsity letter that year, was in the game with both of Jackson Center's starting guards on the bench, having fouled out.
Fast-forward 27 years. It's a similar situation.
Only one player from the 1985 team (Tom Meyer) has a son (Alex Meyer, scored a team-high 16 points in win over Africentric) on this year's squad, but the excitement and storylines run parallel.
The school, located in a town with a population of 1,388, sold nearly 1,200 tickets to Thursday's semifinal.
En route to the state final, Jackson Center, led by Hoying (two-time Shelby County League Player of the Year), beat highly touted St. Henry (Ohio) and Jefferson Township (Dayton) by a combined 20 points in the regional tournament. At state the Tigers handled Africentric, a team that had won it's previous six tournament games by an average of 44.4 points.
"It was a tremendous game by both teams," Jackson Center coach Scott Elchert said. "It may have seemed like an upset to some, but not in our locker room."
Next up is a similar mountain in Hiland (26-1).
The Hawks – led by 6-5 Dylan Kaufman (University of Findlay), 6-7 Seger Bonifant (West Liberty University) and 6-7 Neil Gingerich – are trying to become the first D-IV school since Wherle (1988-90) to win back-to-back small school titles.
Hiland was ranked No. 1 in Ohio in the final JJHuddle D-IV Power Poll.
Jackson Center was ranked No. 1 in Ohio in the final Associated Press D-IV Poll.
Kaufman and Hoying were the AP's D-IV Ohio Co-Players of the Year.
"One game at a time," Elchert said. "(And one) last time Saturday."
OTHER OHIO STATE BASKETBALL ACTION…DIVISION IOhio's D-I state final looks a lot like a football championship.
Whitmer (Toledo) and
Pickerington Central will face each other in the championship game four months after each made the D-I football Final Four. Pickerington Central was Ohio's 2011 D-I football runner-up.
Whitmer beat St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 62-51 in one semifinal Friday, while Pickerington Central beat Fairfield (Ohio) 60-45 in the other. Whitmer tied a D-I state tournament record by holding St. Edward to two first quarter points. The Panthers led 26-5 in the second quarter.
Pick Central just chipped away. The Tigers led 16-14 after the first quarter and 29-24 at half. At the end of three they were up 42-35.
DIVISION IIDunbar remained unbeaten (27-0) and advanced to its fourth D-II state final in seven years with a 75-60 win over
Lake Catholic (Mentor) in Friday's state semifinals. The Wolverines, ranked No. 12 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, separated themselves with a strong second half (led just 28-24 at half).
Dunbar senior guard
Andre Yates (Creighton) led all scorers with 26 points, while senior forward
Deontae Hawkins (Wichita State) added a double-double (19 points and 12 rebounds). Lake Catholic (23-3) put four players in double-figures led by senior guard Mike Whalen (14 points).
In the second semifinal,
Elida beat St. Clairsville (Ohio) 61-27.
Senior forward
Reggie McAdams (Akron) opened the game with a two-handed alley-oop dunk for Elida (24-3) and never relented. McAdams had 17 points and
Cory Roysterr added a double-double (18 points and 18 rebounds) as Elida led 15-0 after the first quarter.
St. Clairsville's scoreless first quarter was an OHSAA D-II state tournament record for fewest points in a quarter. The Red Devils (23-3) started four juniors and a sophomore and don't have a senior on the roster.
DIVISION IIIOne of Ohio's most storied program's will square off against a newbie in the D-III state championship.
Portsmouth, making its 14th trip to state (second only to Canton McKinley), beat Ottawa-Glandorf (Ohio) 74-66 in one of Thursday's state semifinals, while
Summit Country Day (Cincinnati), making its first state tournament appearance, beat St. Peter Chanel (Bedford, Ohio) 49-41 in the other.
Country Day (25-1) took control by outscoring Chanel 25-15 over the second and third quarters. Kyree Brewer and Ishmael Hargove each had 13 points for Chanel (23-5).
Portsmouth (23-2) trailed Ottawa-Glandorf 17-16 after the first quarter but used a 25-9 second quarter run to separate from the Titans (19-7). Seniors
Jayllen Carter (23 points),
Wayne Evans (22) and
Dion McKinley (13 points) combined for 78-percent of Portsmouth's scoring.
