GALION, Ohio — Lexington stepped on the accelerator in the first quarter Wednesday night.
The Minutemen raced to a 19-7 lead and cruised to a 58-46 win over Richland County rival Madison in the Division II district semifinals at Galion High School.
Top-seeded Lex (23-2) will play No. 3 Sandusky for the district title at 2 p.m. Saturday at Galion. The Blue Streaks topped Ontario 57-54 in the nightcap of Wednesday’s district doubleheader.
“We knew we wanted to get off to a fast start,” Lexington point guard Joey Zahn said. “We just wanted to make sure we got out to a good start and control the ball a little bit and play our style.”
Zahn, a senior and the Ohio Cardinal Conference Player of the Year, scored just two first-quarter points, but handed out four assists. Classmate Jonah Yaussy was the primary benefactor of Zahn’s handiwork, scoring nine points in the period on 4 of 5 shooting.
“We made some really uncharacteristic mistakes. We allowed Jonah Yaussy to come off some screens free,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “I thought Joey Zahn was in command. They have got some senior leadership and nothing seemed to bother them.”
Shooting Woes: The Rams (15-10) connected on just 3 of 10 field goals in the first quarter and misfired on all five 3-point attempts. It was a recurring theme as Madison finished the night 0 for 19 from beyond the arc.
“We picked a bad night to not shoot well,” Mergel said.
Making matters worse for Madison, senior standout Billy Buckley was in and out of foul trouble throughout the evening. Buckley picked up his second foul with 4:36 to play in the first quarter. The Rams trailed 8-6 at the time.
“Billy is a great player. That was big when he went out,” Yaussy said. “It helped us build a big lead in the beginning.”
Buckley came back to start the second quarter as the Rams cut into Lexington’s advantage. The Minutemen took a 22-9 lead on a Zahn 3-pointer with 6:59 to play in the first half but Madison closed the quarter on a 12-6 run. Back-to-back traditional three-point plays by Tyrell Ajian and Kyle Jackson cut Lexington’s lead to 28-21 at the break.
“I knew it was going to be that way,” Lex coach Scott Hamilton said. “They’ve got guys who want to get after it. They really put it on us in the second quarter.”
Taking Control: Lex opened the third quarter on a 7-2 run and took a 35-23 advantage on another Zahn triple with 5:02 to play in the third. The Minutemen built a 44-31 bulge going to the fourth.
Madison cut the margin to 10 points twice in the final period but could get no closer.
“We just really struggled scoring the basketball,” Mergel said. “Any time we drove I think we went in too deep and when we had a kickout, we couldn’t make a shot.”
Leaders: Zahn paced the Minutemen with 18 points and seven assists. Yaussy added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Cae Stover had 10 points and nine boards.
Ajian had a team-high 15 points and six rebounds. Buckley added 14 points, while Jackson scored nine points and blocked three shots.
On the Rise: The Rams have improved in each of Mergel’s four seasons in charge. Madison managed just two wins in his first season (2012-13) and six the following year. The Rams won 12 games last season.
“We had some tough seniors, guys who gutted it through,” Mergel said. “We’re starting to build something. Our goal was to challenge for a conference title and win a sectional.
“I think now we are in a spot where our goals are a little bit higher.”
