LEXINGTON, Ohio — Nobody wants a second shot at Sandusky more than Lexington’s Joey Zahn.
Lexington’s senior point guard will get his wish Saturday and the stakes couldn’t be much higher.
Zahn and the top-seeded Minutemen will take on the third-seeded Blue Streaks at 2 p.m. in Galion for a district title. A win would send Lex to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008 and help erase the memory of last year’s bitter district semifinal loss to the Blue Steaks.
Lexington led Sandusky 55-50 with less than 1:30 remaining but withered down the stretch in a 58-55 loss. The Minutemen were held scoreless for the final 3:20. In its final six possessions, Lex turned the ball over three times and missed the front end of three one-and-one situations.
The Ohio Cardinal Conference Player of the Year and a Northwest District first-team selection, Zahn scored 26 points in last year’s meeting against the Streaks but struggled from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Classmate Jonah Yaussy scored 12 points and had five rebounds, but had to sit out for a long stretch in the first half after picking up two first-quarter fouls.
“That left a bad taste in our mouths,” Zahn said after Wednesday’s 58-46 win over Madison. “We want to get a little revenge from last year.”
Sandusky is in the district championship game for a second straight season after winning the district title last year. The Blue Streaks knocked off Ontario 57-54 on Wednesday after rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit.
“We battle and battle,” Sandusky coach Colin Irish said. “We stayed firm together.
“They refused to fold.”
The Blue Streaks are led by Jayrese Williams, the Northwest District Player of the Year in Division II. The 6-foot-2 junior guard scored 20 points against Ontario and connected on four critical free throws in the final minute after misfiring on a pair late in Sandusky’s 60-59 win over Shelby in the sectional championship game.
“I like that situation. It’s exciting,” Williams said. “I stayed overtime and worked on my free throws after practice. That helped me hit them.”
Defending its district title won’t be easy. Irish is just pleased to have the opportunity.
“We have our hands full against Lexington. We know that,” Irish said. “But we’d rather have our hands full against Lexington than turn in our uniforms.”
Lex coach Scott Hamilton agreed.
“It’s not going to be easy, I’ll tell you that,” Hamilton said. “We’re glad to still be playing.”
