MANSFIELD, Ohio — If the weight of expectation has been a burden on Van Wert Lincolnview this season, the Lancers have hidden it well.
Lincolnview was ranked No. 1 in Division IV when the first Associated Press state poll came out in January — and stayed atop the rankings all season long. The Lancers’ lone regular-season loss came against Division III poll champ Lima Central Catholic in early February.
The Lancers (25-1) will take on unranked St. Peter’s (22-4) at 7 p.m. Friday in the regional championship game at Bowling Green State University’s Stroh Center. The winner advances to next week’s Final Four.
“We keep finding a way. We’ve had a lot of close games coming down the stretch and defense seems to keep pulling it out for us,” Lincolnview coach Brett Hammons said after Tuesday’s 36-29 win over No. 3 Fayette in the regional semifinals. “With the guys we had returning, we knew we had an opportunity (for an extended postseason run).
“We lost our returning scorer from last year, but we knew we had the other seven guys returning from that time, so we knew we had a chance.”
Lincolnview is making its first regional appearance since 1997. The Lancers went 27-0 and won a Division IV state title that year, but have won only one sectional championship since then.
“This is our first trip back here since ’97,” Hammons said. “As a coach, it’s something I’ve never done. It’s something these players have never done.”
St. Peter’s is making its first regional appearance since 2004. The Spartans roughed up McComb 68-50 in Tuesday’s late game at BGSU.
“It seems like we’re one of the few teams up here that has a lot of underclassmen on the court,” St. Peter’s coach Joe Jakubick said. “In any big game you don’t know how they’re going to respond. These are young men and I thought they did a good job of coming out and playing.”
The Spartans had four players score in double figures in that Sweet 16 matchup. Sophomore Jared Jakubick, the coach’s son, had a team-high 16, while fellow sophomores Mason Campbell and Elijah Cobb each had 14. Senior Kyle Osgar battled foul trouble but still managed to score 13 points and grab six rebounds.
“There’s always a little bit of anxiety at the beginning of games, always has been for me,” Jared Jakubick said. “Normally once the game gets going I’m fine, then I hear the crowd cheering and it gives me a little bit of energy and I’m good to go.”
There was no shortage of fan support for either of the regional finalists during Tuesday’s semifinals. Hammond expects a circus-like environment Friday.
“We don’t have football to hang our hat on in our community. Basketball is kind of our sport,” Hammons said. “When we have success like this … it’s a joy.”
