GALION, Ohio — Kyle Johnston is accustomed to performing on big stages in the fall, but the lights have never been brighter than they were Friday night at Galion High School — and the Lexington sophomore didn’t disappoint.
An All-Ohio cross country runner, Johnston bounced off the bench to score seven points as the second-seeded Minutemen knocked off No. 10 Norwalk 49-41 in the Division II sectional finals.
A 6-foot-2 swingman, Johnston spent almost the entire season on Lexington’s junior varsity team. He wasn’t promoted until the regular season finale against Clear Fork.
“It’s been a heck of a ride,” said Johnston, who finished 11th at the Division II state cross country meet. “I’m thrilled where I am.”
Johnston scored Lexington’s final five points of the first half. He knocked down a jumper with 2:18 remaining in the second quarter before stepping beyond the arc and connecting just 34 second before halftime, giving the Minutemen (16-7) a 22-17 lead.
“He torched us (in practice) the last three weeks as a JV guy,” said Lexington senior A.J. Nickoli, who scored a game-high 14 points. “He moves around without the ball so well and he finds open shots.
“He’s a tall, skinny kid and you wouldn’t think he’s as physical as he is.”
Johnston scored off a Cade Stover assist midway through the third quarter, then found Stover for a short jumper a minute later as Lex built a 32-24 lead with 3:12 remaining in the period.
“He really was going crazy in practice, working his butt off,” Lex coach Scott Hamilton said. “We started feeling like we could give him more of an assignment in the varsity games. The more we looked at him, the more comfortable he was.
“Then it really kind of hit me. As a cross country runner running at the state level every year, the moment is never too big for him.”
Trucker Charge: Trailing 32-24, Norwalk (8-16) scored seven straight points to cut Lexington’s lead to 32-31. The Truckers trailed 34-31 after three.
“We wanted to be within five points going to the fourth,” Norwalk coach Steve Gray said. “We were playing with house money and we thought maybe they would feel a little pressure.
“But Lexington made plays in the fourth and things didn’t go our way.”
Norwalk trailed 38-34 after a Brandon Haraway 3-pointer with 5:07 remaining, but Lex outscored the Truckers 11-7 the rest of the way to secure its sixth straight sectional championship.
The Minutemen won the district crown last year, but lost a wealth of talent to graduation.
“We expected to be back here,” Nickoli said. “In the summer we were playing well at team camps and shootouts. We hit a rough patch (losing four straight late in the regular season) but things are starting to come together.”
Cade Stover had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Minutemen. Traevin Harrison had 11 points and five rebounds.
Haraway paced the Truckers with 13 points. George Friend had 12 points and 15 boards.
