Tournament time goes way too fast, especially at the local high school level.
That’s what made Thursday night at Ontario High School must-see stuff for high school basketball junkies. It provided a fix so many of us crave.
Rattling around the balcony were a couple of veteran north central Ohio coaches. Former Lexington boss Steve Gray (who won a state title at Norwalk) and longtime South Central boss Pat Durham had a bird’s eye view of the proceedings.
Then there was some guy named Joe Balogh, who prowled this very sideline for more than 30 years, sitting courtside — at a court named for him — offering his perspective on a local media telecast.
It was the highlight of March Madness in north central Ohio, and the setting provided a frenzied night of hoops that lived up to the hype.
Mansfield Senior offered a strong challenge to top-seeded Shelby in the opener. Then, state-ranked Lexington was pushed to the brink by Willard in the nightcap.
Both games were played amid a din of rowdy students who punctuated near-capacity crowds to amp a highly-charged atmosphere.
In both games, the underdog led most of the way before first Shelby and then Lexington, overcame adversity and found a way to survive — and advance.
Those two will tangle on Saturday night again at Ontario for a district championship and a ticket to the Sweet 16.
In Shelby’s case, the Whippets absorbed a beating on the boards (the Tygers feasted on the glass to the tune of a 43-23 advantage) and the foul trouble of Wright State-bound forward Alex Bruskotter. It’s hard enough to win at this time of year, but doing so when your thoroughbred is stuck in the stable only ratchets up the degree of difficulty.
Somehow, coach Greg Gallaway’s club gutted it out for a 60-55 verdict.
The fun part from the Tygers’ perspective was watching the dynamic duo of junior guard Kyevi Roane and sophomore D.J. Corbin — and knowing it was a mere preview of coming attractions. Those two staked Mansfield Senior to a lead that was relinquished only after Corbin was sidelined with cramps.
Still, coach Marquis Sykes’ squad earned a tall measure of respect, and may have constructed a base to build on for next season with a valiant effort. The exploits of Roane and Corbin led to a far superior showing compared to the 73-55 loss the Whippets tagged Senior High with on Jan. 27 at Pete Henry Gym.
Momentum can be found in unusual places at tournament time. If the Tygers roar next year, pin this game as the starting point.
Meanwhile, Shelby’s story has at least one more chapter.
The Whippets moved on by relying on a balanced scorebook that registered four players in double figures, including Issaiah Ramsey (15), Karsen Homan (13), Casey Lantz (12) and Bruskotter (11).
A repeat performance may be necessary to deal with a Lexington squad that pocketed a 61-57 win the first time these two teams met on Dec. 30.
The Minutemen also escaped an upset bid on Thursday night, needing overtime to dispatch Willard 59-57.
The Flashes, led by dynamic senior guard Max Dawson’s 26 points and 7 rebounds, led almost the entire way. But coach Scott Hamilton’s squad got a monster trey in the final minute of regulation from the most unlikely source of all.
Sophomore Brayden Fogle drained a game-tying triple from the left corner with 39 seconds left to force the extra session. It was only the second 3-point field goal of the season for the 6-foot-4 sophomore.
Once into OT, Fogle got loose again. This time the Minutemen held for a final shot, and Fogle collected a pass just beyond the arc, dribbled a couple of steps forward, and stuck a clutch 17-footer with 1.7 seconds showing to win it.
That was the last of his 18 points, all of them in the second half.
It’s the kind of story you see authored every March. Big shots, raw emotion, tremendous effort, and memorable results.
Something tells me we’re going to see more of those traits on Saturday night in a matchup that will yield a survival of the fittest.