SMITHVILLE — Lexington had the will Sunday night in a battle of state-ranked basketball teams.
But the Minutemen just couldn’t find the way against Lutheran West.
Lexington rallied from double digit deficits a few times during the finale of the Battle of Berkey event at in the Wilbur Berkey Field House before falling, 67-52.
It’s the fourth year for the two-day event, which attracts teams from around Ohio and also outside of the state.
The loss snapped Lexington’s seven-game winning streak and dropped the Minutemen to 16-3 overall. The Lancers, which fell to Shelby in the Division II regional finals a year ago, improved to 13-5.
“I think they’re a very good team with some exceptional players,” Lexington coach Scott Hamilton said.
“I thought we matched up fairly well with them and we had some very good defensive possessions and they hit some key shots when they needed to,” he said.
“They were pretty much bigger than us at every position on the floor, but I give my guys credit. They took on a big challenge and played them well. I feel comfortable that we can use this game moving forward and we can make some improvement that will make us better,” Hamilton said.
Lexington, which has already clinched at least a tie for the Ohio Cardinal Conference with a 10-1 league record, started slowly against Lutheran West. The Minutemen can clinch the outright title Friday night at Ashland with a win.
The Lancers, who pressured throughout the game, never trailed in the contest, taking a 16-9 lead after one quarter and expanding it to 33-17 with 3:20 left in the second. Lexington connected on just two of 10 FG tries in the first eight minutes.
But the Minutemen closed the half with a 6-0 on two field goals by senior guard Gavin Husty and one from junior forward Joe Caudill to make it 33-23 at the break.
Lexington started the third quarter with a 8-3 run to close to within five at 36-31 with 5:40 left in the period. But the Lancers responded and rebuilt their edge to 49-33 two minutes later.
Lexington junior Dantrell Hughes scored with 20 seconds left in the quarter as Lutheran West led 53-41 going into the fourth.
Again, the Minutemen rallied to start the final eight minutes, outscoring the Lancers, 10-5, in the first four minutes to cut the deficit to 58-51 with 4:17 to play.
Lexington would get no closer, missing all four of its FG attempts, hitting one of four free throws and turning the ball over twice in its final seven possessions as Lutheran West pulled away again.
“We had some empty possessions that really hurt us. In a tight game like that, you have to make good decisions when you’re trying to make up a deficit,” Hamilton said.
“The officiating was solid, but I think some of the fouls that we accumulated affected our rotation and how we played. That also was a factor for us,” the veteran coach said.
Lexington shot 41.7 percent from the field (20 of 48), including three of 13 three-point attempts. The Minutemen were nine of 16 from the foul line.
Husty led Lexington with 12 points and six rebounds. Caudill had 10 points and five boards.
Lutheran West had four players in double figures, led by 12 from sophomore forward Aiden Monroe, who played for Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary last year.
Lutheran West shot 58.5 percent from the floor (24 of 41), including six of 15 triples. The Lancers were 13 of 19 from the line.
The Lancers had a 27-24 rebounding advantage and turned the ball over nine times, compared to 10 for the Minutemen.
(Below is the complete box score from the Lexington-Lutheran West game played Sunday night in Smithville.)
