SMITHVILLE — Bradey Krichbaum was rightfully upset after each shot he missed Saturday.
The 6-foot-6 Hillsdale senior draws a lot of attention in the post, along with bumps and shoves from physical defenders trying to stop him.
What could have been a frustrating night for Krichbaum turned out to be a simply dominant performance.
The senior’s relentless effort resulted in a game-high 26 points and 26 rebounds as Hillsdale (19-6) soared past Heartland Christian (18-6) 73-54 in Saturday’s Division VII district final at Smithville High School.
“Honestly, me missing shots made me more mad,” Krichbaum said. “Most of my rebounds and points were putbacks on my own misses. Some nights that’s just how it is.”
For the first time since 2001, the Falcons have punched their ticket to a regional semifinal.
Hillsdale will face Willoughby Cornerstone Christian at 6 p.m. next Tuesday at Barberton High School.
The Patriots (17-8) took down Western Reserve 84-44 in a district final, led by Ohio’s new all-time career scoring leader Quinn Kwasniak — who scored 53 points Saturday.
Krichbaum said the Falcons are motivated to keep their historic season going.
“We’ve wanted to win at every sport, every day and even at practice,” he said. “That competitiveness just fuels us.”
Falcons have balanced-attack
Hillsdale coach Ben Ferguson can still remember the unforgettable 2001 Falcons squad.
A 1995 Hillsdale graduate, Ferguson had a close relationship with the ’01 team — which was the last to win a district title before falling to LeBron James and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in the regional semis.
“We played a lot of open gym together and I helped them a little here and there,” Ferguson said. “It’s a similar situation (this season).
“We have a great, balanced team. You never know who is going to be our leading scorer. I tell them all the time that’s what is going to make us go, the balance that we have,” he said.
Junior Hayden McFadden was the team’s second leading-scorer Saturday night with 18 points, including a pair of thunderous slam dunks. Troy Bennett finished not far behind with 11.
Kael Lewis contributed eight and Knox Lewis had six. Lowen Ferguson hit a triple and Holland Young knocked down a free throw.
Ferguson said a key to the program’s success this year was the competition the Falcons faced within the Wayne County Athletic League.
Four WCAL programs have all advanced to a regional semifinal game this season, including Hillsdale, Norwayne, Smithville and Dalton.
“We play tough games every week (in the WCAL),” he said. “These guys are competitors.”
Hillsdale has also overcome a late start to its season, which was delayed until Dec. 10 to give players from the state-finalist football team a chance to rest.
Ferguson said he made adjustments to team practices in an attempt to lessen both physical and mental fatigue.
“I was incredibly impressed how these boys responded,” he said.
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Falcons fly together
It’s clear from the way Hillsdale plays the game that the Falcons trust each other on the court, which will be crucial in next week’s regional semifinal.
Hillsdale led Heartland Christian 20-15 after the first quarter and 38-30 at halftime. The Lions entered Saturday’s game averaging nearly 70 points per game, but the Falcons’ never doubted each other.
They outscored Heartland Christian 14-6 in the third and ran away with things in the fourth, taking the game by nearly 20 points.
“The cool thing about this group is they’re all friends,” Ferguson said. “That makes a big difference when they get along in practice and on the floor.
“When you’re coaching a high school team, you’re never going to have no adversity, but it’s how you handle it.
“It’s can you be resilient and get through those bumps in the road and this group does, mostly because how much they like each other,” he said.