LEXINGTON — Madison coach Davey Hipp can be forgiven for not knowing the last time the Rams swept the season series with Lexington.
After all, Hipp was still in elementary school.
Justin McCraney scored 17 points and swiped eight rebounds and the Rams rallied for an entertaining 48-45 win over the Minutemen.
Madison (8-14 overall, 4-10 Ohio Cardinal Conference) won both regular-season meetings for the first time since 2008-09. The Rams beat the Minutemen in double overtime earlier this year, snapping Lex’s seven-game winning streak in the series.
“The last time we beat them was in 2022,” said Hipp, who graduated from Shelby in 2017. “Any time you can beat Lex it’s a good win. Lex is always a quality team.
“It feels pretty darn good to sweep them.”
Seat-squirming affair
Leading 27-25 at the half, Lexington (8-13, 5-9) opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run and took a 34-25 advantage on Jace Dawson’s layup with 5:43 to play in the period.
The Rams responded with a 10-0 spree of their own and took their first lead of the evening on Ashton Taylor’s 3-pointer with 3:01 remaining in the stanza.
Madison led 38-37 going to the fourth quarter and took a 41-37 advantage when McCraney hit a pair of free throws with 5:55 left.
“There was never a sense of panic,” said McCraney, a District 6 first-teamer averaging 15.2 points a game. “We’ve been in multiple situations like this all year. We’re pretty composed. We’ve done this before.”
Lex tied the game at 43-43 on Jayden Perkins’ jumper in the lane with 3:27 remaining. Madison reclaimed the lead for good on its next possession when Camden Moysi knocked down a 3-pointer off a Kaleb Gordon assist.
Moysi and Taylor each split a pair of free throws in the final minute to give the Rams a 48-45 lead. Lex had a chance to pull even but Ethan Bianchi’s desperation 3-pointer bounced off the rim as time expired.
Balanced Attack
Moysi and Taylor backed McCraney with nine points apiece. Taylor grabbed five boards.
Dantrell Hughes led Lexington with 17 points. Dawson added eight, while Bianchi chipped in with seven.
Chapter Three
Madison and Lexington will meet for a third time this season when the sixth-seeded Minutemen host the seventh-seeded Rams in a Division III district semifinal at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
“The first one went to double overtime and the second one came down to the final seconds (of regulation),” Lex coach Scott Hamilton said. “There’s no reason to think the next one won’t be a great game, too.”