The players on the Winton Woods boys basketball team love watching basketball when they’re not on the court themselves.
Their fans and supporters will get a chance to watch them play some more as they go for a regional championship next week.
Winton Woods defeated Anderson 55-48 in an Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II district final March 6 at Xavier’s Cintas Center.
Winton Woods (21-2) plays Clayton Northmont (16-8) in the Region 8 semifinals March 11 at Springfield. Anderson finishes 12-2.
“It’s the culture,” said Winton Woods senior Nate Dawson. “Everybody here loves to just be around the game. Whether we’re watching it, we’re playing it. So honestly, the culture is the biggest thing. Everybody here is just a hooper. We got hooper vibes when we’re in the gym. And I really enjoy it.”
Dawson’s favorite current NBA player is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the University of Kentucky great leading the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
SGA is a well-rounded player, and Dawson had a well-rounded championship-caliber game, with 11 points and four assists.
He is the top returner from last year’s Warriors team, which had a tough five-point loss in the regional finals and finished 23-3.
“I really loved my seniors last year, and we were supposed to go all the way,” Dawson said. “So I’m going to do whatever I can for this group to lead them and just take them all the way.”
Behind junior Isaiah Mack-Russell (26 points), the Warriors had just enough to hold off the Raptors (12-12). Anderson pulled within three points late in the game and were within single digits for most of the second half.
Junior Tysin Weaver led Anderson with 23 points and senior Toby Strasbaugh had 14 with seven rebounds.
WW had beaten the Raptors twice by 10 and six points.
“Anderson’s been a tough opponent for us for the whole season,” said Winton Woods head coach Mike Pilgrim. “So we knew we were coming into a great game plan. They’re well coached. We knew it was going to be a tough game. It was definitely going to be a game of possessions, like every tournament game is.”
Jae’Quawn Walker had nine points on 4-for-4 shooting for Winton Woods. Dasai Bronson had four and Chris Reid had a key basket in the second half. Pilgrim spotlighted Brian Key, Jr., for grabbing a crucial rebound late in the game.
“Just got to have a mindset of we’re not going to lose the game,” Pilgrim said. “Got to have a mindset of no matter what, we’re going to find a way to win the game. I mean, that’s tournament basketball. Things are going to happen within the game. People are going to get in foul trouble. Little mistakes. Missed free throws. But this is where you deal with situational basketball all season so you play for moments like this.”
Loveland falls to Northmont in second semifinal
Clayton Northmont (16-8) advanced to the regional final by eliminating Loveland (13-11) 53-41 in the second semifinal.
Loveland senior Chase Martin scored 23 points in his final game for the Tigers. He had 15 in the second half to lead a comeback for the team.
Northmont led 29-17 at the half, shooting 55% from the floor to 29% for the Tigers, and outrebounding the Tigers, 18-9.
Kaleb Kelly led the Thunderbolts with 10 points in the first half and 16 for the game.
A 3-pointer by Jackson Dillon pulled Loveland within one point at 38-37, with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Kelly, a 6-foot-5 sophomore and the Thunderbolts’ leading scorer for the year, scored four quick points and sparked an 11-3 run that allowed the Bolts to regain control.
Leading 42-38, the Thunderbolts got a big jolt form sophomore Ja’Kye Hoard. He had only hit 12 3-pointers for the season but a hit a big one in the corner to push the lead to seven.
Loveland shot 32% from the field for the game and turned it over 12 times. Martin led Loveland with six rebounds. Jacob Bachmann dished out four assists. Blake Carrigan posted eight points including a pair of triples.
“We played a really, really good third quarter, got ourselves back into it, and give those guys credit,” said Loveland head coach Rob Reis. “They’re a very good team. I think we just kind of ran out of steam there in the second half of the fourth quarter. Our guys fight hard, our guys play really, really hard. We practice really hard. You’re going to get down sometimes in basketball, and we don’t quit. I’m very proud of the way we fought back.”
Chase Martin recently joined the 1,000-point club at Loveland and averaged over 20 points per game this year.
“Chase Martin is going to go down as one of the top five or six basketball players at Loveland High School ever,” Reis said. “Nobody works harder in our practices, nobody’s more competitive and intense day to day.”
This story will be updated with photographs from both games.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: OHSAA boys basketball Division II district finals
Reporting by James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
