CANTON — The Central Catholic boys basketball team is in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Elite Eight, one of two Stark County teams playing today in hopes of reaching the OHSAA state tournament. The Massillon Tigers are the other county team still alive.
The Crusaders (15-11) have never reached a final four in boys basketball. To do so today they will have to upset three-time reigning state champion Lutheran East (22-3) from the Cleveland area.
Central Catholic and Lutheran East meet in the Division V regional final at Memorial Field House at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14.
We’ll have live score updates throughout the game.
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Lutheran East boys basketball leads Central Catholic at the half
The Falcons take a 27-16 lead into halftime. They’d outscored the Crusaders 11-2 in the latter part of the second quarter before Central’s Dylan Minnie fought through defensive pressure to hit a buzzer-beating 15-footer to make the score 27-16.
Ocho Davis comes off Lutheran East bench to make big impact
Ocho Davis, a 6-foot-5 senior, has helped the Falcons expand their lead to 24-14 with three minutes left in the first half. The lead reach 10 when Davis hit a 3-pointer. That gave him 11 points since entering the game in the latter part of the first quarter. Central was within 16-12 before Lutheran East hit the Crusaders with an 8-2 run.
Lutheran East maintains lead entering 2nd quarter
The Falcons lead 14-10 after one quarter. Will Minor hit a 3-pointer late in the quarter for Central.
Lutheran East lead is at 4
After a Dylan Minnie 3-pointer for Central, Lutheran East’s lead is cut to 11-7 late in the first quarter. On-ball pressure by the Falcons continues to create problems, and turnovers, for the Crusaders.
Lutheran East has early lead
The Falcons lead 7-4 midway through the first quarter. Their swarming defense is creating issues for Central while the Falcons relentlessly attack the rim offensively.
Central Catholic wins tip, opens scoring
After winning the tip, the Crusaders opened the scoring with a Will Minor 15-footer. When Max Frey added a layup, the Central lead was 4-3.
What to know about Central Catholic boys basketball
The Crusaders have won four straight district championships under head coach Matt Creamer, and seven overall in his 13 seasons as head coach. They have yet to take the next step and add a regional title and reach the state tournament. Central features three All-Northeast Inland District honorees — 5-11 senior Lance Vlacovsky (first team, 13.2 points per game), 5-9 senior Jacob Bowling (second team 14.8) and 6-8 junior Will Minor (honorable mention). Dylan Minnie, Tyler Cook, Max Frey and Mikey Bajornas also play key roles in the Central rotation.
What to know about Lutheran East boys basketball
The Falcons, under head coach Sam Liggins, have won five state championships since 2017, including titles in each of the last three years. Lutheran East features sophomore guard Dylan Zeigler, who scores 18.1 points a game and is the Divison V Northeast Lakes District Player of the Year. All five Falcon starters earned all-district honors. Chris Hill (11.1 points per game) and Devontey Perkins (10.8) joined Zeigler on the first team. Ty Harrison (10.6) was a second-team pick and the third team featured Bryce Irby (10.3).
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Central Catholic vs. Lutheran East boys basketball scores, live updates
Reporting by Steve Doerschuk, Canton Repository / The Repository
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