DAYTON — To be the champs, the Massillon Tigers had to knock off the champs.
Massillon dethroned defending state champion Westerville North and did it with a stunning comeback leading to a wild overtime finish. The Tigers won 68-63 in today’s Division II state final at the University of Dayton’s UD Arena.
Massillon’s 24th straight win gained the Tigers the first state championship in program history. The Warriors had won 21 straight games, as both teams entered the game 26-1.
Here’s how the game unfolded through our live updates, as Massillon rallied from 15 points down midway through the third quarter to defeat Westerville North.
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Xavier Williams seals Massillon’s OHSAA boys basketball state title
Two Xavier Williams free throws put Massillon up 66-63 with 47 seconds left and then scored on a runout with 16 seconds left to provide the final score in the 68-63 win.
Massillon basketball stat leaders
Gio Jackson Jr. led Massillon with 17 points (on 8-of-11 shooting) and grabbed nine rebounds. Jadyce Thigpen and Xavier Williams each added 15 points for the Tigers. Williams added seven rebounds. Braylon Gamble grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds to go with seven points. Isaiah Lamp added nine points and three assists, as he shot 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. The Tigers overcame 22 turnovers, 14 in the first half, by shooting 49% from the floor. They were 5-of-13 on 3s, significantly better than Westerville North’s 4-for-28 shooting on 3s. The Warriors’ poor 3-point shooting resulted in them shooting 27% from the field while they had 14 turnovers.
Massillon leads in overtime
A breakaway dunk from Gio Jackson Jr. had Massillon up 64-59. Damion King answered with a pair of free throws. The Tigers lead 64-61 with 1:25 left in OT.
Massillon and Westerville North are headed to overtime
A Braylon Gamble 3 is off at the buzzer and we’re headed for four more minutes of basketball.
Massillon has ball in tied game with 7.9 seconds left
Xavier Williams just blocked a potential go-ahead bucket by Westerville North.
Massillon leads North in final minute
The Tigers have the ball and a 58-56 lead with 44.7 seconds left.
Massillon and North tied with 3:34 left
A driving Jadyce Thigpen bucket gave Massillon its first lead of the second half. Tyson Perkins just split a pair of free throws for North to tie it.
Roll continues for Massillon
An Isaiah Lamp 3-pointer and a steal and layup from Jadyce Thigpen has Massillon within 50-49 with 3:57 left. Westerville North just committed its fifth straight turnover. It’s Massillon’s ball coming out of the media timeout.
North calls timeout as Massillon fights back
The Tigers have narrowed the deficit to 50-44 with 5:05 left. The Warriors committed turnovers on the previous two possessions.
Massillon hanging in there entering fourth quarter
The Tigers have scraped and clawed their way from a 15-point deficit to down 48-40 as the third quarter ends. Giorgio Jackson Jr. up to 13 points and six rebounds for Massillon. Elijah McCree with 16 points for the Warriors.
Massillon deficit grows going into media timeout
Westerville North’s lead up to 45-30 with 3:49 left in third, although Terrion Wells has a pair of foul shots on the other side of this timeout. The Warriors in a serious groove and Massillon desperately in need of a few stop-and-score sequences.
Westerville North surges into lead on Massillon
An 11-2 run has the Warriors leading 40-30 with 5:02 left in the third quarter. Massillon misses and turnovers fueling Westerville North’s transition game. The Warriors have three 3-pointers this quarter.
Second half underway between Massillon and Westerville North
Third quarter starts with Tony Cornett hitting a pair of free throws for North to give it a 26-25 lead. Massillon has to burn a timeout when it can’t get the ball inbounded.
Massillon coach Josh Hose comments at the half
“It’s a little sloppy out there,” Hose said during Spectrum1’s TV coverage. “The ball’s a little slippery. I think it’s brand new and they said they can’t change it so both teams are kind of, that’s why it’s sloppy. We don’t normally throw it around, both teams … that badly. Kind of expected. Both teams scrapping, fighting for something big.”
On keys to second half: “We got to get more movement on offense. We’re getting a little stale, we’re standing. and I think we’re tired. They are tired. We (both) played a game yesterday. … Defensively, we got to do a better job rebounding.”
Halftime: Massillon 25, Westerville North 24
It’s a slog out there, but the Tigers have scratched their way to a one-point halftime lead. Braylon Gamble with seven points, eight rebounds for Massillon, which is 8-for-23 shooting from the floor and has 10 turnovers. Giorgio Jackson Jr. with six points. Elijah McCree with seven points for Westerville North. McCree is 1-for-6 from 3-point range. The rest of his teammates are 0-for-6. Tony Cornett has six points.
Massillon with a momentum swing
Senior Isaiah Lamp with a big 3-pointer out of a 30-second timeout to tie the game. Massillon then forces a turnover, taking us to the media timeout with 3:55 left in the second quarter. Massillon and Westerville North tied 19-19. Massillon’s other senior starter, Jadyce Thigpen, hit an important 3 a couple minutes early after a string of bad possessions. Every bucket big right now with both teams struggling.
Westerville North continues to lead Massillon
The Tigers up to eight turnovers. The Warriors lead 19-16 with 4:19 left in the second quarter.
Massillon trails Westerville North after one quarter
Both teams struggling to find a groove as Westerville North leads 13-11. They are a combined 8-of-29 from the floor. Westerville North has missed all eight of its 3-point tries. Giorgio Jackson Jr. with four points for the Tigers.
Westerville North with early lead on Massillon
Little bit of an ugly start for both teams, but it is the Warriors leading 9-4 with 3:49 left in the first quarter. Tyson Perkins a couple of buckets for Westerville North. Massillon with three turnovers, North with two.
Massillon and Westerville North underway in OHSAA state championship game
Westerville North’s Damion King splits a pair of free throws for the game’s first point.
Massillon basketball’s probable starters vs. Westerville North
Westerville North basketball’s probable starters vs. Massillon
Massillon and Westerville North go-to players
Massillon and Westerville North state tournament history
Massillon is seeking its first boys basketball state championship. The Tigers are in their seventh state tournament appearance overall and first since 1945. Their first six appearances all happened between 1933 and 1945. Massillon advanced to the state final once previously, losing to Hamilton 37-32 in the 1937 Class A championship game. Westerville North is in its fifth state tournament appearance overall and looks to defend its state title, which came at the expense of a Stark County team when it beat Perry. The Warriors also won a state championship in 1994 with Dave Hoover as their head coach. Hoover later won back-to-back state titles at Canton McKinley.
Stark County boys basketball state championship history
Massillon is Stark County’s lone representative in the boys basketball state tournament this season after both Louisville and Perry made it last year. The Tigers seek to win the 10th state title in county history after Louisville earned No. 9 last year by winning the Division III championship. The complete list of county championships is below:
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Massillon-Westerville boys basketball score. Wild game ends in Tigers’ title
Reporting by Josh Weir, Canton Repository / The Repository
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