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Orange boys basketball defeats Groveport for first OHSAA regional title: 4 takeaways
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- Orange boys basketball defeats Groveport for first OHSAA regional title: 4 takeaways
SPRINGFIELD – Moments after earning the program's first regional title, the Olentangy Orange boys basketball team received T-shirts with three special words across the front: "Final Four Bound."
The Pioneers never trailed Saturday in defeating Groveport 67-53 in a Division I regional final at Wittenberg.
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Program veterans such as senior Devin Brown had been waiting for this moment after losing in regional finals each of the past two seasons. Brown, the district Player of the Year , pointed out after the game that this was "part of the process" rather than the final goal, but admitted "it feels great to get over the top."
Orange advanced to its first state semifinal. The opponent and site are to be determined.
Here are four takeaways from the regional final:
Olentangy Orange celebrates after winning a regional championship.
1. Olentangy Orange clears obstacle
Orange's third consecutive regional final was nothing like its previous two: losses to Pickerington Central ( 57-53 in 2023 ) and Delaware Hayes ( 74-56 in 2024 ).
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The Pioneers (24-2) were strong from start to finish against the Cruisers. As a reward, they're planning to take a much-needed day off Sunday before returning to practice Monday to get ready for the state tournament.
"This is great," coach Anthony Calo said. "Who gets to play in the regional final three years in a row? I don't know the stats on it, but I know it's not a lot of people. ... I'm very proud of our guys. They have a commitment to us and a commitment to each other."
The OHSAA has yet to announce the state semifinal schedule.
Olentangy Orange boys basketball coach Anthony Calo celebrates with his wife, Chelsea Jo, and family after the Pioneers defeated Groveport 67-53 in a Division I regional final Saturday at Wittenberg.
2. Orange continues to thrive on balance
Having a balanced offense has been a season theme for the Pioneers, and that continued Saturday.
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Brown and Keegan Knupp each scored 23 points, and Knupp had two dunks in the fourth quarter to help fend off a Groveport comeback. Brown is a Davidson signee and Knupp will play baseball at Eastern Michigan.
Levi Davis, an Ohio University commit in football, added 12 points.
"Groveport is a really good team," Calo said. "I knew this wasn't going to be easy today. People might look at the score and think it was easy, (but) it was not easy. ... (Groveport) played extremely hard, and we needed to be very tough today. We weren't perfect, but I thought we were very tough between the ears."
Groveport receives the Division I regional runner-up trophy after losing to Olentangy Orange on Saturday at Wittenberg.
3. Groveport falls short of historic win
The Cruisers (19-7) were in search of their first state tournament appearance in 90 years.
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They won't be the first Groveport team to reach state since 1935, but coach Lamont Hampton was pleased with his team's effort and determination – on Saturday and throughout the season.
"My message to my guys was I'm very proud of them," Hampton said. "I love them. We're district champions (and) regional runner-up. I want them to walk out of here with their heads up high because they're a special group and I love them."
4. Groveport's comeback attempts fall short
The Cruisers had several rallies, but Orange always answered.
Groveport trailed by as many as 21 points in the second half before trimming the deficit to 54-43 with 5 minutes remaining, but it couldn't get closer.
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"We scored 70 and 80 points multiple times this year," Hampton said. "It was more of our offense (against Orange) than our defense. Orange is a very talented group. They're going to score. We just didn't score with them and put enough pressure on them."
Kamar Keys led the Cruisers with 11 points and Jeremiah Moore added 10.
"Coach told us to keep our heads up," Keys said. "We had a good game; we just didn't win it. It's a good thing that we got this far. Not too many teams can say they ever did this. This was great. I'm just happy that I had a good run with my team."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA basketball: Orange boys advances to first state tournament
