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'It was tough': Columbus Academy boys basketball falls short of first OHSAA state title
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- 'It was tough': Columbus Academy boys basketball falls short of first OHSAA state title
DAYTON – Columbus Academy boys basketball coach Jeff Warstler admitted he wasn't prepared for the postgame talk with his players following the Division V state final Saturday at University of Dayton Arena .
Having entered the game at 28-0, Warstler expected his team to find a way to complete a perfect season by beating perennial power Cleveland Heights Lutheran East.
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But Academy's hopes of winning its first state title fell short in a 53-49 loss to the Falcons (25-4). It was Lutheran East's third consecutive state championship, with the previous two coming in Division III.
The Vikings were playing in their second state final and first since 1981 , when they lost 58-44 to Kalida in the Class A title game. Lutheran East was competing in its eighth consecutive state tournament and has now captured six titles.
"We're super proud of our guys and what they were able to accomplish this season," Warstler said. "We fell a touch short today, but it won't define us. It won't be the worst thing that ever happens to us. We lost to a really talented and well-coached basketball team in Lutheran East. We'll plan on going back to work.
"With the seniors, you couldn't ask for a better group of guys. That was hard. I didn't prepare anything in the locker room for getting beat. It was tough."
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Tied at 37 after three quarters, Lutheran East scored the first five points of the fourth and never lost the lead. The Falcons were 2 of 12 from 3-point range entering the fourth, but Ty Harrison and Dylan Zeigler hit 3s with 5:09 and 3:05 remaining, respectively, to help their team take control.
Jason Singleton had 27 points and nine rebounds in Columbus Academy's state championship game loss.
The Vikings closed to within 52-49 on junior Jason Singleton's 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, but there would be no chance for a game-tying 3 after T.J. Crumble hit the second of two free-throw attempts with 13 seconds remaining.
Playing on the big stage didn't faze Singleton, who finished with 27 points and nine rebounds.
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"I'm feeling sad," said Singleton, the son of Academy athletics director and former Ohio State player Jason Singleton . "We came this far. We had a great season, 28-0 coming into this point. I'm sad especially for our seniors. ... They've taken us so far. The leadership from (Theo Falkenhain) and some of the other guys, it's just sad that we came this far and lost."
Sophomore Caden Ivery added nine points for Academy.
Columbus Academy's Theo Falkenhain dribbles against Cleveland Heights Lutheran East's Ty Harrison during Saturday's state final.
Lutheran East has no seniors on its roster. Crumble, a junior who is an ESPN top 100 recruit, led the way with 14 points, followed by Zeigler with 13, Chris Hill with 12 and Harrison with 10.
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Crumble also had 10 rebounds.
"What a game," Falcons coach Sam Liggins said. "T.J. called it earlier. He said it was probably going to be the game of the week. It was a great back-and-forth game. Two really good defensive teams going at it. Just happy we came out at the other end of it. It could have gone either way. I'm proud of (my) guys to show the grit that they showed, the toughness they showed throughout this entire season."
The Vikings remained within striking distance throughout, rallying from an early six-point deficit to take a 27-25 lead at halftime.
Lutheran East enjoyed an advantage inside for most of the game, outscoring the Vikings 30-18 in the paint. The Falcons also took advantage of 15 Academy turnovers, which led to 16 points.
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"They defended us as well as anybody has defended us all year long without question," Warstler said. "Some others have defended us really well as well, but they had a little bit of quickness, and rebounding the ball was really a big thing. Maybe we turned it over a couple more times than we usually do."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Academy loses OHSAA Division V boys basketball state final
