Monday, March 18th
The St. Edward basketball team is heading to Columbus! After a pair of wins this past week, the Eagles are advancing to the Final Four of the 2019 OHSAA Division 1 State Tournament.
On Wednesday night, the Eagles took on Euclid in the second regional semifinal of the night. Following Green’s win over Mentor, the Eagles started off slow against Euclid. Down 20-14 after the first quarter, the Eagles created an 11-0 run in the second quarter to erase Euclid’s lead. Grant capped off the half with a 3 at the buzzer, giving the Eagles a 40-37 lead.
The second half was a battle. With no side able to pull away, the Eagles took a 58-53 lead after three. Holding a lead throughout the fourth, the Eagles were up 67-62 with 12.9 seconds left to play. Euclid did not quit, however.
Hitting a fast layup, Euclid cut the Eagle lead to 67-62 with 7.9 seconds left. They then fouled one of the Eagles, who missed his first FT. After this miss, Euclid grabbed the rebound and quickly pushed the ball upcourt. Then the craziness happened. Euclid’s sharpshooter got the ball, took a dribble to the left, and then nailed a three at (or should I say after) the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
After the shot was made, the officials gathered at center court to discuss whether or not the shot was good. With Euclid fans cheering and Eagle fans anxiously waving their arms to signal no good, the officials said the shot went off before the buzzer. Upon video review (if seeing the play live wasn’t enough), the shot clearly was still in the player’s hands well before the buzzer went off (see video here). Regardless of what really happened, the Eagles could not the officiating determine who would win the game.
Fortunately, the Eagles were able to pull away and hold a lead in overtime. We won 77-71. With the win, the Eagles advanced further in the playoffs than they did last year.
On Saturday afternoon, the Eagles took on Green in the Cleveland regional finals. Starting off slow again, the Eagles were losing 15-8 after the first quarter. However, the Eagles quickly turned things around by outscoring Green 16-3 in the second quarter. The Eagles held the momentum and a 24-18 lead at halftime.
Continuing the defensive pressure and executing well on offense, the Eagles took over in the second half. Montorie Foster had a nice dunk to add to the excitement (see the video and other highlights here). Stretching the lead to over 20 points throughout most of the half, the Eagles claimed the regional championship with a 71-53 win over Green.
The student section was fantastic on Saturday. Outnumbered by about triple their size, the Madhouse brought the energy and added to the momentum of the Eagles on the court (see video here). We will need a HUGE showing on Friday in Columbus!
The Eagles will play in the Final Four for the 11th time in program history on Friday at 6PM in the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State University against Cincinnati Moeller, the defending champions. Moeller is the top-ranked team in Ohio and has not lost a game in nearly fifty games. Nothing like being the underdog!
Fun Fact: In 2006, the Eagles had their only undefeated season, but were upset in the Final Four by Moeller. This year, Moeller is undefeated… and we are playing them in the Final Four… maybe the Eagles can return the favor.
This week will be an exciting one for Eagles fans. Make sure you cancel your plans this weekend and get down to Columbus to support the Eagles! Friday at 6 in the Schott!
GO EAGLES!
~ Jack Loesch ‘19
