by Michael Leonard

Sports Editor

Columbus -- In many ways, the St. Peter Chanel boys basketball team is ahead of schedule.

As Firebird coach Bernie Tarr notes, Chanel starts five juniors and six of the top eight men in its rotation are underclassmen on a squad that reached the Division IV state final four.

"It's a good experience for our guys," Tarr said. "I'm proud of them. This will show them what they need to do when and if they get down here next year. You need a little luck to get here."

Chanel may have gained some experience, but they probably would not like to relive the March 13 game.

Worthington Christian ended the Firebirds' state title hopes with a 66-58 win in the Division IV state semifinal at Value City Arena in Columbus.

Chanel finished the season at 17-9, while the Warriors improved 26-1. Worthington Christian went on to play New Knoxville in the Division IV state title game March 15 and lost 75-52.

The contest was a frustrating one for the Firebirds, particularly in the second half.

"It just seemed like every time we made a run, we either missed a shot or they made a play," Tarr said. "I was convinced that, if we could get it down to a one-possession game, the momentum would turn in our favor. We just couldn't get over the hump."

The Warriors had a better time than most dealing with Chanel's full-court pressure defense. Although Chanel forced 14 Warrior turnovers, the Warriors had a 10-6 advantage in fast-break points. Worthington Christian also had a big rebounding edge in the first half. Chanel cut into the advantage in the second half, but still lost the battle of the boards 39-34.

Warriors coach Kevin Weakley said he felt taking care of the basketball would be a key.

"We did a great job of not turning the ball over," Weakley said. "I think we were a bit out-sized and out-athletic'd by them ... for us to come out here and outrebound them by five, I was very happy."

"We knew they were going to take risks on defense," said Warriors guard Tyler Joseph. "If we could cash in when we had guys open down the floor, we knew we would benefit."

The Warriors also were on fire from three-point land in the first half, nailing 7-of-15 trifectas.

Chanel forward Arthur Jordan said the Warriors presented a very difficult assignment on defense.

"That type of offense is very difficult to defend against," Jordan said. "You have to be at your spot [defensively] all the time. If you're not, they'll either hit the three or throw it inside. They have a weapon at every position."

Hot-shooting Warriors score big early lead

The game started out well enough for Chanel as a jumper from guard Jo'Vaughn Brown and layups from guard Jareed Robinson and forward Lamar McKnight gave Chanel an early 6-2 advantage.

However, that's when the bombs started falling for the Warriors. Three straight three pointers keyed an 11-0 Warrior run, giving Worthington Christian a 13-6 lead at the media timeout in the first quarter.

The shell-shocked Firebirds had a bit of trouble recovering from the outburst, as Chanel went just 1-of-9 from three-point land in the first half. They trailed 19-13 after one.

Chanel's press began to pay dividends early in the second quarter, as the Firebirds trimmed the lead to 21-20 midway through the period.

However, the Warriors rebounding advantage limited the Firebirds' opportunities and led to some easy layups.

One sequence at the end of the first half summed up the Firebirds' afternoon. With just four seconds remaining in the half, Brown drove through the lane, hit a layup and was fouled.

However, Brown missed the free throw and, after rebounding the miss, Worthington Christian's Brian Hecker took the ball upcourt and launched a shot from 42 feet that banked in at the buzzer.

Hecker, the Associated Press' Division IV player of the year, admitted he had no idea how the ball went in. Regardless, Weakley said It was a huge morale boost for the Warriors, who went to halftime up 34-25.

Firebirds' rally
comes up short

At halftime, Tarr said he detected some tightness from his players.

"We didn't compete the way we usually competed [in the first half]," Tarr said. "I just told them to go out and have fun in the second half. They've responded to us all season."

While Chanel did pick up its play in the second half, Worthington Christian opened the third quarter on a 5-0 run, giving the Warriors' their biggest lead of the game at 39-25.

McKnight stopped the run with a three-pointer. Then, Jordan took command on the inside game in the third quarter, hitting layups and drawing fouls with some aggressive moves.

Still, three-pointers by Tyler Joseph kept the Firebirds at bay, as the Warriors still led 51-42 after three quarters.

Hope finally came back to Firebirds early in the fourth quarter as Jordan hit a layup and was fouled to start the final stanza. Jordan missed the free throw, but McKnight would nail a three-pointer on the Firebirds' next possession.

The shot cut the Warriors' lead to 51-47 and forced Weakley to call timeout.

Chanel looked poised to take the lead back, but the Joseph brothers would kill the Firebirds down the stretch.

Tyler and Zach Joseph combined to score 10 of the Warriors 15 fourth-quarter points, with all of them coming at the free-throw line.

Free-throws proved the difference in the game as the Warriors went 17-of-29 from the line, compared to 7-of-13 for the Firebirds.

McKnight scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough. Jordan finished with a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

The Warriors had a balanced attack as four of its five starters finished in double figures. Tyler Joseph finished with 17 points, while Hecker had 15, Zach Joseph had 14 and guard Bobby Condon had 13. Worthington's other starter, forward Brady Beals, finished with only three points, but had 11 rebounds and drew raves from Weakley about his defense on McKnight.

E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com

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