NORTH RIDGEVILLE, OH – North Ridgeville was home to the D2 District Championship game that featured #1 Lutheran West and #5 Akron East. Lutheran West cruised through their first 2 games of the playoffs. They defeated Buckeye 80-46 in the Sectional Finals, then Brookside 84-48 in the District Semi-Final. Akron East had no issues reaching the District Championship either. They defeated Warrensville Heights in the Sectional Final 83-46, then Revere in the District Semi-Final 65-46. Either team was looking to continue their dominant playoff run.
Akron East Begins with the Lead
The first quarter saw a lot of back and forth play from the 2 teams. Both defenses came out aggressively and were ready for the moment. It was East that was able to overcome the defense of the Longhorns. They came out attacking the basket and were strong on the offensive glass. Their defense was forcing turnovers on the other end. They were taking advantage of the Longhorn miscues as much as they could. Senior guard Mike Woodall capped off the 1st for the Dragons with a deep 3-pointer that put them ahead 15-12.
Lutheran West Defense Shows Out
The second quarter started off fast for the Longhorns. They went on an 8-2 scoring run that forced the Dragons to call a timeout. Jayson Levis and Matthew Meyer began to click on the offensive end for the Longhorns. Levis was dominant with his mid-range game throughout the game but really had it going in the 2nd quarter. On the defensive end, the Longhorns were not letting the Dragons get anything easy. They limited 2nd chance opportunities and caused multiple turnovers. Lutheran West outscored East 18-6 in the 2nd quarter to give them a 30-21 lead heading into the break.
The third quarter was much of the same for the Longhorn defense. They played aggressive and scrappy throughout the frame. Multiple players diving for loose balls trying to win the 50-50 possessions. Jayson Levis continued his offensive performance as well. By the end of the 3rd, he pushed his game total to 18 points to lead the Longhorns. Matthew Meyer had 10 of his own for Lutheran West. The defense was even better in the 3rd quarter, holding the Dragons to just 5 points. At the end of three, Lutheran West led 44-26.
Longhorns Close Out the Dragons
Closing moments as the final for the D2R6 District Finals:@LW_Mbball – 62@alleastsports – 45
Jayson Levis led with 24 points with Josh and Matt Meyer combining for 23@NEOSportsInside pic.twitter.com/WMnTyLZYw4— Brandon Marvel (@bmarvel8) March 4, 2023
The Longhorns needed just 8 more minutes to win their first District Championship since 2007. They came out red hot in the 4th quarter jumping out to a 60-33 lead over the Dragons. In the ladder half of the quarter, the Longhorns got careless with the basketball and turned the ball over multiple times down the stretch. East fought until the very end and continued to cut into the Longhorn lead. Lutheran West held them off however and defeated the Dragons 62-45. Jayson Levis dropped a game-high 24 points for Lutheran West while Joshua and Matthew Meyer combined for 23 points.
Next for Lutheran West
Lutheran West will travel to Bowling Green State University to take on the 24-1 Sandusky Blue Streaks. First tip is scheduled for Thursday, March 9th at 6PM.
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