Before the DII state semifinal at Wright State University today, there was only one head coach in Massillon Tigers basketball history who led his squad to a state title game. That coach was Paul Brown– tomorrow Josh Hose will be able to cement his name alongside the legendary Massillon icon. He will also have a chance to do what no coach in Massillon basketball history has done– bring a basketball title to the city of football champions.
The Tigers overwhelmed Lima Senior late in Saturday’s contest after being locked neck-and-neck for a good 2 1/2 quarters. Massillon was able to defend the perimeter and limit late second-chance points en route to a 75-63 victory. They will take on Westerville North for a shot at the state title tomorrow– the game will be played at the University of Dayton and will tip at 12PM.
Game Recap
Massillon struck first after winning the tip as Jadyce Thigpen knocked down a 3. The Tigers kept Lima away from the bucket for the first couple of minutes but were unable to capitalize, missing shots from the perimeter. The Spartans broke through with a layup and a foul. The free throw was missed and the Tigers stayed on top. Another miss and a foul on the ensuing Lima possession gave them a chance to go on top– they split the pair and had to settle for a tie game. Jadyce Thigpen took it to the hole and was fouled– he too split the pair (the Tigers would end up 27-42 at the line) and Massillon took a 4-3 lead. A flurry of putbacks on both sides kept the game in a back-and-forth rhythm. Gio Jackson Jr. would have a pair of layups including a putback and an 3-point play in the stretch. Jackson, the most reliable 2-point shooter in the state with a shooting percentage of over 77%, was his usual reliable self against Lima Senior, going 6-7 from the floor and 6-7 from the line while finishing with 18 points. An aggressive press limited the Tiger scoring for the remainder of the quarter and Lima led 17-11 at the horn.
Xavier Williams, whose presence all over the court had a major impact on the end result and the Tigers’ stellar second half, battled for a jump ball to start the 2nd quarter. Williams was aggressive on the boards all night, picking up a team-leading 8 rebounds while scoring a team-leading 20 points. Lima forced a jump on the defensive end and picked up a quick bucket to increase their lead back to 8. Williams put a jumper in and Jadyce Thigpen followed up a Marcus Garner block with a basket. Braylon Gamble capitalized on a Lima miss with a 3-point play to give Massillon a 20-19 lead. Back-to-back steals for the Spartans gave them a lead of 23-20, but the Tigers responded as Terrion Wells forced a turnover and Gio Jackson Jr. laid it in for 2. Lima repeatedly picked up easy buckets as they slipped under the basket and picked up offensive rebounds and second chance points. The Tigers, however, kept in pace and were primed to take the lead just before the half. Jadyce Thigpen was knocked down in the backcourt after a Massillon miss and was slow to get up, but it paid off for the Tigers as a turnover and a long downcourt pass to Thigpen led to an easy bucket. Lima missed a 3 at the buzzer and Massillon led 32-31 at the half.
Gio Jackson Jr. helped the Tigers start the second half with a big spark, blocking a shot and picking up a bucket at the other end. Lima would miss a 3-pointer on their end (the Spartans were an abysmal 3-33 from beyond the arc) and Xavier Williams drilled a 3 for the Tigers to increase the lead to 37-31. A string of calls that upset the Massillon bench led to a comeback for Lima, who pulled within 1 at 38-37. Jackson saved a possession as he stole the ball back under the Tigers’ basket after a Lima rebound and was fouled. His free throws increased Massillon’s lead to 3. The two teams exchanged blows for a while, but Williams broke the stretch with another 3 to make it a 2 possession game. Lima responded with a 3 and cut the lead back to 1 again. A charge call gave Lima the ball with a chance for the lead, but Williams stole the ball and scored before following it up with another steal and hammering it home (much to the delight of the Massillon crowd) to give the Tigers a 51-46 lead. The Tigers forced a turnover and Terrion Wells hit a wide-open jumper to give Massillon a 7-point lead after 3 quarters.
A big man opened up the final quarter in a big way– Marcus Garner Jr. knocked down a corner 3 to give Massillon a double digit lead. It seemed that all was going the Tigers’ way, but a questionable charge call, followed by steal and score for Lima and another iffy turnover on the Massillon offensive side, led to a technical foul and more points for the Spartans. Gio Jackson Jr. took control and was fouled going to the basket. He knocked down both free throws to give the Tigers an edge again. More free throws for the Tigers following a steal gave them a 59-52 lead with under 6:00 remaining. Jadyce Thigpen had a great finish to the basket and Jackson later hit a free throw to give Massillon a double digit lead once again. Isaiah Lamp was fouled off a Lima miss and hit free throws. Thigpen was fouled and hit a free throw (as the Tigers were in the bonus) to bump the lead to 13. A Braylon Gamble tough and-1 put Massillon in a commanding 68-52 lead. A pair of 3-point plays gave Lima a fighting chance, but the Tigers continued to respond when necessary and hit free throws when needed. Lima shot their share of desperation shots, hitting very few. They eventually waved the white flag and subbed in their reserves. The Tigers ran down the clock before jumping into the student section to celebrate their first title berth since 1937.
