Massillon 75 – Lima Senior 63. Massillon 68 -Westerville South 63. It is difficult to even begin to put into words the emotions that were felt over this past weekend. The Massillon Tigers basketball team is a state champion– the words seem foreign. It is still unbelievable that those words can be uttered in truth. A team-record 24-game win streak. A team-record 27 wins. A program first state title. So long have these records been far distant and unreachable. Long have so many in the basketball community worked year after year– sometimes through mediocrity and below-par play, and often through decent success, but always far from the goal. So many seasons ended with heartbreak, with disappointment, with a loss. Teams have fallen far from the goal– a few have come up just short. This title has been long in coming. For many, it has almost been a lifetime of waiting. For Tigers such as Jo Walterhouse, the “team grandma” who has poured so many long hours into support of her beloved Tigers, for scorekeeper Bob Antonille, who has spent 49 season writing in the final game of the season as a loss, and for Butch Hose, who has seemingly always been there to work with the Tigers or cheer them (and his son Josh) on, the joy is unmeasurable. Take a moment to imagine how this achievement feels to Head Coach Josh Hose, a Massillon grad and a basketball alum who worked his way back to Massillon and built the program up to this moment, for assistants Evan Berbari and Jamil Dudley, both Tiger alums who have worked with and played for Tiger programs, for assistant Blake Sitzlar, who has taught and coached these Tiger boys for several seasons, for assistant Marquis Williams, a Massillon alum and former Tiger athlete who watched his son Xavier star and make one of the best plays in team history, for assistant Derrick Conley, who has for decades worked to build up Massillon’s youth into great men and basketball players, and for assistant Brian Smith, who has poured his life into mentoring the next group of Tigers. The reward of all their hard work came on Sunday.
For the Massillon Tiger players, many who have grown up together and played together since they were at the Boy’s and Girl’s Club, this moment is sweet. For the parents who have raised these boys through life and sports, for the school staff and administrators who have mentored and taught these young men, and for the community that cheers them on, this moment is a payoff of a lifetime of work.
The Tigers’ triumph did not come easy. Victories do not come cheap in the final rounds of the playoffs, but Massillon understands that well– they have been battle-tested all season long. The Tigers led by 1 at the half– they trailed by 15 with under 4 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. As has been the story for Josh Hose’s squad all season long, Massillon never gave in and never let up. Versus CVCA way back before Christmas, versus Alliance on the road in overtime, versus McKinley in a high-stakes rivalry game, versus Jackson in a late-game scenario in the last game of the season, in a close battle versus Euclid in the regional final, and facing an early deficit versus Lima Senior in the state semifinal, the Tigers faced adversity. They won all of those games. There is no force that could withstand the Massillon Tigers’ energy and perseverance this season. The same was seen on Sunday in Dayton. The Tigers slowly but surely worked to come back and take the lead. After giving up the lead late in the 4th quarter and making a few crucial mistakes, the Tigers were inches away from trailing with seconds left. It was Xavier Williams who was the one to make the play to perhaps save the season as he made a block comparable to Lebron James’ famous denial of Andre Iguodala in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Williams’ play was one that had a ripple effect on the following overtime period– the Tigers would not let Westerville South hit a shot in overtime. As Williams grabbed the final rebound and the buzzer sounded, the score stood 68-63 in favor of Massillon.
Game Recap
Westerville North has not often tasted defeat in the last couple seasons. Defending DII champions and winners of 52 of their last 53 games, the Warriors came in with experience and talent. The Tigers came in with heart, a resilient energy, and a hunger to win their first title in program history.
It was a slow start to the contest for Massillon. Missed shots by the Tigers and offensive rebounds by the Warriors led to an early 5-0 deficit. Gio Jackson Jr. blew through off an excellent pass and slammed it home to liven up the Massillon crowd and get the Tigers on the board. Westerville would climb back out to a 9-4 lead, but Terrion Wells splashed a 3 to pull the Tigers within 2. After one quarter, the Tigers still trailed by 2 with a score of 11-13.
The Warriors started out the second quarter with a layup, but Braylon Gamble quickly responded with 2 of his own. The Westerville press and box-out defense kept the Tigers from getting easy baskets, but Massillon matched the Warrior’s defensive energy with a difficult-to-break defense of their own. Shooting percentages were low early, but much of that was due to excellent defense, not poor shooting. Massillon often found themselves working from behind, but they had the edge towards the end of the half. Jadyce Thigpen buried a 3 to cut the deficit to 3, and after missed free throws on the other end, Isaiah Lamp buried a 3 of his own to tie the game at 19. Thigpen took it all the way to the basket to give Massillon their first lead following a few consecutive turnovers. Gio Jackson Jr. scooped it up and in to give the Tigers a 4-point lead, but the Warriors would go on a 5-0 run to retake the lead. Gamble was fouled and shot a pair of free throws just before the half to put the Tigers on top 25-24. Massillon got a stop as the buzzer sounded and went into the locker room with the lead.
The beginning of the third quarter was a back-and-forth affair. Massillon and Westerville North exchanged baskets and the lead several times. The Warriors surged after a deflected pass led to a 3-pointer and a 5 point lead. They answered a Tiger basket with another 3, and took their largest lead with a layup to make the score 38-30. Massillon was repeatedly denied points and Westerville picked up buckets. With 3:49 left in the third, things looked bleak. Massillon trailed by 15 with a score of 30-45. The Tigers, however, would not go down without a fight. The games that they had played all season proved that– Massillon never stops. Massillon never gives in; they always fight to the finish. The Tiger comeback started with Terrion Wells. He knocked down a pair of free throws to cut into the deficit. Isaiah Lamp, who played a crucial role on defense with multiple deflections, stole the ball and got it to Xavier Williams, who followed with a basket. Another steal by Massillon came up with no points, but Marcus Garner stole the ball again for the Tigers to give them another shot. A confusing no-call for the Tigers led to a technical foul, and it looked as if the fleeting comeback would be in vain as Westerville hit a free throw and scored on their ensuing possession to make the score 48-34. Massillon got right back at it, however, and once again cut into the Warriors’ lead. Williams hit a floater, Gio Jackson Jr. laid one in, and Garner blocked a shot and gathered the rebound before feeding it to Jackson for 2. The Tigers ended the quarter on a 6-0 run, cutting the deficit to 40-48.
More of the same energy was found in the Tigers at the start of the final quarter. Gio Jackson Jr. scored to make it a 6-point game right off the bat. Westerville answered and the Tigers turned it over a pair of times, but Marcus Garner once again stole the ball and fed it to Xavier Williams, who raced up the floor for a basket. Isaiah Lamp blocked a shot and forced a turnover– he followed it up with a huge 3 to narrow the score to 47-50 with under 5 minutes remaining. Jadyce Thigpen spun to the basket for a bucket, and following a steal he euro-stepped to the hole to give Massillon the lead. Westerville tied it up with a free throw, but Lamp knocked down a corner 3 to give the Tigers a 54-51 lead with 2:40 remaining in the game. Following a Westerville miss, Williams was fouled and went to the line. The ever-accurate free throw shooter, Xavier knocked down both to give Massillon a 5 point lead. Over the next minute, the Tigers and Warriors would exchange a couple baskets. Massillon missed a few key free throws, enabling the Warriors to crawl closer. With just over a minute left, the lead was down to 1. The Tigers made 1 free throw, and Westerville bricked a potential go-ahead 3. An attempted save by Williams was thrown into the backcourt, and Jadyce Thigpen put pressure and helped Braylon Gamble make an incredible diving steal– the Tigers called time and had the ball with 44.7 seconds remaining. The Tigers lost the ball on the inbounds pass and the Warriors went all the way for a fastbreak basket to tie the game. Massillon held the ball until there were 15 seconds on the clock but missed the go-ahead layup. Westerville grabbed the rebound and fed it ahead to a wide-open player– it seemed that they would take the lead with 10 seconds remaining with what would perhaps be the game-winning layup. Then came a play that will forever be referred to as “the block” in Massillon lore. Xavier Williams never gave up on the play. He flew down the court, knowing full well that the shot on the other end could be a game-sealer. Williams went high to slam the ball against the glass– doing so before it hit the backboard (which would have resulted in a goaltend if the ball had touched the glass first). The ball went out of bounds off a Westerville player. This incredible defensive play saved the game and gave Massillon a chance at victory. A Tiger shot at the buzzer fell short, but Massillon had a chance as the game went into overtime.
Massillon’s defense was stellar in the extra period. Westerville picked up points on free throws, but would not hit another shot from the field. It was as if Williams’ block was the final rejection, one that reverberated for the rest of the game. Westerville’s first shot rimmed out– a second effort as well as a third fell short. Massillon grabbed the rebound but lost the ball out of bounds. Marcus Garner swatted the ball away but the downcourt pass was stolen by Westerville. The Warriors took it hard to the basket but once again missed the shot– they grabbed a rebound and lost it out of bounds. Jadyce Thigpen hit a beautiful fade to give Massillon a 60-58 lead with under 3 minutes left in overtime. Another layup by the Warriors rimmed out. Another offensive rebound was gathered. Garner blocked another shot but was called for a foul on a second effort. The Warriors connected on only 1 free throw and still trailed by 1. Xavier Williams answered with a tough shot to put Massillon up by 3. Another 3 was bricked by the Warriors– Garner grabbed the rebound and Braylon Gamble fed it downcourt to Gio Jackson Jr., who hammered it home to increase the lead to 64-59. Westerville was fouled and hit free throws. Massillon lost the ball and the Warriors tried for 2– the initial shot and the follow both missed and Garner fought for a jump ball to give Massillon possession. Westerville once again put pressure on the Tigers, stealing the ball away and drawing a foul. Both free throws were good, narrowing the lead to 1. Williams was fouled and once again nailed both free throws. The Warriors bricked another 3 and Jackson grabbed the rebound. Gamble got the ball and fed it to Garner, who fired it ahead to a streaking Williams. Xavier laid it home with ease and gave Massillon a 68-63 lead with 17 seconds remaining. Westerville got quickly downcourt and tried a few desperation shots. First one, than another, than another clanked off the front rim, each miss getting the Tigers seconds closer to victory. As the third miss fell off to the side, Williams grabbed the rebound and held the ball tight as the final seconds ticked off the clock. As the buzzer sounded, Tiger players, coaches, and fans alike ran onto the court. Tears of joy and disbelief flowed freely as the realization came upon all present– Massillon had won a basketball state title.
Highlights
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