ELIDA - For the first time since 2006, Johnstown-Monroe will play for a regional championship after knocking off Western Reserve, 75-69, in the Division III Elida Regional Semifinals.

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A hot start for the Roughriders (20-3) saw senior guard John Skrada drop 10 of his team-best 22 points to help put the Johnnies in a 28-21 hole. Skrada would also eclipse the 1,000 point plateau on this night. From the second quarter on, however, Johnstown-Monroe (22-5) would see their star guard Gavin Foe take over the ballgame.

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Foe would score a game-high 33 points on 14-17 FG's, dropping 19 in the first half as the Johnnies stormed back to control a 38-37 advantage at the halftime break. Meanwhile, District 6 Player of the Year Luke Rowlinson would be stricken with foul trouble, picking up his fourth personal in the third quarter. 

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With Rowlinson saddled on the bench, Western Reserve got key contributions from Jude Muenz with 12 pts and 4 steals, and Carson Roe who delivered 14 pts and 10 rebounds, but the big guns from Johnstown-Monroe were simply too much to handle.

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Navy football commit Jake Lusk nearly had a triple-double with 19 pts, 16 rebs and 9 assists, helping the Johnnies extend their advantage to 57-50 by the end of the third. Rowlinson ended the night with just five points as he could out early in the fourth and the Roughriders could never find an offensive spark to get them back in the game.

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An incredible shooting effort by Johnstown-Monroe, who connected on 29-48 field goals (60%), who punch their ticket to Saturday's final where they will face Ottawa-Glandorf (20-4) for a spot in the D3 Final Four.

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