It had been 45 years since South Central last claimed a District Championship in boy’s basketball, but the #2 Trojans would finally cut down the nets again at Willard with a 48-37 victory over top-seeded Colonel Crawford.

 

In front of a sold-out crowd inside Robert L. Haas Gymnasium, South Central overcame a 16-8 first quarter hole by outscoring the Eagles 16-5 in the second quarter to hold a 24-21 halftime edge. The Trojans maintained their advantage heading into the fourth quarter on top 31-27 where stud junior Simon Blair took over when it mattered most.

 

Blair struggled offensively for much of the night, but found a rhythm attacking the basket with a noticeable quickness advantage in the closing minutes, scoring three consecutive South Central buckets in the paint then dished off to David Lamoreaux for a layup that seemingly put the game out of reach.

 

Blair scored eight of his game-high 16 points in the fourth, while senior guard Alex Holland and Lamoreaux each added 9 points. Zye Shipman put up a team-best 12 points in his final game wearing a Colonel Crawford (21-5) uniform with junior Jordan Fenner put up 11 points.

 

Next up for South Central (22-4) is a battle with New Middletown Springfield in the Canton Regional Semifinals.