DAYTON, Ohio -Sunday night’s Division IV State Championship was methodical, slow, and low-scoring for most of the 32 minutes.
Richmond Heights wouldn’t have it any other way.
In front of a crowd of mostly Tri-Village fans due to the school’s proximity to Dayton, Richmond Heights was able to shrug off the hostile environment for their first ever state title by a lopsided score of 50-29.
It was a slow scoring start for Richmond Heights. With West Virginia commit Josiah Harris out due to an injury suffered in the semifinals, it took some time for the Spartans to adjust to a game plan without their leader.
Once they did, it was smooth sailing.
Defense was the story once again for the Spartans, as they held Tri-Village to 0-for-6 shooting to start the game.
The problem was that neither team could find the bottom of the net, with both shooting 25% in the first quarter.
Division IV State Championship 🏆
*End of the 1st*
Richmond Heights – 9
New Madison Tri-Village – 6Both teams shoot 25% in a defensive grind of an opening quarter.
Here’s a last second make from Layne Sarver to trim into the Tri-Village deficit.#OHSAAChampionships 🏀 pic.twitter.com/oCg1UShf2Z
— N.E.O. Zone HS Sports (@NEOZoneHS) March 20, 2022
Leading 9-6 in the second quarter, the starting freshman duo of DeErick Barber and Dorian Jones began to swing momentum in their favor.
Some great hustle plays paired with a couple of late buckets extended the Richmond Heights lead to 20-11, with Jones capping off the half with a third-chance tip-in.
Division IV State Championship 🏆
*Halftime*
Richmond Heights – 20
New Madison Tri-Village – 11Dorian Jones gets the tip in at the buzzer!
Richmond Heights is out-rebounding Tri-Village 20-10. 12 offensive boards tonight for the Spartans.#OHSAAChampionships 🏀 pic.twitter.com/6KgjknrKXG
— N.E.O. Zone HS Sports (@NEOZoneHS) March 20, 2022
The final play was indicative of how most of the first half went.
Richmond Heights out-rebounded Tri-Village 20 to 11. Out of those 20 Spartan rebounds, 12 of them came on offense.
The second half continued to be much of the same, with the Spartans’ size and athleticism overwhelming Tri-Village.
Jaiden Cox-Holloway started to find his stroke, knocking down three consecutive shots from beyond-the-arc to give Richmond Heights their largest lead of the game at 38-23 with 3:28 to play in regulation.
Division IV State Championship 🏆
*Halftime*
Richmond Heights – 20
New Madison Tri-Village – 11Dorian Jones gets the tip in at the buzzer!
Richmond Heights is out-rebounding Tri-Village 20-10. 12 offensive boards tonight for the Spartans.#OHSAAChampionships 🏀 pic.twitter.com/6KgjknrKXG
— N.E.O. Zone HS Sports (@NEOZoneHS) March 20, 2022
There was no turning back from there, as Richmond Heights rolled the rest of the way for a 50-29 victory and their first state basketball title in school history.
Division IV State Championship 🏆
*Final Score*
Richmond Heights – 50
New Madison Tri-Village – 29State Champions! 🗣
Richmond Heights is bringing home their first ever state title with a stellar defensive performance on the biggest stage.#OHSAAChampionships 🏀 pic.twitter.com/tnilbNP3Ik
— N.E.O. Zone HS Sports (@NEOZoneHS) March 20, 2022
The defensive performance put together in this game was nothing short of spectacular.
Tri-Village was held to just 29 points on 31% shooting from the field. Richmond Heights forced 16 turnovers while accumulating 10 steals and five blocked shots.
Leading the charge was senior Jaiden Cox-Holloway, who finished his final high school game with 18 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Detric Hearst, filling in for Josiah Harris, stuffed his stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
For Tri-Village, Layne Sarver and Josh Scantland combined for 20 of Tri-Village’s 29 points.
Richmond Heights will likely celebrate their first ever state title well into the night. As for the future under head coach Quentin Rodgers, things are looking very bright.
Dorian Jones and DeErick Barber already have medals to their name as freshmen. Should they return to the Spartans next season, a dynasty could be in the making in the outskirts of Cleveland.
2022 OHSAA Boys Basketball D-4 State Champions…
The Richmond Heights Spartans! 🏆@Spartan_Hoop pic.twitter.com/GyEeAtHqVC
— N.E.O. Zone HS Sports (@NEOZoneHS) March 20, 2022
Final stats: http://archive.statbroadcast.com/404740.pdf
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