The Notre Dame Titans captured a Division IV boys basketball sectional championship Saturday evening, defeating Western 42-32 at Northwest High School.
Submitted photo
McDERMOTT — Simply put, whatever Western did on Saturday, Notre Dame did the Indians one better —time and again.
As a result, the fourth-seeded Titans captured a third consecutive Division IV boys basketball sectional championship —thanks to edging the 13th-seeded Indians 42-32, in a sectional final at Northwest High School.
In fact, from the tidbit department, all three of Notre Dame’s straight sectional titles are over teams which start with the letter ‘W’ —at Waterford in 2022, against Whiteoak in 2023, and now against Western in 2024.
The Titans took their record to 17-5, and ended Western’s season at 7-17.
Speaking of 17, it appeared that number was the order of the evening.
Notre Dame outdid Western 17-15 in the opening quarter —then the two clubs indeed got defensive, combining for 11 total points over the middle two periods.
The difference you ask?
The Titans took both cantos —just as they did the opening and closing salvos.
Notre Dame pitched a second-stanza shutout of Western, as the only point scored by either team was a split of Aaryn Bradford foul shots.
Bradford missed the first freebie, but converted the second.
In the third frame, the defensive-minded Titans then clipped the Indians in another rockfight for a quarter —a 6-4 edge for a 24-19 lead.
This time, Notre Dame’s six-foot and two-inch senior forward Cody Metzler —who scored 17 points to pace all scorers —managed all six Titans points.
He had a trey, a deuce and a free-throw split, part of six total field goals —and 4-of-7 free throws.
Meanwhile, the only Indians points in the third were baskets by Drew Haggy and Logan Lightle.
In the fourth, the Titans outpointed Western 18-13 —with eight of those coming at the free-throw line.
Myles Phillips finished a perfect 4-of-4, Connie Thomas tacked on 2-of-2, and both Bradford and Metzler split a pair.
Also in the quarter, Bradford bagged both of his field goals —and Thomas, Phillips and Metlzer made one apiece.
The Titans edged the Indians 13-11 in total field goals, and although Western was 9-of-9 at the charity stripe, Notre Dame’s dozen of 17 total meant more.
Of the Titans’ 17 first-period points, Metzler made three buckets and 2-of-3 foul shots —while Landon Barbarits with two and Thomas with one accounted for the three three-point goals.
Western, by Lightle in the last quarter, made only a single three-pointer.
Kam Janes paced the Indians with 13 points —on three field goals and a perfect 7-of-7 free throws.
In the first quarter, Janes kept right with Metzler — netting nine points on two baskets and 5-of-5 freebies.
Haggy had two field goals in the first, and Tyler Kerns canned one.
In the fourth, Lightle landed his three, Haggy had his final two, and both Janes and Alex Silivan sank one field goal and 2-of-2 tosses.
In addition for the Titans, Barbarits led in rebounds (six) and deflections (eight), while Bradford did the same in assists (three) and steals (five).
Notre Dame, which was last season’s Division IV Southeast District runner-up to Federal Hocking, returns to the district semifinals on Thursday night —and to the Ohio University Convocation Center in Athens.
The Titans take on 14-8 and fifth-seeded Trimble, which they lost to two years ago — and also in the district semis.
The Tomcats took out 12th-seeded Miller —70-38 in another Division IV sectional championship tilt.
Tipoff for Thursday night, and inside the confines of The Convo, is set for 8 p.m.
* * *
Western 15 0 4 13—32
Notre Dame 17 1 6 18 —42
WESTERN 32 (7-17)
Tyler Kerns 1 0-0 2, Baiden Taylor 0 0-0 0, Logan Lightle 2 0-0 5, Drew Haggy 4 0-0 8, Kam Janes 3 7-7 13, Alex Silivan 1 2-2 4, Cutler Clay 0 0-0 0, Foster Davis 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 11 9-9 32; Three-point goals: 1 (Logan Lightle 1)
NOTRE DAME 42 (17-5)
Landon Barbarits 2 0-0 6, Connie Thomas 2 2-2 7, Aaryn Bradford 2 2-4 6, Dae’quan Woods 0 0-0 0, Cody Metzler 6 4-7 17, Marcellus Woods 0 0-0 0, Chris Piccolo 0 0-0 0, Myles Phillips 1 4-4 6, Ethan Kingrey 0 0-0 0, Brady Davis 0 0-0 0; TOTALS 13 12-17 42; Three-point goals: 4 (Landon Barbarits 2, Connie Thomas and Cody Metzler 1 apiece)
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