DAYTON, Ohio — After being subbed out with his Fighting Irish comfortably ahead late in the fourth quarter, Sencire Harris took a bow and blew the crowd a kiss, and why not?
What You Need To Know
- Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary won the Division II state championship by defeating Gilmour Academy, 63-35
- The Fighting Irish have an OHSAA record 10 boys basketball state championships
- It’s the second time ASVSM has won back-to-back titles
He and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary teammates completed a second-straight dominant run at University of Dayton Arena.
SVSM used a 16-0 run in the third quarter to cruise to a second-consecutive OHSAA Division II boys’ basketball state title, beating Gilmour Academy, 63-35.
It capped a tournament run where the Irish won six games by an average of 42.2 PPG, with the closest margin of victory being 25 in the state semifinal.
In the last two years in the state tournament, with all four games at University of Dayton Arena, SVSM won two state titles, winning four games by an average of 26 points per win, and the closest opponent within 22.
It was the third quarter 16-0 run that really opened things up for the Fighting Irish. Harris was the leading scorer with 17, followed by 11 from Lance “LA” Hayes and 10 by Ramar Pryor.
Ryan Mueller (9) and Brandon Rose (8) were the top two scorers for the Lancers.
The championship for the Fighting Irish is an OHSAA record 10th boys’ basketball state title for the Fighting Irish, and the ninth since 2000. The 2022 title represents only the second time, however (2000-01), that SVSM was a repeat champion.
There are two more championship games to go on Spectrum News and the Spectrum News App:
5:15 p.m. – Division IV Championship: Tri-Village vs. Richmond Heights
8:30 p.m. – Division I Championship: Centerville vs. Pickerington Central
Join MaryLee Melendez and former Buckeye George Reese for OHSAA Championship Gameday 15 minutes before each game, and then again following for postgame interviews and analysis.