by COPLEY, Ohio– St. Edward head coach Eric Flannery had to take a couple of minutes to wrap his head around what just happened. St. Edward used a strong third quarter to help push past Hoba, 63-48, to advance to Dayton for the state semifinal next weekend.
To Flannery and his team, he understands what his guys have been through to get to this stage. He understands just how difficult it is and he’s soaking it all in.
“Each one is different. Each one is emotional,” Flannery said about winning a regional title. “I know how hard it is. People don’t understand how hard this is, just the stress you go through leading up to the games…to try to get back to this moment is a lot of pressure to these kids.”
FINAL: St. Edward advances to the state semifinals next weekend in Dayton with a 63-48 win over Hoban@SEHS_BASKETBALL @SportsKee1 pic.twitter.com/foY3tWeQsR
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) March 12, 2022
For other players like Michael Bova and Jair Knight, this has been something in the making since fourth grade, when the two Eagle players first began playing alongside each other.
“This is a dream come true. Me and Jair have been playing since fourth grade together, going to basketball camps. It’s kind of been our goal growing up so we get emotional in a happy way. It’s awesome to be here and be back in Dayton now,” Bova said.
What ultimately got St. Edward out in front for good was their third-quarter scoring run. Leading by seven at halftime, the Eagles were able to ramp up their full-court pressure, creating scoring opportunities that Hoban wasn’t able to get an answer for.
It started with a Michael Bova jumper to make it 33-28 with 3:45 left in the third quarter. From there, they went on a 13-0 quarter-ending run to open up the fourth quarter with a commanding 46-28 lead.
“Our goal was kind of to pick up the pressure, go into our man press and speed them up so we can get points off of our defense,” Bova said.
@Zyionbrown0 ends the 3rd Q with a corner 3, giving St. Eds a 46-28 lead. @SEHS_BASKETBALL @SportsKee1 pic.twitter.com/yJRYqL57IM
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) March 12, 2022
For the game, Knight ended up with a team-high 18 points. Bova finished with 14 points along with 12 from Zyion Freer-Brown.
Hoban had the momentum early on with the exceptional play from Will Scott and the spark Jay Crable provided off the bench. They were able to end the final five minutes of the first quarter on a 9-4 run to take a 13-11 lead after one.
That’s when St. Edward started to make their run. They opened up the second quarter on a 7-2 run in the first two and a half minutes. Hoban sophomore guard Jonas Nichols hit a corner 3-pointer with four minutes left in the half for his first points of the game, he ended up with five first-half points.
Michael Bova struggled to get going offensively in the first half, recording just one point but Jair Knight was there to make some big plays, ending the first half with a game-high 12 points at the time as the Eagles took a 29-22 lead at the break.
Once the Eagles finished their third-quarter scoring run, it was too late for Hoban to attempt at a comeback. They couldn’t pull together enough stops on the other end to get back within striking distance.
For Hoban, Nichols finished with a team-high 13 points along with 11 points each from Scott and Crable.
With the win, St. Edward advances to states to play against the winner of Gahanna Lincoln and Pickerington Central on March 19 in Dayton.
For Flannery and his team, it was a team effort with veteran guys being able to understand their role within the team. With Bova struggling in the first half, guys like Knight andCam Grant and Dai-Yaan Solomon stepped up at times to provide sparks when the team needed it.
With that, he’s able to see how his guys accept their roles and that’s a big part of why they are advancing to Dayton next weekend.
“One of those things as a coach that you stress and teach is to rely on each other,” Flannery said. “Zyion makes some crazy plays both ways…Jair’s athleticism, when he gets to the open floor and is able to play he’s as good as anybody that I’ve seen,” Flannery said.”
Guys understand their roles and they know it. Everybody preaches it but it only works when kids buy into it and these kids buy into it.”
