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TWINSBURG, Ohio– Lutheran East head coach Sam Liggins wasn’t too optimistic about senior guard BJ Busbee returning for his team after suffering an ankle injury prior to the playoffs.
In his first game back off the bench, Busbee led the team in scoring and helped propel the Flacons to a 74-55 win over Norwayne, advancing to Dayton for the state semifinals March 19.
“Last year I feel like we got cut short se really wanted it this year,” “Busbee said. “I caught fire at the right time. There is nothing like a regional championship honestly.”
“I’m glad he came back today,” Liggins added. “His times gone he stayed in the gym and was texting me about gameplan strategies and he was excited to come back and it showed.”
FINAL: Lutheran East 74, Norwayne 55.
The Falcons are headed to Dayton. @LEFalconsHoops @SportsKee1 pic.twitter.com/OXN0szTvpD— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) March 13, 2021
Lutheran East was able to get out to an early 15-6 lead within the first five minutes of the game and held a six-point lead after the first quarter.
They were able to take control early on with the stellar shooting performance from senior guard Jalen Knott. He had 12 of the team’s first 23 points and he helped lead his team into halftime with a nine-point lead.
The third quarter is when Busbee showed out. The Falcons held a 48-37 lead with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. Busbee was able to knock down back-to-back 3-pointers that started a quarter-ending 14-4 run.
Busbee had nine points in the third quarter alone where five different players scored as well to push their lead to a comfortable margin.
Four different players scored in double figures for the Falcons Saturday afternoon. Collin Albert finished with 16 points followed by 15 and 11 points from Jalen Knott and Jared Larry.
“That’s what we preach, team basketball,” Liggins said. “We know that one guy can’t win it and one guy can’t lose it so everything we preach is family. We win together, we lose together.”
The Bobcats started the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, cutting the deficit to 62-47. They never got closer than 14 points in the final eight minutes, however.
Collin Albert took charge in the fourth quarter, getting guys like Jay Billingsley and Jared Larry involved inside the paint to make sure there was no room for a Norwayne comeback.
“This is the regional finals so everybody is going to come to play,” Billingsley said. “Everybody just gave it their all and I feel like it was a hard-fought battle by both teams.”
For the Bobcats, Jacob Rupp led the way with a game-high 20 points, including 14 points in the second half. Isaiah Portis and Justin Rupp rounded out the scoring with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
As for Liggins, it’ll be his second appearance down at states as a coach at Lutheran East. For him, he had an edgy feeling prior to tip-off.
“It’s a blessing, it feels good,” he said. “I was a nervous wreck all day because you never know what can happen. You want to make sure you do the best you can to reach the final four and we did it.”
