by Akron, Ohio – The Shaker Heights Red Raiders defeated the Brecksville Bees, 54-50, in overtime in the OHSAA Division II regional semifinal at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Shaker Heights jumped out to a 7-2 lead thanks to buckets from Kevin Lowery and Jacire Eaddy. Brecksville would answer back with a triple from Stephen Skaljac, and took the lead thanks to a bucket from Brady Ganley. The Bees led 12-11 after the first quarter, going 7-8 from the charity stripe.
Defense was the name of the game in the first half, as the teams combined for 11 second quarter points and two field goals each. Brecksville would take an 18-16 lead at the halftime break.
Brecksville would lead 29-25 after three quarters, and took a lead as big as seven in the final stanza. However, the Red Raiders stayed close, getting big defensive stops in the fourth quarter. Baskets from Quinn Coggins and Mekhi Black cut a 41-36 deficit to 41-40 with less than a minute to go. After a pair of missed free throws, the Red Raiders had a chance to take the lead for the first time since the third quarter.
Kevin Lowery sank a pair of free throws with 28.7 seconds to play to give Shaker a 42-41 lead. It was their first time in front since leading 20-18 early in the third quarter. The Bees had a chance to take the lead on their final possession. Stephen Skaljac drew a foul on a layup attempt with 9.4 left to play. He made the first attempt to tie the game, but missed the second. The Bees got the offensive board, but were not able to convert the game-winner.
Shaker Heights won the jump ball to begin the extra period, and took the lead thanks to a bucket from John Horn. He converted the ensuing free throw to give the Red Raiders a 45-42 lead. Brady Ganley then followed up with a layup to trim the deficit to 45-44.
However, the Bees could not take the lead, as the Red Raiders defense would convert free throws to increase their lead. Mekhi Black had the only other field goal for Shaker Heights later in the quarter to seal the game.
Senior guard Mekhi Black finished with 12 points and nine rebounds for the Red Raiders. Junior guard Kevin Lowery also finished with 12 points.
Brecksville was led by senior guard Brady Ganley, who finished with 24 points, but fouled out in overtime. Junior guard Steven Skaljac finished with 14 points.
The Red Raiders will be making their first regional championship since 2020. They will take on Massillon Perry on Saturday, March 9th, at 1:00pm. The Panthers defeated Warren Harding, 52-51, thanks to a buzzer-beating triple from Luke Wolf.
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