Mentor, OH -- The West Branch boys basketball team opened OHSAA tournament play with a dominant performance, traveling to Mentor to face 18th-seeded Lake Catholic. From the opening tip, the Warriors controlled the tempo, cruising to a 75-53 victory.
In the first quarter, multiple players contributed to the stat sheet, with Jeremiah Thomas leading the charge, scoring six points early on. His efforts helped the Warriors build a 17-11 lead after the first period.
In the second quarter, Joey Jackson and Camden Lane took over offensively, each scoring 8 points. Lane was perfect from the free-throw line, hitting all six attempts. On the defensive end, West Branch was equally effective, holding Lake Catholic to just 24 points by halftime, giving the Warriors a 37-24 advantage.
Out of the break, the Warriors hit a bit of a rough patch, but Coach Loudon quickly called a timeout to refocus his team. Following the break, they regained their rhythm, pushing their lead to 53-36 by the end of the third quarter. With a strong finish, the Warriors never allowed Lake Catholic to close the gap, piling on more points in the final minutes to secure a comfortable 75-53 upset win on the road.
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What's Next: 22nd-seeded West Branch advances to play at 4th-seeded West Geauga on Tuesday at 7 PM. The Warriors are now 12-11 on the season.
