North Ridgeville, OH -- After a heartbreaking loss in last season's district championship and an up and down journey this year, the West Branch boys basketball team fought their way back to the district title game. his time around, they would meet Canfield, a team they were very familiar with after losing to the Cardinals earlier in the season. Coach Loudon's team was hoping for a win in the rematch, but Canfield came out on top with a 35-28 victory to claim the district title.
Both teams played strong defense from the start, but the game would come down to which offense could break through. A surprise came from
Cooper Anderson, who hit a three-pointer in the first, which is a rare shot for him. Still, the Warriors trailed 9-6 after a low-scoring first quarter.
Canfield was able to extend their lead to 19-13, but Gavin Gregory cut it to 19-15 with a nice finish inside. The Cardinals then knocked down a clutch three-pointer, and despite the Warriors having chances, they couldn't capitalize, heading into halftime down 22-15.
Coming out of halftime, West Branch needed to start strong and that's exactly what they did. Cooper Anderson drove baseline and finished with a nice reverse layup to get things started. Moments later, Gavin Gregory was fouled and stepped to the free-throw line, drilling both shots to cut the lead to 22-20, a quick 5-0 run to start the second half. Canfield responded with a 7-0 run, extending their lead to 29-20, looking to pull away for good. Once again, there was no quit in the Warriors.
Jeremiah Thomas got the run started, hitting both of his free throws to end the quarter. Anderson, as he had done all game, hit another big shot—this time a step-back three, all net, cutting the deficit to just 29-25. Just like that, Thomas followed up with a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line, sparking a 7-0 run for the Warriors. Up by two, the Cardinals spread the floor and ran a couple of minutes off the clock before burying a corner three.
West Branch had chances with good looks and missed free throws from Canfield, but unfortunately, the shots weren't falling for the Warriors. The only point in the final moments came from a free throw by Gregory. The Cardinals capped off their second straight district championship with a 35-28 victory.
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What's Next: Congratulations to the West Branch basketball team on a great season, finishing as district runner-ups. Also, a special congratulations to seniors
Cooper Anderson,
Camden Lane, and
Joey Jackson for their incredible careers.
