Kirtland is accustomed to big stages — more often on the gridiron than the hardwood — but since last March, the Hornets have grown comfortable in high-stakes basketball games, too.
That experience showed Feb. 12 as Kirtland outlasted Fairview, 80-72, in overtime in a playoff-caliber showdown. The win not only echoed the Hornets’ 2025 state semifinal run, it also marked head coach Shawn McGregor‘s 300th career victory.
“Last year, having the taste of playing in games with this type of atmosphere changed my mindset,” McGregor said. “That run gave these guys the mindset that they can compete at a high level if we really put in the work. Some of these guys just got glimpses and minutes in the playoff run — not a ton, but enough to see what it’s like playing in those games.
“To play in a game like tonight — a regular-season game for us that’s as good as it gets — there is no other game that compares to tonight against Fairview. They’re skilled, athletic, well-coached, and do things the right way. We passed the test today.”
Trailing by six after the first quarter, Kirtland surged back before halftime. Sammy Ridgeway poured in 14 second-quarter points, while Ben DiFranco added six as the Hornets clawed into a 34-34 tie at the break.
Coming out of halftime, Kirtland leaned on its interior presence. DiFranco and Mike Dumstorff combined for 16 third-quarter points — eight apiece — helping the Hornets build a 53-43 lead. Fairview responded, however, trimming the deficit to 57-52 entering the fourth.
The Warriors seized control midway through the final quarter. Will Allen buried a 3-pointer, converted a steal into a score, and assisted Savijan Harris to spark the rally. Carter Holliday attacked the paint for two, and Allen knocked down another triple to give Fairview a 62-59 lead.
Burke Lowry scored twice, Lucas Renfro answered with a backdoor cut, and Malik Walker II connected on a floater as Fairview extended its edge to 69-64 with under four minutes remaining.
Kirtland refused to fold.
Jake LaVerde drove to the rim to make it 69-66, setting the stage for two senior-led plays that changed the night. Ryan Caimi — playing with four fouls — sprinted into a passing lane for a critical steal. Moments later, Renfro rose up and banked home a contested 3-pointer to tie the game at 69 and force overtime.
“Lucas is our leading scorer, of course, and we’re going to depend on him to make plays,” McGregor said. “Sometimes he’s going to make a special play. Ryan is our energizer on the defensive end. He comes into the game — he’s definitely good enough to be a starter — and he changes the momentum of the game.”
For Renfro, the moment called for confidence.
“It’s a really big game; it felt like a playoff atmosphere for sure,” Renfro said. “It’s their senior night, it’s a great atmosphere to take that shot, and we needed a three. I came off the screen, had a sliver, and I knew I had to shoot it. It felt good off my hands. It didn’t look the best, but it went in. I feel like that gave us momentum going into overtime and helped us pull off the win.”
Kirtland carried that momentum into the extra session, opening overtime on an 8-0 run to secure the 80-72 victory.
Renfro finished with a team-high 22 points. DiFranco added 21 points and 10 rebounds, Ridgeway scored 19 points with five assists and three steals, and Dumstorff chipped in 12 points and eight boards. Caimi and LaVerde’s late-game efforts proved equally pivotal.
For Fairview, Allen delivered a game-high 30 points, while Carter Reagan added 13.
“We weren’t clean tonight. We lost our composure, and it was kind of an embarrassing night for Fairview,” Warriors coach Ryan Barry said. “Our kids battled, and we’ll always be close in games, but we have to get better at closing out games.
“For us to get to where we were at the end of regulation, it took a lot out of us. We had the lead with four minutes left and turned the ball over and started pointing fingers.”
Still, Barry believes the matchup will serve his team well in March.
“This should get us ready for what we want to do in March,” he said. “That’s how we’ve scheduled the back end of the season. We want to win games like these. We’ve had a bunch of tight ones that had this feeling, and we failed as players and coaches. We’re running out of time to fix that. We’ve got three games left, and then it’s playoff time.”
As for McGregor, the milestone win came in fitting fashion.
“It’s a memorable win,” he said. “For this one to be the 300th win, it doesn’t matter. It just means I’ve been coaching for a long time. I couldn’t have done it without this group. Going on the road into a tough place to play against a tough team — it just doesn’t get any better than that.”
Fairview hosts Olmsted Falls on Feb. 14, while Kirtland hosts Cuyahoga Heights the same day.
