CANTON — Kirtland weathered an early deficit and rode a historic night from senior Lucas Renfro to a 71-61 win over Richmond Heights in the Division VI Region 21 championship Friday at Canton Memorial Fieldhouse, sending the Hornets to the state semifinals for the second straight season.
The Hornets fell behind by nine points early before their experience and defensive pressure flipped the momentum, allowing Kirtland to control the final three quarters and punch another ticket to the Final Four.
“The schedule that we play in the regular season really helps us prepare for games like these,” said Kirtland head coach Shawn McGregor. “We don’t have to panic when we get down eight or nine points. The game is 32 minutes long, not six minutes long. So you’ve got a lot of time to fight back and get back to where you want to be.
“We were not playing basketball early. We weren’t aggressive. Once we turned up our aggression and our team camaraderie, that was the difference.”
Richmond Heights led 17-9 after the first quarter, but Kirtland slowly chipped away behind Renfro, who scored 22 of his game-high 36 points during the second and third quarters.
The senior guard fueled a surge that pushed the Hornets ahead 50-41 entering the fourth quarter.
“I always feel good playing here,” Renfro said. “It’s an amazing gym with great energy, and I think it makes me play better.”
Renfro ignited the rally early in the second half with a 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper. Moments later, Jake LaVerde converted an and-one to tie the game at 27-27.
Renfro then drilled a step-back 3-pointer to give Kirtland a 32-29 halftime lead — an advantage the Hornets never relinquished.
He continued his scoring burst in the third quarter with three mid-range jumpers before burying another 3-pointer to extend the Hornets’ lead and send Kirtland on its way to another Final Four appearance.
“There are only so many people in Northeast Ohio who can do what he does when he gets hot,” McGregor said. “He’s hard to stop, and we knew coming in today was the day that he was going to have to perform.
“It’s really unbelievable all the things he does for us. The kids bought into it. They set good screens, they rebound misses, and they kept the momentum of the game going.”
Renfro finished with 36 points on 11-of-18 shooting while also surpassing the 1,000-point mark for his career.
“I just want to shout out Kirtland for accepting me for who I am as a person and a basketball player,” Renfro said. “I’ve put a lot of hard work in that people don’t see, and this is just a surreal moment.”
Renfro also added six rebounds and two steals.
LaVerde scored 12 points with seven rebounds, while Ben DiFranco added nine points and nine rebounds. Mike Dumstorff finished with eight points and four rebounds.
Sammy Ridgeway contributed six points, three rebounds, and two steals, while Ryan Caimi added two points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Winning a regional championship at Canton Memorial Fieldhouse — often called “The Mecca of Ohio high school basketball” — was special for the Hornets, but McGregor said the program’s focus now shifts to the state stage.
“We as a program respect the history of where we’ve been,” McGregor said. “When you get to play at the Mecca, you win two games, and you’re going to the state round, there’s nothing better than that.
“This has been the best run of my life as far as coaching. I’m so grateful for these kids. They’re the ones who make the plays and get us where we need to be. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Kirtland will face the winner of Berlin Hiland and Portsmouth West in a Division VI state semifinal at 6 p.m. on March 20 at Wright State University’s Nutter Center.
Kirtland Hornets Basketball
