BOWLING GREEN–No.9 Hawken trailed No.1 dominated the final three quarters of a 73-49 win over Elida in a Division IV regional semifinal at Bowling Green State University on Thursday.
The Hawks trailed 20-13 after one, then closed the game on a 60-29 run to secure a spot in Saturday’s regional championship game.
“We just had first-quarter jitters,” said Hawken head coach Anthony Burns. “It’s some of these guys’ first time playing on a college floor, and I just had to get the kinks out and see shots go in. We feel like (Elida) gave us everything they had in the first quarter, and we still haven’t reached our ceiling yet. We just had to feel the game out first.”
Ice Taylor got Hawken out in front first with a free-throw line jumper, but the Bulldogs went on to take a 7-4 lead before Greg Price trimmed the deficit with a fastbreak layup.
Taylor knocked in a 3-pointer, and Price scored down the lane, but Elida led by seven after one.
Charlie Mallett hit Price for an early score in the second, Taylor knocked in three-consecutive 3-pointers, and Daron Hill nailed a triple as well for a 27-26 Hawken lead.
Jordan Johnson scored on the offensive glass, and Kene Obi found Hill for a bucket, giving the Hawks a 35-30 lead at the break.
Taylor opened the third with a tone-setting 3-pointer, while David Grazj and Price both worked the offensive boards with stick backs.
Price tossed a skip pass to Hill for a 3-pointer, and Johson worked the glass and found Price for a buzzer-beating triple for a 56-39 lead after three.
Taylor nailed a floater, and Hill scored back-to-back under-the-basket buckets for a 72-44 lead, closing out an upset win.
Last season, Hawken was upset by Revere, 61-57, in the opening round of the playoffs. Fast-forward over 365 days, and the Hawks have an opportunity for their first-ever regional championship in their first appearance since 1988.
“I feel like after every game in the regular season, we got better,” Hill said. “We used the 22 games as basically scrimmages because we knew most importantly, we wanted to make a run at history. It started with learning after every game and finding a way to get better.”
Apart from getting better after every win or loss, which came with playing some of the toughest competition, the Hawks have reaped the reward of their hard work.
“We used those 22 games to get better,” Burns said. “We used that to our advantage. We wanted to go out on the road and play against some tough teams and play in some showcases, against these top-ranked teams so we could be battle-tested. It started in November with our scrimmage schedule, where we went all over the state of Ohio. That was to prepare for this moment.”
A new standard has been set, with most of the core group returning for next season.
“It means a lot (to set a new standard),” Price said. “Since I was a freshman, I’ve dreamed of playing on stages like this. It’s not an experience that everyone gets, so it’s really a blessing. Next season, I think we can be really scary.”
Taylor posted a game-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting, Hill posted 20 points with nine rebounds, while Price pitched in with 14 points with six boards and seven assists. Johnson added six points with four dimes, and Grajzl finished with four points.
Hawken advanced to the Elite Eight and will face Jonathon Alder for a Division IV regional championship at Bowling Green State University on March 8.
