STOW–Lutheran West’s tournament run came up just short as the Longhorns fell to Buckeye in a Division II Stow District semifinal on Thursday, 58-55.
The Longhorns, who wrapped up the season with a 17-7 record, knew this game would be a challenge from the jump and quickly found themselves down at the end of the first quarter, 20-9.
“I expected some nerves in the first quarter and that showed,” said Lutheran West coach Jordan Duke. “It showed they weren’t ready to throw the first punch and Buckeye was. We were able to battle back, but at that point it took a lot out of us.”
Lutheran West quickly ramped up the energy in the second quarter and used a 9-0 run to pull to within 31-27 at the break.
The Longhorns kicked off the second half with the same effort and energy they displayed in the second quarter. Jamie Peterson closed out the third period on a high note as he drained a 3-pointer as time expired to cut Buckeye’s lead to 42-40 with eight minutes left.
After multiple ties and lead changes in the final quarter, Buckeye forced a tough final shot for the Longhorns to earn a 58-55 victory.
“We didn’t make too many adjustments with the game plan, but we just woke up a little bit,” Duke said. “Once they started to see shots fall, that’s when you saw us come back.”
Peterson led the Longhorns with 15 points. Derek Fairley and Boubacar Djigo both added 10. D.J. Robinson contributed with nine points and Josh Meyer scored four.
Duke is eager to get to work after finishing the season with a 17-7 record.
“I’m looking forward to us putting in the work,” Duke said. “We’ve lost some incredible seniors, but we bring back a lot of key guys.”
Chagrin Falls also saw its season come to an end with a 60-47 loss to Youngstown Chaney in the Boardman District semifinals.
Chaney used a 17-3 second-quarter run to pull away from the Tigers.
Nick Vinci and James Kosmides both scored 13 points to lead the Tigers.
