DAYTON, Ohio — Ronald Taylor scored a game-high 21 points and Jesse McCulloch added 16 as Cleveland Heights Lutheran East beat Camden Preble Shawnee 63-44 in the OHSAA Division III boys’ basketball state semifinal at UD Arena on Friday.
Cleveland Heights Lutheran East (22-5) began the game 17-0 and led by as many as 20 in the second half. The Falcons will have a chance to defend its state championship from a year ago on Sunday.
“I think our guys played hard,” Cleveland Heights Lutheran East head coach Sam Liggins said. “That’s a product of how much work we put in, a product of the culture we built and these kids. They buy into what we are and who we are, and I’m just proud of those guys.”
The Arrows pulled within 10 points in the third quarter but Cleveland Heights Lutheran East carried a 7-0 run across the third and fourth quarters to extend their lead.
Cleveland Heights Lutheran East’s Jesse McCulloch, who was a 2024 Ohio Mr. Basketball finalist and is committed to Michigan State, had a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double. Anthony Bruce contributed 10 points.
“The late nights, it really helped us prepare for these moments,” McCulloch said. “It really feels good knowing that the preparation worked out.”
Camden Preble Shawnee High School boys basketball head coach Jake Turner talks to the Arrows’ starting five before the OHSAA Boys State Tournament semifinal at UD Arena on UD Arena in Dayton on Friday, March 22, 2024. (Spectrum News 1/Jacob Benge)
Camden Preble Shawnee (24-4) shot 42% from the field and 31% from distance. The Arrows bounced back after shooting 0-of-7 in the first quarter of their first appearance in the state semifinals in program history.
Mason Shrout, who was a 2024 Ohio Mr. Basketball finalist and is committed to Purdue-Fort Wayne, led the Arrows with 18 points including 14 in the second half. Brody Morton totaled 16.
“The first quarter is going to be something we look back at and you know kind of the difference in the game,” Camden Preble Shawnee head coach Jake Turner said. “I think some of it was adjusting to physicality and their speed. We haven’t seen a team like that in a long time.”
Cleveland Heights Lutheran East will play Canal Winchester Harvest Prep in the Division III final on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Jacob Benge
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