Flying to a district crown, Irish stop Newark

By BRIAN INGLIS

Published: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:00 AM EDT

Defending Division I state boys basketball champion Newark brought what seemed to be half of Licking County to the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum for a Central District tournament final showdown with Dublin Scioto. But those supporters became quiet early, then again late, and ultimately left unsatisfied.

Due in large part to a two-minute onslaught from the opening tip coupled with unwavering poise down the stretch, the second-seeded Irish (23-1) dispatched the reigning state kings and fourth-seeded Wildcats (20-4) in resounding fashion with a 68-52 decision Saturday, March 14.

Scioto guard Bradley McDougald knifed to the lane for a layup on the opening possession to key a 10-0 start and set the tone for the Irish, who never trailed in the showdown and shot 69 percent front the field.

"It took their crowd out of it a little bit," Scioto coach Tony Bisutti said. "They haven't had a start against them like that in a while and it gave our guys some confidence."

Deadly from both the perimeter and the paint, McDougald exploded for a career-high 29 points. He made 10 of his 12 field goal attempts and had 18 by the time the Irish were in front 36-25 at intermission.

"I was just really dialed in today," McDougald said. "I tried not to overdo things and let the game come to me and I was in a zone."

Despite the early deficit, Newark clawed back in the second quarter and trailed barely at 23-20 before a crucial 13-5 Scioto run took the advantage again out to double figures.

While the Irish managed to finish at a 75 percent clip in the first half, Newark coach Jeff Quackenbush felt McDougald was the catalyst. He had also had a career-high three treys.

"Give them all the credit, even though we played hard and competed," Quackenbush said. "But if McDougald is making those jump shots and you have to chase him around, you are in trouble because he is a great player."

Scioto simply kept the Wildcats at arm's length throughout the second half and was ahead 50-40 entering the final frame. Newark got within eight points on several occasions but was never able to mount a serious rally.

When Irish guard David McKinley converted inside, Scioto had its largest lead at 57-40 and the Newark faithful could only applaud their side for a gritty effort that failed to get the chosen result as the Irish just did not yield enough opportunities for the champs.

"Our goal was to see if we could pressure the ball and get out in transition," Quackenbush said. "But when you don't get misses, you can't get defensive rebounds and get out and go."

Point guard Tony Dennison led the Wildcats with 22 points, including three three-pointers. But, on the flip side, the Irish post duo of Marco St. John and Deji Olatoye did damage underneath, combining for 18 points and countless rebounds.

"We wanted to come out and go inside early and get Marco and Deji going," Bisutti said. "They feed off each other really well and that was the case tonight."

And while the dreams of a Newark state repeat were dashed, Scioto still has visions of its first win outside of area action. The Irish are in the regional tournament for the second time in a row but have yet to secure a win in that level in the history of the Hard Road program.

"I was just really dialed in today. I tried not to overdo things and let the game come to me and I was in a zone."

--Bradley McDougald