Scioto plows past St. X into regional tournament final

By BRIAN INGLIS

Published: Thursday, March 19, 2009 2:54 PM EDT

Twenty-one consecutive wins have advanced Dublin Scioto's boys basketball team further than ever in the postseason in the 13-year history of the program following a dismantling of Cincinnati St. Xavier in a Division I regional semifinal showdown at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum.

The two tangled with a berth in a regional final on the line Wednesday, March 18. Fresh off a second straight Central District title, it was the first triumph for the Irish (24-1) in the regional brackets and it came in dominating fashion via a 68-49 knockout of the Bombers (15-10).

"Our guys are happy and so am I, but we still have some goals ahead of us," Irish coach Tony Bisutti said. "They are a proud program and are a great team and this was a great win."

And for the second contest in a row, Scioto dispatched a state tournament final four qualifier from last winter. Trailing only briefly in the opening minute, the Irish got out to a 27-19 advantage at intermission and never looked back, leading by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter.

Guards Bradley McDougald and David McKinley led the assault for Scioto, which locked down on defense and got out and converted on the break often after Bomber misses. While McDougald scored a game-high 21 points, McKinley added 19, including five three-pointers.

"I got it going early against that zone," McKinley said. "They extended it and our guards like Rainer (Duzan) and Bradley were able to find me when I was open out there."

Defensively, Scioto held the potent Bombers well below their season average and did so by pressuring the perimeter and making it difficult to make entry passes into the lane. The Irish were at a size disadvantage but made up for it in other areas.

"We are not the tallest team around, but it doesn't matter to us," McDougald said. "Our coaches make sure that we are tough and we play physically."

Depth also came to the Irish aid as Bisutti was able to rest his starters without losing a beat. Scioto typically goes eight deep and substitutes like Marco St. John, Eric Stamets and Jamare Mills were effective when on the court, even increasing the advantage on the scoreboard.

Early in the second half, Scioto pushed its margin to double figures and a Stamets bucket at the buzzer gave the Irish an insurmountable 50-28 lead entering the final frame. The Bombers were never able to mount a subsequent rally.

"We felt we needed to get into their bench," Bisutti said. "All of the guys in our rotation can give us a lift and that was the case tonight."

Center Erik Stenger managed 19 points for St. Xavier, who was thwarted in its bid for a second trip in as many years to the Schottenstein Center at Ohio State.

"They are extremely quick and we knew that was the issue," Bomber coach Scott Martin said. "It was going to be height versus speed and tonight speed won."