Boys Basketball

Dublin Scioto 50, Reynoldsburg 38

Irish take control early, reach district final

Saturday,  March 7, 2009 6:47 PM

By SCOTT GERFEN

ThisWeek Contributor

The second-seeded Dublin Scioto High School boys basketball team held 10th-seeded Reynoldsburg to seven points in the first half en route to a 50-38 victory in a Division I district semifinal Saturday at the Fairgrounds Coliseum.

The Irish improved to 22-1 and will play fourth-seeded and defending state champion Newark in a district final March 14 at the Fairgrounds, looking for their second district title in a row. Reynoldsburg finished 15-8.

The Raiders, averaging better than 60 points a game, were limited to a number of one-shot possessions. Leading scorer Kevin Gray, who had 30 points against Walnut Ridge on Feb. 28, was held to 13.

"I thought early in the game we dictated that we were going to pressure the passing lanes," Scioto coach Tony Bisutti said. "We came out and executed the game plan at that end of the court just like we talked about."

The Irish took a 9-0 lead with the help of three 3-pointers and led 20-7 at halftime. Rainer Duzan finished with five 3-pointers and 15 points. David McKinley made three from 3-point range and had nine points.

"After I hit the first and second one, it just felt good," Duzan said. "I tried to shoot when I had an open look, but I didn't want to force it too much."

Duzan widened Scioto's lead in the third quarter with two consecutive 3s. Reynoldsburg got as close as 20-11 by scoring the first four points of the quarter and edged the Irish 31-20 in the second half.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was a pretty close game in the second, third and fourth quarters," Reynoldsburg coach Chris Rider said. "I don't know if it was jitters or what in the first quarter. We had one guy with experience on the Coliseum floor and that was Kevin Gray."