ASHTABULA—Edgewood got off to a fast start and never looked back as the Warriors clinched a sectional title with a 77-57 win over visiting Gilmour Academy on Friday.
Jacob Ernst scored 14 of his 41 points in the first quarter to set the tone for the Warriors, who led 16-4 after one.
“We shot the ball extremely well,” said Edgewood coach John Bowler. “I’m not sure (Jacob) missed a shot in the first half. He played really well for us. For us to get out there, push the ball and we finished around the hoop, it was excellent. It just really played into our hands.”
Gilmour was able to find some rhythm in the second quarter with David Pfundstein, but it was more of the same for the Warriors. Edgewood outscored Gilmour 16-10 in the frame, with six coming from Ernst.
Edgewood took a 32-14 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
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Gilmour hit a pair of 3-pointers early in the third quarter–one from Kevin Flaherty and the other from Nick Ilano, but Edgewood responded with four threes of its own as the Warriors extended their lead to 56-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lancers outscored Edgewood in the fourth quarter, 29-21, behind eight Jimmy Lawless points and five each from Flaherty and Brady Olsen.
Edgewood’s Peyton Williams buried a pair of fourth-quarter threes to keep the Lancers from cutting too far into the lead.
The Warriors also took advantage of their opportunities on the foul line in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve had games before where we’ve had a big lead and given it up,” Bowler said. “We were aware of that. We wanted to make sure we made our foul shots. If we were giving up points, it was going to be 2-pointers and not 3-pointers. Peyton Williams did a heck of a job playing defense on (Jimmy Lawless). He really played hard and did a great job.”
Gilmour came in winners in five of its last seven contests, primarily because of the Lancers’ ability to hit the three.
Edgewood recognized that strength and did its best to neutralize the Lancers behind the arc.
“We were very aware of their 3-point shooting, and I know how good they are,” Bowler said. “We went man-to-man, and we played hard. I believe we gave it all we got. If we were going to lose, we were going to lose to a better team, and lucky for us, we won tonight.”
Ernst led all scorers with a game-high 41 points, connecting on five 3-pointers while also going 8-of-13 from the free-throw line.
“I mean, Jacob was huge, but if he doesn’t do it, the good thing is we have Logan Kray, we got Peyton Williams,” Bowler said. “We just aren’t a one-man team. Tonight, it might have seemed like it was because of the way he scored. When he only scores 15 or 20 points, the other guys pick it up. That’s the way we’ve been all season.”
Williams contributed with 14 points and four 3-pointers, Sevieon Chapman pitched in with eight, and Kray scored six points. Mason Thorr and Russell Thomas each finished with four points.
Gilmour closed out the season with a 15-9 record.
Lawless led the Lancers with 10 points, Iliano added nine, and Flaherty and Tim Lee each scored eight.
“(Gilmour) is a very, very good team,” Bowler said. “This was an incredible win for us. It’s a big win for us, and to win the way we did, it’s even bigger. We made a lot of steps forward tonight. This win ranks up there as one of our best wins. This is a big win for us and the program.”
Edgewood will play the winner of Saturday’s game between Geneva and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin in a Division II district semifinal on March 7 at Warren Harding High School.
