St. Vincent-St. Mary's chase continues in Division I with 79-63 regional final win vs. Lima Senior

AKRON, Ohio — Division I, Division II, no detour to Columbus.

St. Vincent-St. Mary's move up this season to Division I because of OHSAA competitive balance could not keep the Fighting Irish from another trip to the state final four. They are headed back for the fourth straight year, following Saturday night's 79-63 win vs. Lima Senior at the University of Akron's James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Irish (23-3) advance to the state semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday vs. Olentangy Liberty at Schottenstein Center. The return to Ohio State marks their 11th appearance in 18 seasons under coach Dru Joyce, who said he isn't satisfied with just an appearance at this stage.

After two straight Division II championships, he wants to add to STVM's OHSAA-record eight state titles. But he still took some pride in what this accomplishment means.

"Everyone thought moving up to Division I was something that was going to be too difficult for us," Joyce said. "We talked about it as a group, and we just believed that the idea was to be the best versions of ourselves."

STVM is making its fourth straight trip to Columbus.

"This is my third time going down there, but I want to get those state nets," said senior Lunden McDay, who scored 15 points and helped put Lima Senior (22-5) away at the foul line in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans, who won their regional semifinal at the University of Toledo in this bracket's split configuration, traveled about 160 miles for this matchup. They led briefly in the first quarter. Then, sophomore guard Seth Wilson hit a tying 3-pointer just before the buzzer. The Irish began an onslaught that included forced turnovers and them coming up with loose balls. As a result, a 16-16 tie score ballooned to near double digits. The first half ended with sophomore forward Malaki Branham's tip-in — another buzzer beater.

"I thought the most aggressive team won," Lima coach Quincy Simpson said. "They were just quicker on every loose ball, every extra possessions."

STVM won the rebounding battle, 37-25. Junior forward Marcus Johnson hauled in a game-high eight rebounds, while senior guard Chris Painter pulled in six. Painter also had four steals to push his team back to the state final four.

"They change the game," McDay said of the hustle plays. "We got charges, and we hustle and that was a big factor in this game."

Their lead grew to 20 points. Branham finished with 16 points, while Wilson had 15. Johnson added 12 points off the bench. The performance was among STVM's finest this season.

"It's been close," Wilson said, "but as coach said, we haven't been the best versions of ourselves yet. We're still finding ways to win. We're right there."

So much for Division I being too tough.

"It definitely was a little harder," McDay said, "but Coach Dru prepared us well, and we continued to fight and continued to play."

Much of the difficulty came with preparing for unique styles, including a stalling district final and 30-25 win vs. Copley, then a 47-37 victory at the JAR vs. Olmsted Falls.

"They were just tough styles of play," Joyce said. "I told the guys, when I realized Quincy and those guys won, that we'd be more comfortable."

Simpson previously coached with Joyce on the AAU circuit. He knew this regional final matchup could bring more pressure and man-to-man defense to turn up the tempo.

It did, as Josiah Fulcher — who played last year at Pickerington Central — led the Spartans with 21 points. Jamir Simpson added 11 points and eight rebounds, but STVM's depth proved too much.

"They rolled bodies off the bench, but those bodies can play," Simpson said. "This team: (players) eight, nine and 10 can be two, three and four on any team in the state. They're a well-coached team and a great group of guys who obviously love to play the game at a high level."

By this late in the tournament, STVM is just as comfortable in Division I as anywhere else.

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