DIV. I BOYS Bulldogs cruise into title contest

Canton McKinley rolled past Mansfield 73-61 and face St. Xavier today.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS -- Maybe the 27th time is a charm.
No. 1-ranked Canton McKinley built a big first-half lead and it almost melted away before the Bulldogs beat Mansfield Senior 73-61 Friday night in a Division I state semifinal before a crowd of 17,638 at Value City Arena.
The Bulldogs, the winningest program in Ohio with 1,686 victories, have climbed the mountain to the state's final four 27 times but have only come away with a championship once. The 1984 squad, led by Gary Grant, is the only one to end the season with a win.
Leading the Bulldogs
Todd Brown had 16 points, Marcus Parker 15 and Sean Weatherspoon had 10 for Canton McKinley (26-1), ranked No. 1 in the final regular-season Associated Press poll.
Second-team All-Ohioan Raymar Morgan had an off night with nine points -- half of his average -- but seven of them came in the final 1:14 when the Bulldogs needed him the most.
Jarmel Sutton led Mansfield Senior (24-2) with 16 points. Leonte Carter added 13 and Jon Avery, a third-team all-stater, added 12.
The Bulldogs broke free from an early challenge by the eighth-ranked Tygers to earn their spot in their 10th state championship game.
Down 8-4 and 10-9 early, they took the lead for good with a 10-4 run to close the first quarter. Third-team all-stater Ricky Jackson's inside shot made it 11-10 before Kyrk Freeman cut through the lane for a layup and Brown scored on a reverse spin shot in heavy traffic.
Broke it open early
Holding onto a 21-18 lead, the Pups ran off 19 of the next 21 points. Brown and Parker each hit 3s in a 9-0 surge to start it. After Mansfield broke the string with a 15-foot floater by Carter, McKinley went on a 10-0 spree, with Brown scoring the last five points for a 40-20 lead.
McKinley opened the second half on a basket by Morgan for a 43-26 lead before the Tygers ran off seven points in a row. Mansfield then had the ball with a chance to add to their momentum when coach Gregg Collins, who already has two championship rings from his tenure at Lexington, was assessed a technical foul.
Parker hit one of the two free throws and Weatherspoon scored inside for some breathing room at 46-33 -- only to have Mansfield answer with an 8-0 streak -- Martel Young scoring the first five points -- to pull within five.
Brown's dribble drive bucket at the end of the quarter kept McKinley ahead 52-43. Three minutes into the final period, and holding on to a 58-49 lead, Brown scored on a scissoring drive to the hoop and then Sedelle Broyles stole the ball at midcourt and hit the layup for a 62-49 lead.
Cin. St. Xavier 43, Cin. Moeller 41
First-team All-Ohioan Johnny Wolf scored 19 points -- including St. Xavier's final 17 points -- to lead the Bombers over crosstown rival Moeller.
Wolf could have sealed the outcome with 2.8 seconds remaining when, after a hard foul by Moeller's Ryan Childress, he went to the line. Referees stepped in to pull Childress away from Wolf after the play.
Wolf, however, missed the first free throw. Patrick Watt's desperation 3-point attempt from 65 feet was wide of the mark, touching off a wild celebration by the Bombers (22-5).
St. X won despite not scoring over the final 3:41. Moeller put up the game's final seven points.
Troy Tabler, the son of former major-leaguer Pat Tabler, scored 12 points but missed a driving layup with 5 seconds left that would have tied it. Tabler later said that it was Wolf who had gotten a hand on the shot. Tyler Dierkers added 11 points for the No. 6 Crusaders (22-4).