OHIO STATE TOURNAMENT Dream season ends Mr. Basketball too much for Poland High

The Bulldogs came up short in their quest for a state title.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- Midway up the lower section of seating at Value City Arena, about 50 feet away from the action, a former Poland High School basketball player named Jamie Dunn squirmed in his seat, rooting for the Bulldogs, feeling like a big brother, wishing he could join them.
"It's crazy to watch this because I remember coaching these kids at camps when they were in sixth and seventh grade," said Dunn, who played on Poland's last state tournament team in 2002. "I've moved on with my life, but I miss the competition. I kind of wish I was out there again."
Five years before, a seventh-grader named Lou Coppola had looked up to players like Dunn, Chad Fender and Neil Harris. Coppola remembers watching that team play in the state semifinals at the Value City Center.
On Thursday, he was there again. Only this time, he was a player.
He almost had to pinch himself.
"We were in the front row for the [first] game, and I kept looking over at [teammates] Ben [Umbel] and Charlie [Carchedi] and I was like, 'Do you realize we get to really play here instead of being just spectators?'" said Coppola, a 6-foot-8 senior center.
"There's only one word to describe it: Overwhelming."
Final
Unfortunately for Coppola, Thursday's game ended in defeat as Ohio's Mr. Basketball, Jon Diebler, led Upper Sandusky to an 89-58 victory over the Bulldogs (22-4) in a Division II state semifinal.
Diebler filled up the box score, finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, nine steals and four blocks for the Rams (23-3), who will meet Dayton Dunbar (23-4) in Saturday's final.
Poland was making its third state tournament appearance, falling to LeBron James and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 76-36 in 2002 and losing to Lexington 59-47 in 1972.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs savored the experience, especially since few predicted this year's team would make it this far.
"Nobody expected it, including me," Dunn said. "But they're a great group of guys and they deserve it."
Before the season, like they do every season, the Bulldogs wrote down the things they wanted to accomplish over the ensuing months. The first was winning the Metro Athletic Conference, something they didn't do thanks to two losses to archrival Canfield.
"I think it fueled us more to come out strong in the playoffs," said Coppola, whose team avenged those Canfield losses by beating the Cardinals in the district final two weeks ago. "Once we did that, that gave us all the confidence to do this."
Inspiration
And while this year's team fell short of its ultimate goal -- a state title -- it might one day inspire a few middle schoolers to make it back to Columbus, just as Dunn's team did in 2002.
"I hope so," Coppola said. "Maybe in five years, they can be in the same situation we were in."
Before the game, Poland's three ballboys, Sam Nord, Jake Nord and Dan Black, stood at midcourt, staring up at the ceiling, practicing fake free throws and layups. They were wearing T-shirts that read, "We Believe."
Who knows? Maybe one day, they'll be back on this court in Poland uniforms. Dunn's already seen the power one team can have.
"I think this year's team looked at us and said, 'If they did it, we can do it,'" said Dunn, now a first-year law student at Capital University in Columbus. "And you know what? They went out and did it. That makes me very proud."
scalzo@vindy.com