Cincinnati Moeller upsets St. Ed
The victory sets up a finals matchup of Greater Catholic League rivals.
COLUMBUS -- Cincinnati Moeller's defense turned the tide down the stretch in forcing four consecutive turnovers and Terry Martin hit five free throws in the last 35 seconds to lead the Crusaders to a 67-60 upset of top-ranked and unbeaten Lakewood St. Edward in a Division I state semifinal Friday night.
The victory sets up a finals matchup of Greater Catholic League rivals Moeller and Cincinnati St. Xavier, which beat Canton GlenOak 45-34 in the other semifinal.
It is only the second time that the big-school title has come down to two teams from the same league, the last time coming in 1992 when the Greater Miami Conference's West Chester Lakota beat Lima Senior.
Moeller's fans chanted, "G-C-L! G-C-L!" as the final seconds ticked away.
Moeller won both of the meetings with St. Xavier during the regular season.
Famous face
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo held court in a first-row seat at midcourt while a steady stream of fans asked for autographs and took his picture with their cell phones. He was on hand to watch St. Edward's 6-foot-8 junior Delvon Roe, who has narrowed his college choice down to Michigan State and North Carolina.
Troy Tabler, son of former big-leaguer Pat Tabler, scored 21 points, Quinn McDowell had 19 and Martin 13 for the Crusaders (24-2).
Roe led the Eagles (25-1) with 14 points, with Matt Salay, Tom Pritchard and Pe'Shon Howard each adding 11.
There were five ties and 15 lead changes in the game heading into the final six minutes. The teams had traded the lead four times in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Roe leaped high to snag an inbounds pass and pounded down the floor, finishing with a tremendous dunk that nearly shook the shot clock off the top of the backboard.
Strange strategy
Curiously, Moeller coach Carl Kremer then allowed his team to dribble the ball near midcourt while St. Edward sat back in its zone. The move took 1:45 off the clock -- while his team trailed by three points.
Even more curious, it seemed to work. Daniel Wulker's follow cut the lead to a point before St. Edward's Frankie Dobbs scored on a baseline drive.
Martin drove for a basket to cut the lead to a point, then McDowell scored off an inbounds pass from Tony Rack to give Moeller the lead for good. After the fourth turnover in the sequence, the Crusaders inbounded from one side of the court and threw the ball to the far corner, where Tabler -- a Wright State signee -- nailed a 3-pointer to push the lead to 58-54.
Martin, a 6-foot-5 wide-body, did the rest. While St. Edward scrambled to get baskets, he came up with three critical defensive rebounds and was fouled after each one. He hit 5 of 6 free throws to make the lead stand up.
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