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South Range, Ursuline fall
By Tom Williams
By CHuck housteau
SALEM
When St. Thomas Aquinas’ season scoring leader Ryan Snyder crumbled to the gym floor midway through the first quarter of a Division III sectional tournament game against South Range at Salem, a hush enveloped the Don Cabas fieldhouse.
Snyder, who averages 25 points per game and is the schools’ second leading scorer all-time, did not return to the game with an ankle injury.
The Knights (14-8), however, had little trouble ending Inter Tri-County league member South Range’s season 59-36 and advancing to a district semifinal contest Tuesday.
St. Thomas will face undefeated East Canton, which had to hold off a determined Ursuline team, 43-40, in the nightcap.
Snyder’s status was uncertain for next week’s district semifinal.
The senior had scored four of his team’s first eight points as the Knights jumped out to an 8-0 lead. After Snyder was carried off the floor, his teammates didn’t miss a beat.
Especially senior Cole Bond.
“Some of the things Cole did were eye-opening,” said St. Thomas coach Joe Harold. “Cole really stepped up big not only with his scoring but with his offensive rebounding.”
Bond pumped in 21 points including 17 in the first half while the Knight were building an insurmountable lead against a young South Range squad.
The Raiders (14-8), who start two sophomores and a junior and who played quite a few underclassmen off the bench, were overwhelmed with the Knights’ speed and athleticsm.
“This was somewhat of a learning experience for our kids,” said South Range coach Dave Purins. “We were somewhat overwhelmed tonight by their intensity, their rebounding and their pressure.
“I think our kids learned a lot from this game and we are going to be a better team in the future.”
The Raiders did get 13 points from sophomore Jordan Baker off the bench and 11 from senior Peter Dihn.
“Our three seniors [Dihn, Kyle Seaver and Travis Landis] have done a great job of working with our young sophomores, even to the point of giving up some of their minutes and it paid off,” Purins said. In the nightcap, Ursuline, which has struggled through the regular season with injuries and a rugged Division I schedule, took on East Canton.
Despite trailing 22-21 at halftime, Ursuline coach Keith Gunther looked at no one in particular and said, “We got them on the ropes a little bit.”
East Canton looked like it would put some distance on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter but the Irish battled back and trailed 41-40 late in the game but that was the closest the Irish would get.
Khiree Gregory led the Irish with 12 points and Dakota Trosky had nine.