Lakers are an unexpected district finalist
Winning a sectional title was not at the forefront of the expectations for Indian Lake’s boys basketball team this season.
“It was on our radar I guess, but it was probably about fifth or sixth on the list,” said Indian Lake head coach Zach Overturf. “Our first goal was to win a league title and the second goal was just to win a tournament game.”
The Lakers have accomplished far greater than winning one postseason game. They reeled off three consecutive come-from-behind tournament wins, including a 55-37 victory over West Liberty-Salem last Saturday, to claim the sectional crown and earn a berth in this weekend’s district championship.
The Lakers, who were only seeded 12th for the sectional, will play state-ranked Cincinnati Taft in a Division III district title game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Northmont High School.
“To be able to play in a district championship for the first time means a lot,” said Overturf. “We are not even supposed to be here. Normally, we would be getting ready for baseball and track right. Not only does it mean a lot to our players and coaches, it means a lot to our community. People are excited about Indian Lake basketball right now.”
While Indian Lake’s district run is surprising, Taft’s is not.
The Senators have been a perennial power in the Cincinnati area. A member of the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference, they earned the top seed for their sectional and will take a 13-4 record into Saturday’s game.
“They are a really good basketball team,” said Overturf. “They are extremely athletic, they are tall and they are the fastest team we will play.”
Taft has yet to be tested during the postseason. The Senators routed Seven Hills 67-18 in their tourney opener and blew out Clermont Northeastern 71-39 in the sectional final.
Taft is led by star sophomore Rayvon Griffith. A 6-5 guard, Griffith is averaging 24 points, nine rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
Griffith has already attracted numerous Division I college scholarship offers and one recruiting service ranks him as the 22nd-best player nationally in his class.
Griffith is not the only star on the Senators roster.
Mekhi Elmore, a 5-11 junior guard, missed some time during the regular season but averaged 22 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest.
Other weapons for Taft include 6-6 senior center JaMarco Berry (8.3 points, 5.4 rebounds per game) and senior forward Yacco Nelson (8 points, five rebounds).
Overturf does see some areas he feels the Lakers can exploit.
“They do give up a lot of layups and they give us some threes, so we have to shoot the ball well from three if we want to be in it,” he said.
One of the big reasons for Indian Lake’s success has been its balanced scoring. The Lakers (14-11) have three double-digit scorers, led by senior guard Zander Barnes (14.1 ppg).
Junior guards Luke Jackson (12.8 ppg) and Caleb Wurster (10 ppg) have also provided major scoring punch for the Lakers.
Also stepping up has been the talented freshman duo of Camdon Tuttle (7.9 ppg) and Caiden Nicol (6.9 ppg).