SPRINGFIELD — The inside-outside combination of Dayjuan Anderson and Antwuan Hathcock proved to be an unstoppable force for Dayton Ponitz against Bellefontaine here Wednesday night.
Anderson, a 6-2 senior guard headed to Wright State, poured in a game-high 29 points, while Hathcock, a 6-6 senior center, recorded 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots in the Panthers’ 77-42 win over the Chieftains in a Division II boys sectional semifinal at Springfield High School.
“They have two players that are really hard to match up with,” said BHS head coach Henry Stolly. “Anderson is tough to stop on the drive and he has really good range from the outside, and (Hathcock) is a handful inside. He makes it hard on you to score points around the basket with his length.”
Bellefontaine came out with a lot of energy in the early moments, scoring the first five points of the game.
However, Anderson quickly made his presence known as he helped the Panthers to a 21-8 run that gave them a 21-13 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Anderson, who was named the Dayton Public Schools player of the year this season, hit four three-pointers and scored 15 points in the first period.
“They came out and made shots,” said Stolly. “Anderson got hot right away there in the first quarter. As a senior who is a future Division I player, that’s what you expect. He played like that tonight.
“I thought our kids did a great job with the mental prep, but as the first half progressed we had trouble with their quickness and size.”
The Panthers went on to lead by 15 points (35-20) at halftime and they continued to pad their cushion in the second half.
Ponitz built a 28-point advantage (58-30) by the end of the third quarter.
Sophomore Tavien St. Clair led the Chiefs with 13 points. Seniors Keagon Overton-Story and Carter Snapp each scored nine points and Jacob Salyer added seven.
“We are going to miss our two seniors,” said Stolly. “Keagon and Carter really stepped up as leaders on and off the floor this season. We wish them the best and hope that they come back and remain around our program in the future.”
Although Wednesday’s game did not end as Bellefontaine would have liked, the Chiefs made a big step forward this season with 11 wins after winning just four games last year.
“These last few years have been a building process, and I felt like we made another move in the right direction this season,” said Stolly. “Tonight’s game doesn’t take away from the successes they achieved this season. We want to build on this and continue to push the standard forward next year.”
Ponitz (16-7) will play Dayton Chaminade-Julienne in the sectional final on Friday.
PONITZ 77, BELLEFONTAINE 42
BELLEFONTANE (11-13)
Neer 1 0-0 2; St. Clair 5 3-3 13; Salyer 3 1-1 7; Fogan 2 0-0 4; Overton-Story 4 1-1 9; Snapp 3 0-0 9; Wilson 0 0-4 0. Totals: 18 5-11 42.
PONITZ (16-7)
Buchanan 5 2-2 12; Brown 3 4-4 11; Warner 1 0-0 2; Bell 3 0-0 7; Anderson 11 3-5 29; Hathcock 6 3-3 15. Totals: 29 12-14 77.
Chiefs 13 7 10 12 — 42
Panthers 21 14 23 19 — 77
Three pointers: Bellefontaine 1 (Snapp); Ponitz 7 (Anderson 5, Bell, Brown). Team fouls: Bellefontaine 13; Ponitz 10.