Streaks start fast, roll to district title

WILLARD — Sandusky has its mojo back. The Blue Streaks got off to a fast start, showed some offensive variety by burning clock and played tight defense for four quarters to defeat Lexington 54-37 in a Division III district final Friday. In a district semifinal win against Mansfield Senior on Tuesday, Sandusky struggled for three quarters before erupting for 31 points in a dominant fourth. The Streaks carried over that momentum in front of an overflow crowd at Robert L. Haas Gymnasium. "We wanted to come out and play hard so we didn't have to battle our way through the second half like we did (against Mansfield)," Sandusky senior guard Amir Aaron said. "We got a lead, stayed on it and kept our foot on the pedal." The win raised the Streaks' record to 17-7 and put them in a regional for the second time in three years. Sandusky likely will play Lutheran West — the team that knocked them out in 2023 — in a regional semifinal at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the University of Toledo. Lutheran West plays the No. 26 seed in in a district final Saturday. After Sandusky defeated Lexington for a second time this season, coach DeMar Moore gave enthusiastic bear hugs to every player after they received their district medal. "This is a special moment. To win a district championship isn't easy," Moore said. "We had a grueling season with our schedule. To come out on top made it feel worth it. "Amazing atmosphere for the kids. It's something they'll remember the rest of their lives. The whole community came out tonight. It was great to have the energy in the building. I think it helped us." The Blue Streaks appreciated the support. "It was great. The fans came out," senior guard Jason Henlon said. "They fueled us when we got tired." Henlon led Sandusky with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals. He scored eight points in the second quarter as the Streaks built a 32-19 halftime lead. "Coach wrote on the board, 'fast start, play with high energy,' " Henlon said. "I feel like we came out and played like we were supposed to play." Sandusky took an early 13-4 lead when Aaron threw a behind-the-back pass to Azarieon Arrington for a layup after one of six Lexington turnovers in the opening period. Kobe Brown's 3-pointer on an inbounds play finished a 9-0 Sandusky run to make it 24-12 with 5:10 left in the second quarter. "We wanted to get off to a fast start," Moore said. "We had a terrible first half against Mansfield so we wanted to play better in the first half and give ourselves a chance early. I think we did a good job of throwing the first punch." Late in the second quarter, the Streaks began milking clock, taking more than a minute off it on a couple possessions. The slow-down tactic shortened the game and preserved a double-digit lead. Sandusky's 54 points marked its third-lowest point total of the season, but 54 turned out to be plenty. "It's tournament time and we were playing to win," Moore said. "Sometimes we get ahead of ourselves, get going fast and turn the ball over. We wanted to be patient. They weren't pressuring us. We wanted to take as much time off the clock as we could. You know, play chess." Sandusky was able to take its time because it committed only six turnovers and had plenty of able ballhandlers on the floor. "We did it to stall a little bit," Aaron said. "They weren't trying to pressure so we had to bring them out so we could get driving lanes. Just being smarter with it instead of jacking shots and stuff." Lexington, which finished the season 20-4, cut Sandusky's lead to 36-29 on a Seven Allen layup with two minutes left in the third quarter. Allen finished with 12 points. Brayden Fogle, a physical 6-foot-4 big-time football recruit, had 15 points. Fogle was injured and didn't play in Sandusky's 82-60 win against the Minutemen in early January. Sandusky kept its composure after Lexington got within single digits and built its lead to 48-33 when Henlon scored on a backdoor cut with 4:10 to play. "We made them come out and guard us," Henlon said. "If we have the lead, we'll sit out there and wait. Not a lot of people can guard us off the ball." Sandusky made only 10 of 18 free throws in the game, but hit enough in the final minutes to keep a comfortable lead. The Streaks outrebounded Lexington 37-29. Dale Johnson came off the bench to grab 10 boards and give the Streaks an energy boost. "I couldn't get a bucket. I wasn't worried about points," Johnson said. "I just wanted to do something to be productive." Sandusky didn't make a 3-pointer in the first three quarters of its win against Mansfield, but hit for three in the first quarter against Lexington. Henlon and Kobe Brown, who finished with 14 points, each hit 3s in the first three minutes to help set the tone. "In a game like this, we expect (Henlon) to be our guy and tonight he was," Moore said. "Right from the start, he put us on his back. Kobe had some big baskets, Amir, all our guys. But Jason's our guy. We go as he goes. He did a good job of being aggressive and leading us." Henlon is ready to lead some more when the Streaks travel to Savage Arena next week. "We always have confidence we can beat anybody we play," he said. "It feels great but we want more, though." SANDUSKY (17-7) Azarieon Arrington 2 2-2 6, Jason Henlon 8 2-6 20, Amir Aaron 2 2-4 8, Aa'Zoriyon Bonner 1 0-0 2, Kobe Brown 5 2-4 14, Dale Johnson 1 0-0 2, Anthony Redding 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 19-50 10-18 54 LEXINGTON (20-4) Seven Allen 4 3-6 12, Latrell Hughes 1 0-0 2, Brayden Fogle 7 1-3 15, Joe Caudill 3 2-4 8. TOTALS 15-41 6-13 37 Sandusky 15 17 10 12 — 54Lexington 12 7 12 6 — 37 Three-point goals: Sandusky 6 (Henlon 2, Aaron 2, Brown 2); Lexington 1 (Allen)