Margaretta cruises into district with win over Edison

CASTALIA — They say when one chapter ends, another one begins. For Margaretta seniors Julian Washington, Judah Keller, Jake Bouy, Keiygan Morris and Ayden Miller, the last chapter in their careers at the friendly confines of The Iceberg wrapped in what has become all too familiar for this group. A win. With a 86-42 Division VI tournament victory over visiting Edison, the senior class wrapped up their fourth sectional championship with all four being won at MHS. In their four years playing in a gym with a max capacity of 750, the Bears' seniors will walk away with a 40-6 record, including a 21-1 record the last two seasons. "I think the guys were really excited to get one more game in this gym," Margaretta coach Steve Keller said. "You know it is very sentimental and bittersweet, but these guys competed, practiced hard and I am just blessed to coach them." Margaretta improved to 20-3 overall and now turns its focus to their next goal and that is winning this group's third straight district championship. Next up for the Polar Bears is the district semifinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lakota. Margaretta will face Huron, who won 68-67 over Eastwood on Friday. "We will be ready and our guys will play with a great focus and energy," Keller said. Just like the previous two meetings that saw the Polar Bears win in convincing fashion (82-38 and 69-35), any chance for Edison (11-13) to pull off the upset was quickly diminished by the Polar Bears. The Bears jumped ahead quickly 11-2 behind a quick seven points from Kale Bailey. After one quarter of play, Margaretta led 28-11. In the second quarter, the Polar Bears continued to stretch the lead behind a big second quarter from Washington, who went into halftime with a game-high 22 points. Washington scored 12 points in the frame. Another key in the first half was Tyson Bailey, who contributed 13 points in the half. "We wanted to jump out early," Tyson Bailey said. "I got to my spots and it was because of the guys around me." At halftime, the Bears led 52-24 behind a balanced attack that saw six players reach the scoring column. "We had an elite mindset and wanted to jump on them early and our guys were ready to play," Keller said. "The previous two meetings did not matter and I think our guys were dialed in. In the third quarter, Keiygan Morris contributed nine points, with all of the points coming behind the three-point line. After three quarters, Margaretta led 72-34. "Tyson (Bailey) played a great game tonight," Keller said. "He played very well on the baseline and that was an important part of the game." In the fourth quarter, Margaretta rode out the string and got five points from Tyler Johnson. Leading the Polar Bears was Washington with a game-high 28 points. Tyson Bailey contributed 16 points while Morris had 13 points. The Chargers were paced by Cole Leimeister with 14 points. At the 6:52 mark in the third quarter, Leimeister became Edison's all-time leader in career 3s made with 106 in his career. Coltyn Meagrow contributed 13 points. The careers for seniors Leimeister, Meagrow and Kellen McDonnell wrapped up Friday. "You know, I have an awesome job where I can meet excellent kids," Edison coach Dan Campana said. "I have been around Cole and Coltyn since first grade and they are excellent kids. "I could not be more proud of them and they will be big shoes to fill. Kellen (McDonnell) was injured last year, but he played a huge role for us this season." EDISON (11-13) Cole Leimeister 6 0-0 14, Kyle Robinson 1 0-0 2, Evan Schnittker 0 2-2 2, Kellen McDonnell 1 0-0 3, Coltyn Meagrow 5 0-0 13, Wesley Seel 1 0-0 2, Connor Goodwin 2 1-2 6. TOTALS 16 3-4 42 MARGARETTA (20-3) Tyler Johnson 2 0-0 5, Jaxson Bohn 1 0-0 2, Zach Gray 0 0-1 0, Kale Bailey 4 0-0 9, Jake Bouy 1 2-2 4, Keiygan Morris 5 0-0 13, Julian Washington 13 0-0 28, Judah Keller 2 0-2 4, Rob Cox 1 0-0 3, AJ Walters 1 0-1 2, Tyson Bailey 7 2-6 16. TOTALS 37 4-12 86 Edison 11 10 13 8 — 42 Margaretta 28 24 20 14 — 86 Three-point goals: Edison 7 (Meagrow 3, Leimeister 2, McDonnell, Goodwin); Margaretta 8 (Morris 3, Washington 2, Johnson, Bailey, Cox)