Canton, Ohio - On Saturday afternoon the Gilmour Academy Lancers faced off against the Akron Buchtel Griffins in the Division II Regional Championship. Buchtel finished their regular season 20-6 while Gilmour finished 17-10.
Marcel Boyce Jr. immediately hit a fading mid-range shot for Akron as soon as his team won the tip. Boyce Jr. got the first six points for his team, including an and-one.
Akron started off with a 10-2 run, but then Gilmour scored four straight points and was back in the game. The score was 19-13 Buchtel at the end of the first.
To start the second, Akron stole Gilmour’s ball on back-to-back possessions. Everytime that Gilmour made a small run to get back into the game, Akron pulled away from them.
Later on, Gilmour’s Brandon Rose blocked a jumper, leading to an easy transition layup. The score was 37-23 at halftime with Buchtel leading.
To start the second half Gilmour immediately turned the ball over. At this point, Akron was leading by more than twenty points. Buchtel held a 57-39 lead after three quarters.
To start the final quarter, Akron blocked a jump shot which summed up their style of play this game. However, Gilmour never gave in, and Adisa Molton II hit an and-one, trying to stage a comeback.
Near the end Akron’s Amire Robinson finished a lob on a nice pass from Khoi Thurmon. Akron Bychtel punched their ticket to Dayton with a 71-55 win.
Boyce Jr. led the way with 29 points for Akron Buchtel, while Brandon Rose had 21 for Gilmour.