Louisville Falls at Top-Seeded Alliance 61-45 in District Semifinal – Boys Basketball
#1 Alliance 61, #29 Louisville 45
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The #29 seed Louisville Leopards Boys Basketball Team fell to the top-seeded Alliance Aviators 61-45 Tuesday night in the DIII Northeast 6 District Semifinals held at Alliance High School’s Harry Fails Gymnasium. With the loss, Louisville finishes the season with a record of 9-15.
YSN Game Broadcast
Sanders and Wilson Score Double Figures for Leopards
Drake Wilson scored 8 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to finish in double figures. His three-pointer in the final stanza was one of just two Leopard makes from beyond the arc, with Max Mathie hitting the other in the second quarter for his only points. Wilson also set the tone early by converting a traditional three-point play after being fouled on a layup to give Louisville its first lead of the game at 3-2.
Brandon Sanders scored all of his team-high 12 points in the first three quarters to lead the Leopards. His first points came after he snatched away a sure Alliance defensive rebound and put it back up to make it 5-4 Louisville. It would be the Leopards’ last lead of the contest. Sanders finished with 6 of Louisville’s 16 field goals in the game.
Cody Zahler scored in every quarter to finish with 9 points. Colten Norris scored all 6 of his points in the second half. Cohen Rogers made a pair of free throws in the second quarter to knot the game at 14-14, the last time the game would be tied. Noah Ickes rounded out the Leopard scoring with a basket late in the fourth quarter.
SMEE Sports Game Broadcast
Jackson Scores Game-High 20 to Lead Aviators
Jr Jackson scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the first half to lead the Aviators. Jackson hit a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter including a trey in the final seconds as Alliance closed the half on a 14-4 run to take control of the contest.
Samuel Hays added a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter to help the Aviators open up their 31-20 halftime advantage. Hays scored all of his 13 points through the first three quarters as Alliance built a 48-28 lead heading into the final quarter. The Leopards would outscore Alliance 17-13 in the final stanza, but the Aviators still cruised to victory.
Parker Woods scored 7 of his 9 points in the second half to lead all other Alliance scorers. Kam Burton, Channing Jellison, and Bralyn Sears contributed 5 points each. Cashe Brisker and Tajie Nicholson rounded out the Aviator total with a basket each.
Alliance is now 22-2 on the season, winning their last 14 games. The Aviators will look to win their first district championship since 2012 when they take on the #13 seed Bedford Bearcats in the DIII Northeast 6 District Final held at Strongsville High School on Saturday, March 7 at 7:00 PM.
Q2 Radio Stream
Louisville’s Struggles at Alliance
Louisville is now 8-24 all-time in games played in Alliance High School’s current gym built in the 1960s and named for legendary Coach Harry Fails in 2007. The Leopards are 7-20 against the Aviators in that stretch and 1-4 against other foes when they played in the Division I tournament.
Louisville is now 21-48 against Alliance all-time, which includes a 9-28 record on the road in the series. The Leopards are 1-3 against the Aviators all-time in the postseason. Louisville defeated Alliance 63-45 in the 2011 DII Sectional Semifinals held at Canton Memorial Fieldhouse for their lone victory. The Aviators also bested the Leopards in tournament games in 1953 and 1979.
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The loss snaps Louisville’s longest postseason winning streak in team history at 8 games after going 7 for 7 last season en route to their first state championship. LHS is now 73-92 in postseason play dating back to 1932.
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Louisville at Alliance Boys Basketball Statistics
AVIATORS 61, LEOPARDS 45
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Louisville 9-11-8-17–45
Alliance 12-19-17-13–61
Louisville Leopards Boys Basketball Box Score
| Player | 2PT | 3PT | FG | FTM | FTA | Points |
| Brandon Sanders | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| Drake Wilson | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| Cody Zahler | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Colten Norris | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Max Mathie | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Noah Ickes | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cohen Rogers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 16 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 10 | 45 |
Alliance Aviators Boys Basketball Box Score
| Player | 2PT | 3PT | FG | FTM | FTA | Points |
| Jr Jackson | 7 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Samuel Hays | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Parker Woods | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Kam Burton | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Bralyn Sears | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Channing Jellison | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Cashe Brisker | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tajie Nicholson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTAL | 20 | 5 | 25 | 6 | 11 | 61 |
Fouls: 12-12
Records: Alliance 22-2, Louisville 9-15
