Louisville Wins 1st Regional Title, Heads to First Final Four – Boys Basketball
#4 Louisville 52, #6 Bishop Hartley 45
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The Louisville Leopards Boys Basketball Team defeated the Bishop Hartley Hawks 52-45 in the Division III, Region 11 Regional Finals Saturday Afternoon at the Ohio Expo Center’s Taft Coliseum. With their ninth straight victory, Louisville improves to 22-5 and wins their first regional championship in team history. The Leopards will play top ranked Garfield Heights in the DIII State Semifinals on Sunday, March 16 at 6:00 PM from Canton Memorial Field House.
YSN Live – Full Game Video Broadcast
Gross’ Double-Double Leads Leopards to Historic Win
Brayden Gross Postgame Interview with Mike Popovich
Brayden Gross scored a team-high 17 points, pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds, and recorded 4 assists to lead the Leopards. Gross scored 11 points in the second quarter as Louisville opened up a double-digit advantage in the period.
Tate Aljancic also finished in double figures with 11 points, 2 assists, and a steal. Other top scorers for the Leopards included Ashton Marshall and Beau Siegfried who scored 9 points each. Siegfried also dished out 3 assists and Marshall secured 5 rebounds.
Calloway Leads Hawks Third Quarter Rally
Devin Bailey’s three-pointer from the left corner put the Leopards ahead 34-24 with under 20 seconds to play in the first half. Jakhi Calloway answered on the other end with his second last second three-pointer of the half to cut the deficit to 34-27 heading into the break.
The Hawks carried that momentum out of the locker room as they scored the first 10 points of the second half to take the lead. Carson Svetek got things going for Bishop Hartley with a steal and score to begin the third quarter. Calloway later hit back-to-back three-pointers to close the 13-0 Hawk run and put them ahead 37-34 midway through the third quarter.
Calloway drilled all six of Bishop Hartley’s three-pointers, finishing with a game-high 21 points.. However, he wouldn’t score again as the Leopard defense held him at bay for the remaining twelve minutes of action.
Q92 – Full Game Audio Broadcast
Teams Seesaw in Tight Battle
Tate Aljancic answered on the other end for Louisville with a key three-pointer to knot the game back up at 37-all and halt the Hawk momentum.
The Leopards then got a stop on defense, but gave it right back as Marcus Hemphill stole the ball in the backcourt and scored to give Bishop Hartley its final lead of the game at 39-37. Hemphill would score in every quarter and finish with 10 points.
Louisville responded as Marshall scored off an inbound pass on the other end to tie the game back up at 39-39 and the score would remain that way as the third quarter horn sounded.
The Leopards took the lead first in the final stanza when Aljancic powered to the basket to make it 41-39. The Hawks answered back when Jaden Calloway steamrolled to the basket tying the game back up at 41-41.
Neither team scored on their next possession and Louisville called a timeout to set up of the offense. Isolated 1-on-1, Gross drove and spun to the basket for two points to put the Leopards up 43-41.
The Louisville defense held on the other end, but the Leopards turned the ball over going the other way. Jakhi Calloway intercepted a Louisville pass and threw it down court to his brother Jaden Calloway that evened the scored again at 43-43. Jaden Calloway would finish with 12 points.
Louisville Takes Control
Beau Siegfried Postgame Interview with Mike Popovich
Marshall hit the front end of a pair of free throws to put the Leopards back in front. He missed the second shot, but Aljancic grabbed the offensive board. He wasn’t able to convert the putback, but the shot hit of a Hawk player giving the ball back to Louisville. The Leopards entered the bonus after Siegfried was fouled and he made the second of a pair of free throws to extend the Louisville lead to 45-43.
Both teams missed shots in the lane to start their next possessions. However, Gross was able to crash the offensive glass for a putback to give the Leopards a 47-43 cushion with under three minutes to play.
Hemphill scored on a putback of his own on the other end to cut the Hawk deficit to 47-45 with 1:49 remaining.
Bailey Comes Up Big at the End Again
A week earlier Bailey was wrongfully ejected from the district championship game against Northwest and was facing a two game suspension. That ruling was reversed and he made the most of it by hitting a clutch three-pointer to begin overtime in Tuesday’s Regional Semifinal victory over Columbus St. Francis DeSales.
Tom Siegfried Postgame Interview with WHBC
The senior transfer came up huge again Saturday afternoon in the regional championship. Marshall circled through the Hartley defense down the left side of the lane before kicking to Bailey who was cutting in from the right of the hoop. Bailey spun the ball off the back of the rim as whistles rang out. The ball dropped through the hoop and Bailey converted the traditional three-point play from the line to give the Leopards a commanding 50-45 lead with 1:07 to play.
Louisville shut down Bishop Hartley the rest of the way, securing the final four defensive rebounds. Siegfried and Gross each split a pair of free throws in the final 30.5 seconds to extend the Louisville advantage to 52-45.
The Hawks’ final shot attempt rolled off the rim into the hands of Bailey. He flung the ball into the air and the Leopards celebrated a regional championship for the first time in team history.
Where No Leopards Have Gone Before
Two Louisville teams ventured to regionals prior to this season and only one had ever advanced to a regional final. That 2022 team fell to eventual state champion St. Vincent-St. Mary 61-21, leaving a void in the Leopards’ trophy case. That void was finally filled Saturday afternoon, as Louisville claimed its first regional title and secured a spot in the state tournament for the first time in program history.
Tom Siegfried Postgame Interview with Mike Popovich
This Leopards team became the first to ever win five consecutive tournament games as Louisville notched its 70th all-time tournament win. The Leopards are now 22-17 in the postseason under Head Coach Tom Siegfried and 70-91 overall since 1932.
Louisville boys basketball joins boys cross country (2010, 2015, 2021), football (1992, 2007), softball (2019), and wrestling (2020) as the only Leopard programs to win a regional title. Louisville football was the first to reach the state title game in 2007, while the other three programs have won state championships in the past 15 years. The Leopards will look to join this prestigious group when they play in the state semifinals next Sunday for a chance to advance to Dayton.
<<< Vs. St. Francis DeSales | Tournament History
UP NEXT: The #4 ranked Leopards will next take on the #1 ranked Garfield Heights Bulldogs in the DIII State Semifinals on Sunday, March 16. Game time is set for 6:00 PM from Canton Memorial Field House.
Division III Regional Finals Boys Basketball Scores
Region 9 – Medina Regional
Regional Finals (March 7) – Medina High School
Garfield Heights 58, Archbishop Hoban 45
Region 10 – Toledo Regional
Regional Final (March 8) – University of Toledo Savage Arena
Sandusky 62, Lima Shawnee 57
Region 11 – Columbus Regional
Regional Final (March 8) – Ohio Expo Center Taft Coliseum
Louisville 52, Columbus Bishop Hartley 45
Region 12 – Cincinnati Regional
Regional Final (March 9) – Xavier University Cintas Center
Cincinnati Aiken 71, Trotwood-Madison 50
DIII State Semifinal Pairings
Sunday, March 16
Cincinnati Aiken Vs. Sandusky, 3:00
At Wright State University
Garfield Heights Vs. Louisville, 6:00
At Canton Memorial Field House
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Louisville Vs. Bishop Hartley Boys Basketball Statistics
LEOPARDS 52, HAWKS 45
Team 1-2-3-4–TOTAL
Bishop Hartley 15-12-12-6–45
Louisville 14-20-5-13–52
Bishop Hartley Hawks Boys Basketball Box Score
| Player | 2PT | 3PT | FG | FTM | FTA | Points |
| Brayden Gross | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 17 |
| Tate Aljancic | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Ashton Marshall | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Beau Siegfried | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| Devin Bailey | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| TOTAL | 16 | 3 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 52 |
Louisville Leopards Boys Basketball Box Score
| Player | 2PT | 3PT | FG | FTM | FTA | Points |
| Brayden Gross | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 17 |
| Tate Aljancic | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Ashton Marshall | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Beau Siegfried | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| Devin Bailey | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| TOTAL | 16 | 3 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 52 |
Fouls: 16-10 Bishop Hartley
Records: Louisville 22-5, Bishop Hartley 20-6
