The Knights led by 16 after the first quarter but only by five at halftime as Columbus Linden McKinley increased its effort and started making shots. Alter lost the lead on a 3-pointer with a little over three minutes left in the game. But the Knights passed the composure test in the final minutes and closed with a 9-0 run to defeat Linden 60-53 at Vandalia Butler.
“We’re old enough and we’ve got a really good group of senior leaders that are able to help us stay in the game mentally,” Conner said.
The Knights (24-2) will face Cincinnati Woodward (23-3), a 68-42 winner over St. Bernard Roger Bacon (19-7), in Saturday’s 11 a.m. final at Butler.
Alter is one step away from its 10th final four appearance.
“We live for March basketball, and as long as we can keep playing that’s the goal,” Conner said. “We want to keep practicing.”
But Thursday’s victory might have come with a cost. Point guard, assist leader and defensive whiz Ryan Chew might be on the bench Saturday. Late in the first half he made a steal and was fouled hard going in for a layup. Chew landed on his left wrist and left the game.
Chew started the second half with his wrist taped, but a little over two minutes into the half he landed on the wrist again. He stayed on the floor in obvious pain and didn’t return.
“It’s the regional semifinals, and I haven’t been in the playoffs for real,” Chew said. “I’ve got a team that can compete. I wanted to go out there and battle with my guys.”
Chew’s availability for Saturday is questionable.
“His absence hurts especially from being able to press,” Alter coach Eric Coulter said. “You saw the first quarter what he’s capable of generating with his pressure, and that was a lot of easy points for us.”
If Chew doesn’t play, he won’t be sulking on the bench.
“I want to bring the ultimate energy to the sideline,” he said. “I know my guys on the bench are going to step up and hopefully we can keep going.”
Defense will be mandatory against Woodward and star guard Paul McMillan IV, the Southwest District Division II player of the year. McMillan scored 23 points against Bacon and surpassed LeBron James for sixth place on the state career scoring list.
“Everything runs through him and he’s the type of guy that is capable of scoring in bunches,” Coulter said. “He’s definitely a scoring point guard, and he plays composed.”
Conner led Alter with 20 points and several assists and blocked shots. His 6-foot-9 presence will be important Saturday against Woodward’s trapping full-court pressure and protecting the rim against a team that likes to attack the basket.
Anthony Ruffolo added 16 and Gavin Geisel and A.J. Leen scored nine apiece. Gavin Leen played almost half the game because of Chew’s injury.
“It was rough, but it was nice seeing Gavin Leen go in there and make some clutch plays and clutch free throws,” Chew said. “The team just gathered together to finish the game.”
Linden leading scorer L.A. Walker (26 points) fouled out with 3:56 to play and Alter up 49-47. But the Panthers (18-8) took the lead twice on 3-pointers, the second time on one by Malikahi Armistead at 53-51 with 2:34 left.
But the Knights composed themselves, protected the ball and forced a couple turnovers down the stretch. The biggest play came when Gavin Leen deflected the ball and Geisel scored on a breakaway layup for a 57-53 lead with 55 seconds left.
“Our key was keeping our composure on offense,” Conner said. “We wanted to make sure we didn’t turn the ball over. On defense we had active hands getting deflections. That’s what led to a big run.”
About the Author