Crestview, Thompson explode offensively on Bucyrus in Division III sectional final win

ASHLAND — They just couldn't quite keep up.

Bucyrus (5-17) had all sorts of problems defending No. 1 seed and Firelands Conference champions Crestview (22-1) on Friday night, as the Cougars exploded early and often against the Redmen in their 84-43 Division III sectional final win.

Everything was clicking.

Scoring off the bounce. Transition points. Buckets off outlet passes. Drive and kick. It was all there for the Cougars.

"We knew they didn't have a lot of depth, so every chance we got we were pushing the ball up the court," Crestview coach John Kurtz said. "We played about eight kids. That's kind of the way we play and that put a lot of pressure on them defensively."

"I feel like our team is really balanced," said Crestview's Justice Thompson, who scored a game-high 30 points, 24 of those in the first half. "My teammates dish for me. I dish for them. I just love this team, man."

"They are as good as advertised," Bucyrus coach Brian Hargis said. "We matched them down low but it was the perimeter size that we knew was going to be a problem, mixed with our youth. They're a tough team. We were getting the shots we wanted but we weren't hitting early. That's a recipe for disaster against these guys."

Another thing working for the Cougars: the 3-pointer. They hit eight of them, with Thompson making four.

"They were running a zone sometimes and we just drove those gaps, kick out and hit the 3," Thompson said.

"We put five guys out there that can shoot the 3," Kurtz said. "We do spread the court out and make it hard for you to keep your big inside."

With Bucyrus in the rearview, Crestview (ranked 34th in Division III according to MaxPreps) will turn its attention to Wednesday's district semifinal in Norwalk, where it will meet the No. 2 seed in its side of the Northwest bracket and No. 9 state-ranked Margaretta (21-2), which could have easily been a final.

"Defensively, we took some plays off tonight," Thompson said, who says that side of the ball is where the Cougars need to be better at if they want to keep advancing. "I'm a part of that, too. We just need to fix that and handle Margaretta."

jsimpson@gannett.com

Twitter:@JamesSimpsonII

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Crestview put away Bucyrus quick and early, move along to districts