Malvern boys basketball surges early before Harvest Prep pulls away to OHSAA regional title

ATHENS — A spirited fight against a high-speed powerhouse got away in the fourth quarter of Malvern's 64-44 loss to Harvest Prep Saturday.

The Hornets had a nine-point lead and the ball in the second quarter of the OHSAA Division III regional boys basketball final. But in the end, the Hornets got hurt by Prep's fast-paced game.

"They wore us down," said Malvern head coach Dennis Tucci.

The game was even into the fourth quarter, Malvern having withstood assorted Harvest Prep runs, before the Warriors pulled off basket after basket on the press and run.

The Hornets came in at 27-0, Ohio's last unbeaten team regardless of division. Harvest Prep, 23-4, advanced to a state semifinal game at 5:15 p.m. Friday at the University of Dayton against Ottawa-Glandorf.

Malvern icon Tucci clearly had been through an emotional tornado when he emerged from the the last locker-room speech of a momentous year.

His eyes were still red as he found his voice and said:

"It was so enjoyable being with this group. I couldn't have asked for more.

"They took coaching from a great group of assistants. They cared for each other and fought for each other and took it to another level."

Prep head coach David Dennis admired the Hornets' pluck.

"We knew exactly how they were going to play us, and they played well," he said. "The difference in that early part was they were more aggressive. Then we became more aggressive.

"We've won 17 games in a row. For us to win today against an unbeaten Malvern team, it's pretty remarkable."

Prep got relentless play from its best inside player, 6-foot-4 junior Khalil Daniels, who at one point got four offensive rebounds on the same possession.

"He didn't play very well in the first half," Dennis said. "What you saw in the second half was him."

It's different in the Elite Eight, the kind of different that makes teams want to soak it all in without even realizing that's what they're doing.

Ninety minutes before the 1 p.m. tipoff, for example, the sizeable crowd gathering outside wasn't allowed in yet.

Malvern's players, in street clothes, gathered in a spectator section to the left of one basket. Harvest Prep's players trickled into a section on the other side of the basket.

The big board above the court in Ohio University's Convocation Center was still lit from a Division IV regional final the day before: Hiland 48, South Webster 45, OT.

The players who were about to do battle didn't exactly just sit there and stare at each other, but it was evident they were checking each other out.

With 13,000 seats, the arena is the largest in the Mid-American Conference, but the university team doesn't come close to filling it. In a Feb. 20 home loss to Kent State, for example, attendance was 4,132.

The high school regional was arranged intelligently, with the 10 rows of bottom-deck bleachers pulled back, and a seven-row oval encircling the entire court used as the main seating area, and the 27 rows towering above the court populated by late arrivals.

The imagery was perfect for Malvern, since the spectator seats are green, the player chairs are green, and the course is encased by a rectangle of painted green blocks. Malvern fans were coached to wear white, which many did, not needing to be coached to add green trim.

Unlike districts, where teams could take the court any time they wanted, the Hornets and Warriors were kept in their locker rooms until 30 minutes before the 1 p.m. tip.

Anticipation built as seats filled and the sound system, close to concert volume, played "Jump," "Magic," and "Sweet Child O' Mine."

The Hornets, seeking their school's first trip to a state final four, came out smokin'.

The Malvern crowd seemed to outnumber Harvest Prep's by a 3-to-1 ratio. Opposing crowds generally don't know what to do with Malvern's "one-minute clap" before tipoff. Harvest Prep's cheering section did not attempt a response.

Malvern's 27-0 record notwithstanding, Harvest Prep was the perceived favorite, as reflected by the fact Prep pounded North Adams 78-48 while Malvern outlasted McDermott Northwest 56-50 in Wednesday's semfinals, also at Ohio U.

For a long time Saturday, Malvern showed strong ball handling and passing against Harvest Prep's quick full-court pressure and actually bothered the Warriors with those elements. It was an attack mentality on offense and defense.

J'Allen Barrino looked like the versatile talent who was conference player of the year and a Mr. Basketball finalist in scoring eight points that gave the the Hornets a 10-7 lead.

Rodney Smith's putback made it 12-7. At the first-quarter buzzer, Smith's 3 from the top of the key made it 15-10. The Malvern crowd was on fire.

Malvern could have taken a 19-10 lead but Dylan Phillips' layup was erased by a charging call Tucci didn't like much.

Harvest Prep couldn't get its inside scoring game going. Dennis got a timeout when Malvern's Mitchell Minor hit a 12-foot teardrop to make it 24-15 with 4:20 left in the first half.

Harvest Prep stayed with its game. A steal and 3-point play triggered a 9-0 run that pulled Prep to within 25-24 with 1:16 left in the half.

The Warriors pushed to a 28-26 halftime lead behind a combined 17 points from 6-1 senior Adonus Abrams and 6-1 junior Brandon Roddy. Prep's 3-for-5 3-point shooting was a factor as the Hornets made just one 3 while shooting 14% from behind the line in the half.

Prep's halftime lead was just two points, but the Warriors had momentum. The Hornets needed scoring help for Barrino and Smith, who combined for 21 points.

Malvern came out of the break poised. Barrino handled the press. Midway through the third quarter, Phillips missed a 3 but got his own rebound and scored to provide a 31-28 lead.

Prep's quick-score ability swung it back to a 36-33 Malvern deficit when Tucci got a timeout.

With Prep leading 38-37, Tucci opted to let the Warriors dribble out the last minute of the quarter. It looked like a great decision when, on Prep's eventual attempt to find a shot, Smith made a steal and shot a 3 at the buzzer.

It missed, but the heat was on for the fourth quarter.

Prep made its move after a missed Malvern 3 and two quick baskets provided a 44-39 lead with six minutes left, and the Warriors were on their way to securing a trip to the state tournament.

From there, the Hornets lost their edge. The floodgates opened.

Prep's senior leader, Abrams, shook his head at trailing by 9 early.

"We were better than how we were playing," he said. "They were pressuring us, and we had to figure it out. We did that and it changed the game in our favor."

"We had a chance at a layup in the fourth quarter that would have given us a one-point lead," Tucci said. "It rolled across the rim and they got it and ran down and scored. Then their lead got a little bigger and the hoop got bigger for them.

"They're obviously a very tough opponent. They play nine and all of them are strong players. They wore us down. they got us on our heels. They smelled blood."

Instead of going to Dayton, the Hornets will be in Malvern for the team banquet on Tuesday.

"I'm not going to say much," Tucci said. "You guys know how much you mean to me. You went at it. We're gonna go at it next year."

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Harvest Prep boys basketball defeats Malvern in OHSAA regional final