The Warren boys basketball team had a celebration Saturday after defeating New Lexington in the Division II district championship game. (Photo provided by Mike Morrison)
ATHENS — Julian Stadelman and Trent Taylor combined for 37 points to lead the Warren Warriors 54-5 in overtime in the Division II Southeast Regional championship game at the on-campus Convocation Center. 46 in a thrilling victory over the New Lexington Panthers. Saturday afternoon at Ohio University.
The game featured several ups and downs, with neither team able to gain a lead of more than four points in the third and fourth quarters, allowing the Warriors to survive and advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
“What a game and what an effort…. Our kids are tired and hurt, but that's a good injury.” Warrior head coach Blaine Maddox said. “I'm very proud of them. Great performance by both teams.”
Warren has been a fast starter all season, and Saturday afternoon was no different, quickly building an 8-0 lead thanks to Stadelman's six early points.
The Panthers fought back with a 2-pointer from sophomore Paul Stenson and a 3-pointer from freshman Eli Stevens, but Taylor got loose on the baseline and ended with a huge two-handed dunk to put the Warriors at 10. Gave a lead of 5.
Warren's Julian Stadelman (left) and head coach Blaine Maddox hold up a banner after Stadelman scored his 1,000th career point in the Warriors' district final victory over New Lexington on Saturday. . (Photo provided by Mike Morrison)
Newcomer Rex managed to cut the lead to one point late in the quarter, but junior Colin Anthony ended the opening with a bucket off an assist from Stadelman, giving the Warriors a 12-9 lead.
The Panthers took their first lead of the game in the second quarter thanks to senior Jacob Braglin's triple and two-point floater.
From this point until overtime, the teams were never separated by more than four points, as both teams played great defense but rarely turned the ball over on offense.
Stadelmann entered the game with 987 points and needed 13 more points to surpass 1,000 points. With the Warriors trailing by two late in the quarter, he scored his 14th point of the first half on a short jumper to tie the game and cross the mark.
“If you don't have a chance to see him play, you're missing out on a great player.” said Maddox, of Stadelman, who wears “00” on his jersey. “He really does a lot for us. He has incredible speed and skill.”
Warren University's Trent Taylor (2) plays basketball in Saturday's Division II district championship game against New Lexington at Combo. (Photo provided by Mike Morrison)
Stadelman became the second Warrior to eclipse the century mark this season, joining Taylor, who also scored 1,000 points in the postseason.
Warren started the second half with a bang with inside baskets from Taylor and junior Chase Lupardas, but New Lexington started to heat up from the outside with back-to-back triples from Stenson and junior Bentley Hanson.
Hanson hit a pull-up jumper to cap an 8-0 Panther run and give New Lex a 32-28 lead.
The Panthers did a great job of keeping the ball out of Stadelman's hands in the third period and were held scoreless in the fourth quarter, allowing just two shots.
“He missed some shots and was a little flat in the third quarter.” said Maddox of Stadelman. “Credit to them defensively, but he didn't quit and we knew he was going to make some plays before the game was over.”
Warren's Julian Stadelman (00) will face New Lexington in Saturday's district final at Combo. (Photo provided by Mike Morrison)
Panther junior Isaiah Stevens made two clutch shots to close out the third quarter, giving New Lexington a 36-32 lead with eight minutes left in the game.
The Warriors opened the fourth quarter with a huge triple from junior Jacob Seeley, but New Lexington answered with a bucket from Eli Stevens off an assist from Isaiah Stevens.
Neither team could convert the score for the final few minutes, with the Panthers holding a one-point lead with less than three minutes remaining.
Stadelmann was held scoreless throughout the second half, but, as he has done all season, he burst into life at just the right moment.
The 6-foot junior drove and threw a floater, and after Taylor made a huge steal at the other end, the former Warrior quarterback threw a perfect long pass to Stadelman, who took it in stride. He made the catch and scored two more points. Bring the Warriors back to the front.
After a big stop by the Warriors' defense on the other end, Stadelman shot again as he played a perfect two-man game with Taylor, and Taylor assisted on Stadelman's third straight bucket, giving the Warriors a 3 in the final seconds of the game. It gave us a point lead. Regulation.
The Panthers have some clutch performers on their team, and Hanson showed he's one of them when he made a long 3-pointer to tie the game with less than 30 seconds left.
New Lexington had a few fouls, but they used up all of them and left the ball to the Warriors with less than seven seconds to go for a chance to win the game.
The Warriors ran the ball well before getting it into the hands of junior Connor Barry, but his 3-point shot hit the rim as the buzzer sounded, sending the game into overtime.
Warren connected on his only two 3-pointers of the game, and Seely made two shots, including a huge 3-ball to start overtime.
A few minutes later, the Panthers fought back to take back the lead by one point when Isaiah Stevens rang the bell from long range.
The Warriors got a big turnover on a steal from Barry and got back on offense.
Stadelman and Taylor worked well together this time as well, with Taylor getting the assist from Stadelman to once again put the Warriors in the lead.
New Lexington turned the ball over just seven times the entire game, but Stadelman made a steal and was immediately fouled by the Panthers.
Stadelman hit both freebies to extend the lead to three points, and after Eli Stevens missed the game-tying 3-pointer, the Warriors got a big rebound from Taylor.
Warren won the board battle by a 33-17 margin.
“I knew I had an advantage inside, so I was able to get the rebound well.” said Taylor. “They got some offensive rebounds early, but at the end of the day, we did what we had to do.”
Taylor handed the ball to Seeley, who drew a foul and made a one-of-two at the stripe, extending the lead to four.
Newcomer Rex found himself empty again on the next possession, and Barry almost sealed the deal with two more free points to extend the lead to six points, before Taylor caught a long pass from Stadelman to end the game. ended with an exclamation point on the Warriors' big win. His two-handed dunk officially earned the Warriors a ticket to the regional tournament.
“Both teams never give up… One moment it looked like we were done, the next minute it looked like they were done too.” Maddox said. “Everything we had was taken away, but we were finally able to put them away.”
Taylor was part of the last Warrior team to win a district championship and was excited to win another district championship as a senior.
“I remember that feeling and what it felt like, and it was awesome.” said Taylor. “It was just grit…We just had to fight and it was tough and it just came down to who fought tougher and luckily we did it. ”
Stadelman was even prouder of the win on a night when he achieved personal milestones with 22 points, five assists and seven rebounds.
“It’s great to get 1,000, but at the end of the day, it’s just a number.” Stadelman said he will have a full senior season next year and add to that total. “People will remember how we won this game and won the banner with over 1,000 points.”
Taylor added 15 points and nine rebounds while playing great defense, committing two big turnovers and some key boards late.
Hanson led the Panthers with 17 points, while Isaiah and Eli Stevens added nine and seven points, respectively.
New Lexington's season ends with a 21-5 record, and the Warriors (22-3) return to the combo Thursday night to open regional play against Tri-Valley.
“We have a 20-game section, so by the time we finish this section we will have had a full war.” Maddox said. “Congratulations to Warrior Nation and to another great crowd here today.”
