The St. John’s Lutheran School recently repeated as state champions of the All-Ohio Lutheran tournament. Members of the team are from left: Sam Blumenschein, Eli Botkin, assistant coach Dan Gallmeyer, Christopher Fisher, Noah Burns, Cody Gallmeyer, Joseph Hatfield, Jackson Firestone, Max Russo, Luke Boehm, Joshua Murphy, Colson Nageotte, head coach Scott Thrush, Lincoln Firestone, Asher Holsopple, assistant coach Trevor Burns and Nicholas Hawkins.
(Photo submitted)
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A local basketball squad has repeated as a state champion.
The St. John’s Lutheran boys team recently captured the All-Ohio Lutheran tournament title.
The local squad did that with a 49-24 verdict over the Bethany Trojans and a 50-40 triumph over St. Paul of Westlake.
The Jaguars, who won the state title a year ago, earned a first-round bye for the event and waited to see who they would play.
The opening game saw Bethany (Parma) knock off St. Paul of Napolean.
The Trojans advanced to the semifinals to face St. John’s.
The Jaguars had not played in a month since the conclusion of the regular season.
The local team got off to a slow start as Bethany jumped out to a 5-0 lead.
After a timeout and defensive switch, the Jaguars, namely Cody Gallmeyer, found their stride.
Gallmeyer turned up the pressure and scored nine of his 13 points in the opening stanza.
That led to the Jags’ 15-8 margin at the end of the opening period.
The Jaguars kept up the pressure and never looked back.
St. John’s won the second-quarter scoring battle 12-5.
That led to a 27-13 advantage for the Jaguars at the halftime break.
Luke Boehm played the best game of his Jaguar career, according to head coach Scott Thrush.
Boehm hit baskets in every quarter en route to 12 points.
Boehm’s defensive work also stymied the Trojans’ offense.
As the deficit continued to grow for the Trojans, they were forced out of their zone defense.
St. John’s countered by looking for Jackson Firestone on the block.
He tallied 12 of his game-high 18 points and led St. John’s to the victory.
The Jaguars and St. Paul of Westlake were the final two teams standing in the tournament.
It was the second time the teams met this season.
The Jags won 34-30 in the middle of November.
Although the Tigers had revenge on their mind, it wasn’t meant to be.
Noah Burns drilled a pair of three-balls for St. John’s. As a result, the game was knotted at 10 by the conclusion of the first period.
Boehm scored six points during the ensuing quarter as St. John’s held a 21-19 margin at the halftime break.
The Jaguars came out strong in the third quarter,
Boehm, Burns, Firestone and Gallmeyer all scored as St. John’s took a 33-26 margin into the fourth quarter.
Gallmeyer notched 10 of his 13 points, including four-of-six from the free throw line during the final period to help seal the win.
Burns scored 14 points for the game, including 12 from beyond the three-point arc.
Boehm tallied 14, while Gallmeyer finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Christopher Fisher nailed a big triple in the final stanza and Firestone finished with six points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
Firestone and Gallmeyer were named to the All-Tournament team.
St. John’s concluded its season with a 23-2 record.