COLUMBUS GROVE — Lima Central Catholic’s 55-53 boys basketball win over Columbus Grove on Friday night might be something the Thunderbirds couldn’t have pulled off a month ago or six weeks ago.
But, game tested and toughened by the experience of the first 11 games of the season, they hung on for their first win since two days after Christmas.
Senior Thomas Williams, the sixth man on last year’s Division III state champion team, scored 23 points and pulled down 8 rebounds to lead LCC (3-9) in what he called his best offensive game of the season.
Sophomore guard Ron Banks, playing his first full varsity game, scored 11 points, including two free throws with two seconds to play, that were the decisive points.
Rece Roney’s 20 points led Columbus Grove (3-6) and Caiden Grothaus had 17 points, including five 3-pointers.
LCC started fast and was up 14 points, at 36-22, early in the third quarter. But Columbus Grove fought back to tie the game at 41-41 by the end of that quarter and took a one-point lead twice early in the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t let it get to us. We came out in the fourth quarter and made some plays,” LCC coach Frank Kill said about his team’s reaction when its big lead disappeared.
“Thomas Williams just willed himself to the basket a few times. Stephen Taflinger stepped in for us and made a huge three when we needed a shot. And Ronnie Banks, this was his opportunity. He made two of the biggest free throws we needed all night.”
Ironically, it was defense that brought Banks into the game. After Grothaus hit four 3-pointers in the game’s first four minutes, Kill sent Banks into the game to try to contain him.
“When Grothaus was going off on threes I had to find a guy who would stay with him and not worry about anything else. Ronnie Banks brings energy, he brings a sense of an attitude and the motivation we were looking for,” Kill said.
Williams said, “Man, first full varsity game, that was impressive. For a sophomore without much varsity experience to step up and hit two free throws to win the game, that takes guts and he had it tonight. He had the fire.”
LCC led by five points, 50-45, with 1:43 left in the game but Columbus Grove tied it 53-53 on a 15-footer by Grothaus with 25 seconds to play.
The Thunderbirds called timeout to set up a play where the ball was supposed to go to freshman point guard Dj’John Johnson.
But when Johnson was covered, Banks took matters into his own hands, drove to the basket and nearly got a lay-up to go in while he was being fouled. Then he hit both free throws.
“The play wasn’t setting up right and Biggs (Dj’John Johnson) got his option taken away, there wasn’t much time left so I just tried my best to get to the basket and get it in,” Banks said.
Williams and Banks both said they have seen improvement in LCC since the beginning of the season.
“We’re growing tremendously. If you look at our first game to now it’s night and day. We are so much better than we were,” Williams said.
Banks said, “I think we learned a lot over the year. It’s hard but we’re going to get better.”
Columbus Grove coach Chris Sautter said the game got away from the Bulldogs in the first half more than in the final minutes.
After taking a 16-12 lead after one quarter, Columbus Grove was outscored 22-6 in the second quarter.
“We did a heck of a job coming back in the second half, but the game wasn’t lost in the fourth quarter. The game was lost in the second quarter when we got outscored 22-6. We just went ice cold,” he said.
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