Lima Senior falls to Findlay

FINDLAY — Once again the 3-pointer played a big role in a Findlay boys basketball win over Lima Senior.

The Trojans connected on 10 3-pointers on their way to a 64-54 win over the Spartans on Friday night to complete a season sweep over Lima Senior. Earlier this season when Findlay won 47-36 at Lima Senior it held the Spartans to 2 of 21 shooting on 3-pointers.

Findlay led for the entire game except for a few seconds in the first quarter. It was up 30-18 at halftime and increased its led to 20 points, 47-27, after three quarters.

Lima Senior applied full-court pressure the entire fourth quarter and scored half of its 54 points in the final eight minutes but it wasn’t enough to make up for the first three quarters.

Jake Bishop’s 23 point led Findlay (15-7, 10-4 Three Rivers Athletic Conference). Will Cordonnier scored 17 points and Luke Weihrauch had 11 points. Cordonnier hit five 3-pointers. Sam Ernst had two.

Je’Kel Cotton led Lima Senior (15-7, 8-6 TRAC) with 15 points, including four 3-pointers. Brandon Moore scored 11 points.

“We played about as well as we can play offensively and defensively for about three quarters,” Findlay coach Jim Rucki said. “We had a big lead. You get a little bit desperate in that situation and they just started getting after us (in the fourth quarter). You make a couple mistakes and it kind of snow balls but we played well enough to give up some of that lead still win. That’s the main thing,” he said.

“I thought we did a great job on both ends for three quarters. But they started letting it go – reckless abandon— and made some shots.”

Lima Senior cut Findlay’s lead to seven points twice in the fourth quarter but that was as close as it got.

It was the last Three Rivers Athletic Conference boys basketball game between Lima Senior and Findlay but probably not the last game between the two schools.

The TRAC, which came into existence in the 2011-2012 school, will be gone in the 2023-2024 school year when Findlay, Fremont Ross, Toledo Whitmer and Oregon Clay join the Northern Lakes League, Lima Senior goes to the Toledo City League and the Toledo Catholic schools become part of the Detroit Catholic League.

Lima Senior and Findlay are working to find a date to play a boys basketball game next school year and the two schools hope to continue the rivalry in most sports, Lima Senior athletic director John Zell said on Friday.

Lima Senior won or shared the TRAC boys basketball championship in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2016.

Reach Jim Naveau at 567-242-0414.

Jim Naveau
Jim Naveau has covered local and high school sports for The Lima News since 1978 and Ohio State football since 1992. His OSU coverage appears in more than 30 newspapers. Naveau, a Miami University graduate, also worked at the Greenville Advocate and the Piqua Daily Call. He has seen every boys state basketball tournament since 1977. Reach him at [email protected] or 567-242-0414.