by Rob Barrone

Correspondent

Copley — After playing catch-up most of the night the Hudson boys basketball team appeared to have Kent Roosevelt right where they wanted the Rough Riders in the final minute of their Division I sectional contest March 3 at Copley High School.

Alas, it was not to be.

Kent advanced with a 51-49 victory over the Explorers. With the win, the Rough Riders (15-6) earned a date with fourth-seeded Stow-Munroe Falls — a 71-44 winner over Akron Ellet in a sectional championship game.

A game that featured nine lead changes was tied for the seventh time (at 49) and Hudson, a team that lead for only a total of 3 minutes, 20 seconds during the night, were holding the ball for the final 71 seconds.

With the ball in the hands of senior standout Richie Piekarski (a game-high 18 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and eight rebounds) the Explorers were set to go for the win.

With 4 seconds left, the Rough Riders’ Colin Wymer (six points) doomed Hudson’s hopes when he poked away the ball as Piekarski began to drive from just inside the midcourt line. 

Wymer headed toward a possible game-winning layup, but Piekarski recovered to cut him off. Piekarski knocked the ball loose, but was whistled for a foul with .8 seconds left.

Wymer calmly made the front end of a one-and-one but when he tried intentionally to miss the second, it bounded off the rim and glass before dropping in. 

The Explorers (8-13) still had a chance and Sam Gedeon’s nearly three-quarter court pass to Piekarski was perfect. The 6-3 senior, who ended a brilliant career with 902 points (seventh all-time), got off a good shot from a few feet outside the three-point arc.

“He [Wymer] made a great play,” Hudson head coach Jeff Brink said. “Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat and say, ‘Somebody made a super play.’ 

“It came down to a situation where we want the ball in the best player’s hands. Richie Piekarski started for me for four years and is one of the best players in Ohio. If I had it to do it again, I would give him the ball again. The kid just made a great play.”

Clay Lease added 16 points for the Explorers. Six-foot-10 senior Cameron Black II had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Rough Riders and Zach Brett drained four three-pointers on his way to 12 points for Kent. Brett’s two triples late in the second quarter gave the Rough Riders a 25-23 lead at halftime.

“This was a tough matchup because Cameron is a great player and very unselfish and [6-5] Marcus Wright [11 points and eight rebounds) is a very strong player on the other block,” Brink said. “And they have four or five kids who can shoot the three.”

Kent threatened to pull away early in the second half as 5-9 sophomore Shakeel Howard drained two threes just 35 seconds apart and Black scored inside for a 33-23 lead.

The Explorers, however, rallied, and when Zach Hruby drained two free throws, the Rough Riders’ advantage shrunk to a deuce (38-36) heading into the final period.

Kent responded.

The Rough Riders increased their lead to five (43-38) with 5 minutes left before Hudson came back.

The Explorers forced three straight turnovers to tie the game at 43. Hudson took its first lead of the second half when Piekarski, who scored Hudson’s final eight points, buried two free throws to make 47-46.

Wright answered with a three-point play and Piekarski added two free throws to tie the game at 49.

“Forget that last play,” Brink said. “Richie’s career has been stellar. His career will go down as one of the best in Hudson history — not only for basketball but as an all-state football player. I feel privileged to have had an opportunity to coach Rich. He’s as good as any player I’ve coached.”

Brink also gave props to the other seniors.

“I can’t say enough about my seniors,” he said. “We battled through adversity this season. It has been a fantastic season. Saying goodbye to these seniors is tough to do.”

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