Unranked Rogers holds on for 68-62 win over Anthony Wayne

3/14/2013

The Rogers Rams are one win away from advancing to the boys state basketball final four for the second time in three seasons.

The unranked Rams (19-7) built a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter, then had to hold on down the stretch to top Anthony Wayne 68-62 in a Division I regional semifinal played before a crowd of over 4,000 Thursday night at Savage Arena.

The Rams, who reached the Division II state semifinals in 2011, will play unranked Brecksville-Broadview Heights (23-3) in the D-I regional final here Saturday at 3 p.m.

Brecksville advanced by beating Macedonia Nordonia 71-68 in a regional semifinal played at the University of Akron on Wednesday.

Rogers' balanced attack was led by senior guard Clemmye Owens with 19 points.

DeVonte Pratt had 15 points, Tribune Dailey 13, and Tony Kynard 11 for the Rams, who had upset state-ranked St. John's Jesuit and Central Catholic in last week's districts here.

The Generals (20-5), champions of the Northern Lakes League, were topped by 21 points from junior guard Matt Fox.

Mark Donnal, AW's 6-foot-10 University of Michigan-bound center, missed seven minutes with foul trouble in the game, but scored 12 of his 19 points in the final quarter when the Generals trimmed Rogers' lead down to one point (63-62) on two Hunter Debo free throws with 36.6 seconds remaining.

But the Rams hit five of their six free throws down the stretch to hang on, and AW never scored again.