SALEM -- In retrospect, the St. Thomas Aquinas fans probably should not have begun the "O-ver-rated" cheer when the Hornets warmed up in front of their cheering section last Tuesday and later defeated the Saints 59-55.
With leading scorer Ryan Snyder and his 22-plus per game average playing in an air cast, there were enough issues for Aquinas without further motivating the undefeated Hornets.
In short order, disaster struck the Saints. The Hornets blitzed them with a 20-11 first stanza barrage that featured three triples from junior Ryan Burfield. On their own offensive side, they fumbled their way to eight turnovers that diffused any chance of establishing an offense. After one, the Hornets were looking good.
But this was tournament play and the Knights began to reflect the experience brought from their strong regular season schedule, despite the fact that Snyder would play but sporadically and score just four points.
They made a defensive adjustment and focused on Burfield, effectively shutting off not only his offense but the Hornets' offense for the night. Still, the ultimate victors found a way to win the second quarter 10-8 by using a unique weapon: they scored eight points on offensive rebounds from Josh Smith, Stu Campbell and Brandon Slater.
East Canton hit just three-of-10 trey attempts on the quarter, but used some of the caroms for offense to forge a 30-19 lead at the half.
In quarter three, the Knights began a quiet charge. They handled the ball better and shot better, scoring 14 points and holding the Hornets to 0-5 from long distance and just nine points. Trailing 39-33, Aquinas appeared ready to make a run.
The run never materialized. The Knights began quarter four with five consecutive turnovers, while four points from Campbell and Slater built the lead back to 10 points.
This margin became critical to keep Aquinas at bay. The Knights turned red hot and poured in 22 markers down the stretch, but they trailed and were forced to foul.
The Hornets took full advantage of their chances at the line. They hit 12-of-15, led by Smith who hit five-of-six and Campbell with four-of-five.
The Hornets thus advanced to a showdown with defending district champ Campbell Memorial on Friday. And the Knights and their faithful? They were left to listen to the chant of the Hornets faithful in the closing moments:" We can't HEAR YOU."
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