In a post game interview following his team's win over Waverly last Friday, Warren's Blane Maddox said "Jalen Ragland will not beat us on a final shot."

The Warriors' coach was right. Max Corcoran did.

In practice this week, Corcoran couldn't hit a layup. But with the score knotted at 42 and time slipping away, Ragland took a shot with five seconds remaining. The ball fell short and Malik London grabbed it for his 20th rebound. Warren double teamed the Cavs center along the baseline and he found Corcoran waiting in the paint. Corcoran's shot left his hands with .3 seconds on the clock.

Corcoran said after the game, "It wasn't really a shot, the guys said it was a shot put throw."

It was a basket at the right time as the rock found its way through the hoop... it was a shade of Ray Chambers' final lay up in the 2008 state championship game. Just in time.

For Warren, it was yet another heartbreak at the Convo, denied a spot in the Sweet 16.
After a nip and tuck start, Warren finished the first half ahead 17-16. Chillicothe had grabbed its first lead on a Ragland shot 55 seconds into the 2nd period and the lead changed hands five times by the half.

The Cavs opened the 3rd quarter with a pair of free throws by Tyler Manion to help Chillicothe regain the lead and Isaac Beverly sank a bucket for the Cavs largest lead of the game at 20-17.

Chilicothe maintained a one possession lead into the final period and on back-to-back baskets by Manion and Ragland which extended the Cavs' lead to six at 31-25. Before you know it, Chillicothe had a nine-point lead at 38-29 with four minutes remaining.

That's when the Warriors became the "Whittlers".

Warren began to chip away at the Cavalier lead hitting free throws while the Cavs were shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers and missed shots on the other end of the floor.

Along the way, Chillicothe lost Manion to fouls at the 3:00 mark. Beverly played most of the game with four fouls and Corcoran picked up his fourth.

The Warriors pulled to within 38-35 on a free throw by Austin Cunningham. He missed the second shot, caught the Cavs sleeping and hit a basket off the offensive rebound to cut the deficit to one, 38-37.

Cunningham then tipped the in bounds to Grant Venham to put the Warriors back on top 39-38 completing a 10-0 run for their first lead since the intermission.

Then, it was Rag Time.

Jalen penetrated the lane for a 40-39 lead.

Venham would tie the game at 40 with another shot from the charity stripe, but missed his second shot. The Warriors were 10-of-20 from the line. 

Ragland grabbed the miss and went the length of the floor. He missed his lay up, but got the put back for a 42-40 edge.

At the other end, Cunningham missed two opportunities under the basket, but stayed with the rebound for a put back on a third try to tie at 42 with 29 seconds on the clock.

Chillicothe dictated the final seconds leading up to Corcoran's "shot put delivery" to send Chillicothe half of the Convo crowd to their feet for a celebration. For the Warren half, it was another District disappointment. The Warriors are 2-10 in the Districts over the years.

Ragland led the Cavaliers scorers with 17 points. Zach Johnson had 8 of his 9 points in the first half, Manion finished with 8 and London and Corcoran had four apiece. 

Neither team had a stellar start. The Cavs missed 13 straight shots before Johnson broke the ice with back-to-back layups inside 90 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Warren started 1-for-8 before taking a 5-0 lead.

Venham, an Ohio football signee, led all scorers with 20 points. Cunningham added 11.

The Cavs dominated the boards 42-30 behind London's 20.

Chillicothe will head back to the Convo Thursday night with New Concord John Glenn at 8pm. Zanesville will battle Hartley in the first game at 6:15pm.

Photos by Dana Cousins/wbex.com
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When the Cavs and Warriors take to the court at the Convo Friday, both teams will hope to capitalize from their success in their District Semi-Final wins.

Chillicothe got past rival Logan Elm 50-37 while Warren pulled away from Waverly late 58-48.

For Warren, last Friday's win was one for the record books. No other Warriors team had won 20 games in a single season. "We were happy and proud to get that." Blaine Maddox said in a post game interview.

"That's a lot of wins in the regular season and the league we play in, if Chillicothe and Portsmouth weren't around, might be a couple more."

The Cavaliers handed Warren two of its three losses and the other came at the hands of Portsmouth. "It's (Chillicothe and Portsmouth joining the SEOAL) really helped us in tournament play since the expansion of the League. It's taken some titles away from us, made us a little mad once in awhile." Maddox said, referring to the Warriors last second loss to Chillicothe in Vincent. "We said (after the game), 'Wouldn't it be

nice if we could get them at the Convo and we'll forget about this one'."

Division II Southeast District Player of the Year Jalen Ragland secured Chillicothe's 44-43 win with a 3-point shot that Warren couldn't answer. 

"I told the players we're dumping that in the trash and we're moving on... we're gonna do some things to try to take Ragland out (of the flow). When you concentrate on Chilli, on one player, they've got 4 or 5 scorers and it's tough, but we know each other and I think points are going to be a premium."

That may include getting physical and forcing the Cavs into some defensive mistakes. Last Friday, Waverly's Harrison Martin was found on the sideline for a good bit of the game with foul trouble. It changed the Tigers' attack and freed up penetration for Austin Cunningham and Grant Venham to work around the basket offensively. "I'm glad we got Martin in trouble because he was a load down in there for us. After we got him in trouble, their momentum changed."

While 6'8" center Malik London has played cleanly in wins over Unioto and Logan Elm, he fouled out of the Cavs Sectional Semi-Final with Circleville. London has had a number of games this season which found him on the bench or nursing four fouls in the second half.

Coach Gary Kellough said "Malik's maturing that now he understands on fouls three and four you've got to conserve those till late in the game when you can really open your game defensively and go for the shot blocks and play more aggressively."

For Chillicothe, Kellough says it all starts with Ragland. "We've got to get Jalen his 15 shots a game and then it makes it easier for Tyler and Zach to do their thing around the perimeter and Malik and Issac along the baseline. We've had trouble at times this year when we do struggle with offense, because we don't get him the ball after after three or four possessions in a row." Coach K adds the Cavs look to go through

Ragland "just about every possession and everybody reads off what happens to him."

Kellough is quick to compliment Warren's deep bench. "They're good at plugging in players at three positions... they're like everybody else, if you take their two main players off the floor it makes a big difference in what they're trying to do. They bring a couple of kids that are about the same off the bench that replace the kids that are on the floor. We're confident in our kids that if we have to go to someone that they can step up and get the job done also."

The Cavs offensive approach may sound easy on paper, but Kellough says the Warriors make it difficult to create opportunities.

"They've got all those wide bodies, therefore they take up a lot of space in the lane.... you have to get a lot of reversal to make sure you're spreading them out as much as you can so you can get in the driving lanes and get the basketball where you want it... they have nice big stocky bodies and they're pretty strong."

The winner has a date in the Sweet 16 next Thursday with New Concord John Glenn, a 47-46 winner over Carrollton at OU-Eastern in Belmont.

Game night coverage on 1490 WBEX begins at 6:40pm with the tip off at 7pm from Ohio University in Athens.

As reported Sunday, former Chillicothe Cavalier Ray Chambers and Lakeland Community College (23-10) are headed to the NJCAA Nationals in Danville, Illinois.

Chambers wrote his name in the book of Chillicothe basketball history when he sank the winning basket in March of 2008 giving the Cavaliers their only state championship. He's hoping history will repeat itself for his new team in Northern Ohio.

"It's been great... I was at Chilli and I made history. It's the first time in history Lakeland's made it to the Nationals. From here, it's a nine hour drive. I don't want to drive nine hours to lose."

Chambers landed at Lakeland after a one year stay with JUCO Cowley College in Kansas. Following a red-shirt year, he's helped put Lakeland on the map. "You're on your own (at Lakeland). You gotta maintain, stay focused. It's helped me become a man, too. I'm happy."

The Lakers will face the defending national champ Lincoln College (Lincoln, IL) in this Tuesday's Game 6 at 8:30pm. The Lynx are ranked #9 in the nation.

The Division II tournament is a double elimination format. Lakeland's second game, win or lose will be Thursday March 17th with a potential 3rd game on Friday March 18th and first through eighth places decided in four games to be played on Saturday March 19th.

Chambers says there's been some turnover on the Lakers roster which has left a tight-nit unit of seven players.

"It's kind of tough because some guys get tired or get in foul trouble, we're hurting. But we play smart and we play together. That's how we win games."

Chambers, a two-time Ohio Community College Athletic Association Player of the Week this season has averaged 19.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a game in 2010-11. He also made 56.6% of his shots from the field and 72% from the line.

Chambers finished the season in the nationwide polls ranked 6th for rebounds, 7th for blocks, 24th for individual scoring, and 50th for field goal percentage.

The Division II Lakers have been on an upset run through their regional tournament. #5 seed Lakeland beat Sinclair Community College (85-63) in the first round, then took top seeded Cuyahoga Community College (61-53) and Saturday defeated Cincinnati State (89-77).

Hear Dan Ramey's Interview with Ray Chambers Click Here

Click here to see the tournament lineup.

Visit the Lakeland website.

Photos courtesy Lakeland Lakers Athletics
Copyright © 2003-2011 Clear Channel. All rights reserved.

As the Cavaliers prepare for their third meeting with Warren this season, let's take a look back at the first two games.

GAME 1 - Friday January 7, 2011, Hatton Memorial Gymnasium, Chillicothe, Ohio - Cavs 66, Warriors 52

Just two minutes into the game, Warren's leading scorer Austin Cunningham took a hit to his chin when the Cavs' Tyler Manion made a quick break to the basket.

Cunningham exited for the visitor's locker room to have the laceration on his chin fixed.

At the time, Warren held a 5-0 lead.

Then, Chillicothe rolled off 14 straight points and all five Cavalier starters had scored by the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the Cavs were up 29-20.

Cunningham returned with a bandage concocted to hold the it in place. The bandage would become a fashion statement seen worn by fans at the Convo last weekend.

Despite missing more than half of the game, Cunningham scored 16 of his 20 points after the injury.

Warren could only get within six points (48-42) of Chillicothe.

Zach Johnson paced the Cavalier attack with a career-high 21 points and Warren had suffered its first loss of the season.

GAME 2 - Friday February 11, 2011, Warren High School, Vincent, Ohio - Cavs 44, Warriors 43

Warren had led for nearly the entire game, but Chillicothe had the lead when it mattered.

Chillicothe's final two field goals at Warren, were three-pointers. The first by Tyler Manion. The second, a shot by Jalen Ragland with four seconds remaining gave the Cavs their claim to their third SEOAL title with a 44-43 victory.

Ragland's shot, dubbed the "shot heard 'round Washington County" and vaulted the Cavs from a 23-18 halftime deficit to a post game celebration.

Chillicothe had shot a dismal 32% from the field in the first half, but stepped it up to 45% on 9-for-20 shooting. Most notably, Ragland, who prior to the game winning shot was 1-for-9 from beyond the arc.

NOTES: Much is made about the old adage "it's tough to beat a team three times in one season". Warren pulled off the feat this season with three victories over Marietta. Chillicothe has met an opponent three times in one season since Gary Kellough has been coaching the Cavaliers... The Cavs are 6-2 against Warren since joining the SEOAL... The teams met just once per year in the regular season until '09-'10 when the SEOAL went to round robin play... The Cavs played Warren twice in '08-'09, a 54-53 Warriors victory, Chillicothe's first loss after winning the state championship. The second meeting was at the Convo, a 73-66 Cavs win in the District tournament.

2006-07 at Warren - Cavs 61-43
2007-08 at Chillicothe - Cavs 67-32
2008-09 at Warren - Warriors 54-53
2008-09 at Convo - Cavs 73-66
2009-10 at Warren - Cavs 63-52
2009-10 at Chillicothe - Warriors 43-42
2010-11 at Chillicothe - Cavs 66-52
2010-11 at Warren - Cavs 44-43

"Classic tournament basketball... rebounding and make your free throws." Words from radio color analyst Pat Highland after Chillicothe defeated Logan Elm 50-37 in the Boys Division II District Semi-Final at Ohio University.

It sets up an SEOAL showdown with the Warren Warriors. Warren (20-3) defeated Waverly 58-48.

For Warren, it will be another shot at the Cavaliers, who beat the Warriors twice this season.

Chillicothe hit 14-of-16 free throws for a 13 point victory. Logan Elm won the battle of the boards 24-22 on the strength of 15 offensive rebounds, but made just 14 of their 46 field goal attempts. Chillicothe grabbed 16 defensive boards and shot just over 50% on 17-of-33 field goals.

Tyler Manion and Zach Johnson teamed for 12 points each with Johnson making the most noise in the first half with 10 as the Cavaliers posted a 23-19 lead at halftime. Johnson's biggest mark was defensively holding the Braves' Nathan Elswick to 3 points.

Neither of the teams' season leading scorers were able to reach double figures. Chillicothe's Jalen Ragland hit for only 9 points being dogged by Jake Thomas all night.

Chillicothe dropped in the first bucket of the game and the lead changed five times early on. Logan Elm held a 6-5 lead when Ragland nailed a left-wing three-pointer to give the Cavaliers an 8-6 lead... a lead they would not relinquish.

Chillicothe extended that lead to seven before the Braves hit a late bucket to end the first quarter 13-9.

Both teams played evenly in the second period as Jake Thomas hit a three ball to cut the margin to four at the intermission.

Coming out for the second half, the Braves scored off of two Chillicothe turnovers to cut the Cavs lead to 23-22. Chilicothe managed to stay in front by two possessions until Seth Stonerock made a weak side put back to pull Logan Elm back to within one at 38-37 with 4:26 remaining.

The Cavs hit just two field goals in the final period, but secured the win at the charity stripe as Manion and Ragland made 10 of 11 shots from the line.

Stonerock and Thomas finished with 14 points each for the Braves, Elswick had 3 and scoring two each were Eli Pritchard, Blake Riffle and Anthony Vagnier.

Chillicothe's Malik London had 5 blocked shots, 9 rebounds to go with 11 points (all in the second half) and Isaac Beverly added 4 to go with the combined 33 from Johnson, Manion and Ragland.

Logan Elm completes its season at 16-7. Chillicothe improves to 20-3.

Hear Gary Kellough's Post Game Interview: Click Here

Hear Doug Stiverson's Post Game Interview: Click Here

Photos by Dana Cousins/wbex.com
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