But Cranford caught another well-timed pass and made his fourth straight 3-pointer to break open a one-point game. A 13-point lead in hand, third-seeded Wayne rolled from there to a 70-49 victory over No. 6 Franklin in a Division I district semifinal.
“I was sprinting the floor and my teammates found me,” Cranford said. “I was just spotting up for the three.”
In the first semifinal, Dasan Doucet scored 19 points and Aden Marrero scored 17 to lead No. 2 Fairmont to a 57-50 victory over No. 4 Beavercreek. The Firebirds are back in the district finals since back-to-back trips in 2018 and 2019. They are looking for their first district title since 1995.
“It feels great,” Doucet said. “We know we’re not done. We can win the district and keep going. I know the potential of this team is crazy. We work hard every day in practice, and we deserve it.”
Wayne (17-7) and Fairmont (21-3) will play in district finals next Sunday at the University of Cincinnati. Wayne faces Cincinnati Sycamore, a No. 2 seed that needed overtime to beat No. 17 Middletown 62-58. Fairmont gets Cincinnati Turpin, a No. 9 seed, after the Spartans upset top-seeded Cincinnati Elder 52-49 on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Wayne was led, as usual, by Lawrent Rice’s 21 points, and R.J. Mukes added 15. Cranford, who scored 17 for the second straight game, made a similar run of 3-pointers earlier this season at Beavercreek.
“Juan is the type of kid that has ice in his veins,” Wayne coach Nate Martindale said. “But he never really gets too high or too low. If he hit 10 in a row, or he missed 10 in a row, you would never know.”
The Warriors lost to Cincinnati St. Xavier in the districts last year and last won a district title in 2018. Martindale said his team, which owns a late-season win over Fairmont, is playing its best basketball.
“The amount of high character and the leadership that we have in the locker room is amazing,” Martindale said. “”And for whatever reason, come tournament time those guys are usually successful. I’m not surprised because of the type of kids they are.”
Fairmont leans on the senior leadership of Doucet and Anthony Johnson. But when Beavercreek’s Jamir Hymes face-guarded Johnson, the Firebirds didn’t let it bother them. Johnson didn’t take a shot in the first half and sat out half the second quarter with two fouls. He scored his six points in the third quarter and made one field goal. Driving lanes opened for Doucet and played to his strength. And Marrero stepped up as a needed second scorer.
“The adversity that these guys see and continue to rise to the occasion and fight through when things aren’t going well – that’s been our Achilles’ heel my first two years here – that’s a big culture shift that these seniors, A.J. and Dasan, are bringing and the younger guys are seeing that,” Fairmont coach Kenny Molz said.
The smaller Firebirds built a 38-22 lead halfway through the third quarter, but the adversity wasn’t over. The Beavers (15-10) kept feeding 6-foot-8 Gabe Phillips down low for 18 points, and 6-7 wing Adam Duvall got it going by making contested jump shots for 11 of his 13 points in the final nine minutes. The Fairmont lead was cut to four, then three, then three again in the final minutes before free throws clinched it.
Steve Pittman came to his alma mater three years ago and has guided the program along with a group of six seniors, including Duval and Phillips, to three straight district semifinals and one district final in 2020.
“I told them after the game, when I got here three years ago, I talked about legacy,” Pittman said. “What they’ve done from sophomore to senior year, they’ve done more than solidify this foundation for the next class to come through. So there’s really no more excuses, because they’ve already set the table.”
Bales, who had top teams in Division II with Luke Kennard, also says goodbye to a senior class led by Noah Rich, Nate Paarlberg and his son Isaiah Bales.
“What a run they had, 19 wins,” Bales said. “They left their mark on our program. They’re special to me.”
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