The winner will play either Berlin Hiland (22-6) or Lima Central Catholic (26-2) in the state championship game at 10:45 a.m. Sunday.
Last year, the Raiders led the game late in the third quarter, but Richmond Heights pulled away for a 66-51 victory. Richmond Heights beat Convoy Crestview 70-26 in the state title game.
After a successful spring and fall sports season — seven players were members of Russia’s state runner-up baseball team, three played in the state golf tournament and another qualified for the state cross country meet — the Raiders came in ready to go, said Russia coach Spencer Cordonnier.
“They were ready from Day 1,” he said. “These kids have kind of been playing together since third and fourth grade. In the senior class, we only have three seniors and when they were younger, we only had about six or seven that came in together. They would bring some of these juniors along with them to some of these tournaments. The guys that are playing a lot of minutes have been playing together since that time.”
The Raiders have been dominant this season as just six of their games have been decided by 20 points or less. In the regional tournament, they beat Lancaster Fisher Catholic and Troy Christian by a combined 71 points.
“This group really is a hard-working group like they were last year,” Cordonnier said. “They’ve jelled well together. They hang out a lot off the court. They come to work. They bring their lunch pails to school. When they get to practice, they’re locked in and ready to go. They put in their two hours or an hour-and-a-half every day and they just go about their business. These kids are fighters and they’re winners.”
The only blemish on Russia’s resume is a four-point loss to Anna on Feb. 2. While the Raiders were disappointed by the loss, they came to practice the following morning with smiles on their faces, Cordonnier said. Later that night, they beat Ansonia by 51 points.
“They’re ‘the sun is always going to come up’ type of guys,” Cordonnier said. “They really are. The moment is never too big for them. … There’s no moment that’s too big for them. They just take care of their own business. They worry about themselves more than they worry about anything else. They’re not flashy, they’re not cocky, they just take care of their business.”
They’ll face a Richmond Heights team looking to become the fifth school since 1922 to win three straight state championships. The Spartans, who advanced to the state tournament for the fifth straight season, return all five starters from last year’s team, including three Division I prospects in juniors Dorian Jones, De’Erick Barber and Demaris Winters.
About the Author