Coming off of a stunning 63-60 victory over top-seeded Akron East, the Tigers were poised to take down another favored opponent. Wadsworth, the fourth-seeded team in the Copley district, didn't allow the Tigers to continue their unexpected tournament run on Friday night, as the Grizzles won convincingly, 53-39.
"We were playing from our heels almost from the beginning," said Twinsburg head coach Bob Pacsi. "You can't do that against a good team when you're a young, inexperienced team."
The Tigers played from behind for almost the entire game, starting with Wadsworth's 11-4 lead in the first quarter. Twinsburg began to find its rhythm offensively in the second quarter, thanks to four steals, which resulted in a 6-0 run for the Tigers. Wadsworth's offense was led by forward Josh Kipfer's 12 first-half points. The Grizzlies reached halftime with a 22-17 lead over Twinsburg.
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The Tigers began the second half with the same tenacity that powered them to their fourth-quarter comeback versus East on Tuesday. Senior guard Michael Timm did his best to duplicate his Tuesday evening performance, as he forced two steals early in the third and scored six points. Sophomores Jalen Washington and A.J. Edwards combined for four points in the quarter, but Wadsworth still outscored Twinsburg 12-10.
"The bottom line is, there's five guys out there that put it on the line in a sectional game," said Pacsi.
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Trailing by only seven heading into the fourth, the Tigers still had a legitimate chance of winning and advancing in the tournament. Twinsburg traded baskets with Wadsworth for the first three minutes of the fourth, but Wadsworth's Prescott Williams exploded for 11 points and pushed the Grizzlies out to a comfortable lead. Twinsburg couldn't get their shots to fall and failed to muster a comeback, losing to Wadsworth, 53-39.
"In the last month, we played some really good games," said Pasci. "I thought this was one of them, except we just didn't finish."
Scoring Breakdown:
Twinsburg:
#5 Aaron Macer: 5 pts
#11 Michael Timm: 11 pts
#21 Jalen Washington: 10 pts
#23 Malik Billingsley: 5 pts
#33 A.J. Edwards: 6 pts
Wadsworth:
#3 Tyler Perry: 7 pts
#22 Prescott Williams: 20 pts
#30 Tate Moore: 3 pts
#32 Josh Kipfer: 20 pts
#40 Justin Sovine: 3 pts