Falcons get some revenge MSU Academy opens ESPN tournament with win over Oak Hill Academy

BALTIMORE — With the national spotlight burning bright, Mountain State Academy rose to the occasion.

The No. 6 seed Warriors defeated No. 3 Oak Hill Academy 59-53 Thursday in a quarterfinal contest at the ESPN RISE National High School Basketball Invitational.

The game was televised nationally on ESPNU.

Oak Hill Academy dealt MSA one of its three losses at the Big Atlantic Classic in February.

“It’s unbelievable,” MSA coach Rodney Crawford said. “To be a young program like we are and to battle with an established program like Oak Hill Academy — it’s remarkable. It’s really incredible. It’s a credit to the kids and everyone involved.

“We controlled the tempo and rebounded well. That’s what took us over the top. We got it done.”

The Falcons (22-3) advanced to face No. 2 Findlay Prep (Nev.), the 2009 national champion. The semifinal game tips off at 2 p.m. today and will be televised on ESPN2.

Findlay defeated No. 7 Charlotte Christian (N.C.) 65-50 Thursday night.

“This win feels great, but we have a much bigger fish to fry (today),” Crawford said. “We’ll have to lay it all out on the line. Everything’s a little bigger right now.

“This is big for Beckley, big for the academy,” Crawford added. “We’re setting out to win it. They beat us pretty bad the last time we played, so we’ll have to execute much better and be more detailed this time.”

Oak Hill Academy held a 27-24 advantage at halftime, due in part to hitting 6 of 11 three-point attempts. The Warriors connected on just 1 of 13 treys in the second half, however.

“They were hot early, but we were hanging in there,” Crawford said. “We knew that it couldn’t last the whole game.”

Mountain State Academy won the battle on the boards, outrebounding OHA 38-26. WVU-bound center David Nyarsuk grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Falcons.

“David really controlled the paint,” Crawford said. “That was huge for us.”

Ahmad Ibrahim led MSA with 13 points. Remi Dibo scored 12 and Justin Martin tallied 11 for the Falcons.

Oak Hill Academy ended its season at 29-4.

Doron Lamb paced Oak Hill Academy with 20 points. Pe’Shon Howard added 11 and Juwan Staten chipped in with 10 for the Warriors.

In other quarterfinal games Thursday, No. 1 Montverde Academy (Fla.) beat No. 8 Montrose Christian (Md.) 51-49 and No. 5 Winter Park (Fla.) downed No. 4 Christ School (N.C.) 82-72.

The national championship game will be played Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN.



MOUNTAIN STATE ACADEMY 59,

OAK HILL ACADEMY 53

MOUNTAIN STATE ACADEMY (22-3)

Jabs Newby 1-3 0-0 2, Ahmad Ibrahim 6-15 0-0 13, Ronald Ross 3-9 1-1 8, Anthony Bennett 1-6 1-2 4, David Nyarsuk 3-5 1-1 7, Obij Aget 0-0 2-2 2, Justin Martin 5-9 0-0 11, Remi Dibo 4-6 2-2 12. Totals 23-53 7-8 59.

OAK HILL ACADEMY (29-4)

Doron Lamb 8-15 0-0 20, Juwan Staten 4-8 2-2 10, Baye Keita 1-4 1-2 3, Pe’Shon Howard 4-14 1-1 11, Martins Abele 1-3 0-0 2, Keith Hornsby 0-2 0-0 0, Roscoe Smith 2-6 2-3 7, Yemi Makanjuola 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 6-8 53.

Halftime—OHA 27-24. 3-Point Goals—MSA 6-16 (Dibo 2-4, Ibrahim 1-4, Ross 1-3, Bennett 1-2, Martin 1-3), OHA 7-24 (Lamb 4-8, Howard 2-11, Smith 1-3, Staten 0-1, Hornsby 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—MSA 38 (Nyarsuk 10), OHA 26 (Howard 6). Assists—MSA 11 (Newby, I