Benson, Roupe combine to score 46 points, but Pirates lose

Albert Grindle
The Gazette
CRESTON — Black River coach Josh Calame shed a tear not because the season was over, but because his boys basketball team showed its character for the umpteenth time.
The 13th-seeded Pirates lost 61-54 to fifth-seeded Norwayne in a Wooster Division I Sectional semifinal Tuesday. Their 6-17 record was identical to last season, but the number of close games they played illustrated unarguable improvement.
“I got a little emotional (in the locker room),” Calame said. “I’m just real proud of this group. I just hope they understand and everyone else understands how far they’ve come. They don’t lay down to anybody.
“The epitome of our team right now is that game — you play your hearts out, you get down, but you don’t quit and battle back.”
That held true against the Bobcats (13-9), as Black River got an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to seven and likely would have been closer if 6-foot-7 Norwayne center Nate Weinman (22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks) didn’t make 6-of-6 free throws to keep the scrappy Pirates at bay.
The stars powered the comeback, as Allan Benson (26 points) and Curtis Roupe (20, 9 rebounds) scored 29 of Black River’s first 30 points in the second half. The duo was dynamite in the fourth quarter, as Benson had 14 points on 3-of-5 field goals and 8-of-8 free throws and Roupe added three inside scores.
Norwayne led 50-32 after backup guard Devin Kay drained consecutive 3-pointers to start the fourth. The Bobcats then couldn’t hit a shot — they were 9-for-32 after a 13-for-25 first half — allowing Benson and Roupe to respond with a 16-5 run that made the score 55-48 with 60 seconds to play.
Black River got no closer because surefire All-Wayne County Athletic League pick Weinman answered the call.
“I’m devastated because we almost came all the way back in the fourth quarter,” said Benson, who finished third in school history with 1,162 career points. “If we didn’t have such a slow start, who knows what the outcome could have been.
“We fought till the end. That’s the most important thing.”
As Benson alluded to, the Pirates were in a desperate position because of awful starts to each quarter. They trailed 12-3 right off the rip, then allowed 9-0, 7-2 and 6-0 runs to begin the next three quarters.
The initial spurt was especially damaging, as a season-long theme of slow starts bit again.
“I have no idea (what happened),” Benson said. “Maybe (Norwayne) had more intensity, more emotion than us. It’s their home floor. We played here in a scrimmage, but we haven’t played here in months, so that could have been a factor.”
Black River, which trailed 32-22 at half and 44-32 after three periods, also didn’t receive secondary help. The Bobcats got complements to Weinman and guard Griffin Lusk (19 points) in the forms of power forward Bryce Rohrbaugh (7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) and Kay (8 points, 2 assists).
Pirates not named Benson or Roupe combined for eight points on 2-for-19 shooting, including 0-for-13 over the final three quarters. Anything resembling a third scorer could have been critical, as Norwayne switched from man to a 2-3 zone and dared anyone not named Benson to shoot outside.
“You have a guy go for 26 and another for 20, and you’ve got six and two (from the other two players who scored),” Calame said. “That also is the epitome of us this year. We just couldn’t a lot of nights get that third scorer.”
Despite its struggles, Black River still poured heart into making a final push and finished the season playing in its 11th game decided by single digits.
For a program that lost 49 consecutive games not too long ago, that accomplishment is something the Pirates are proud of.
“We just didn’t give up, you know?” Benson said. “We’re a different team than the last two years. I’m not talking crap about (Norwayne), but we just had that feeling we were still in this game and that we weren’t going to give up.
“I knew it was going to be different this year.”
Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.
Norwayne 61, Black River 54
Wooster Division III Sectional Semifinal
BLACK RIVER 13 9 10 22 — 54
NORWAYNE 16 16 12 17 — 61
Black River — Derek Hawley 0-7 0-0 0, Brennan Scheck 0-2 0-0 0, Curtis Roupe 9-14 2-4 20, Zach Hawley 1-5 3-4 6, Allan Benson 8-17 9-10 26, Mike Hazlett 1-5 0-0 2, River Wheeler 0-0 0-0 0, Brandon Heath 0-0 0-0 0, Blake Widenmeyer 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 19-50 14-18 54.
Norwayne — Cade Hiles 1-3 0-0 2, Bryce Rohrbaugh 3-8 1-2 7, Nate Weinman 6-12 10-11 22, Griffin Lusk 9-16 0-0 19, Alex Widmer 0-5 0-0 0, John Dreher 0-0 0-0 0, Devin Kay 2-10 2-4 8, Brevin Harris 0-2 0-0 0, Grant Holcomb 1-1 1-1 3. TOTALS: 22-57 14-18 61.
3-point goals — Black River 2-16 (Z. Hawley 1-3, Benson 1-6, Roupe 0-1, Hazlett 0-1, Scheck 0-1, D. Hawley 0-4), Norwayne 3-11 (Kay 2-4, Lusk 1-3, Weinman 0-1, Widmer 0-1, Rohrbaugh 0-2). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Black River 25 (Roupe 9), Norwayne 32 (Weinman 11). Assists — Black River 5 (D. Hawley, Widenmeyer 2), Norwayne 16 (Hiles 6). Turnovers — Black River 16 (Benson 6), Norwayne 15 (Weinman 6). Fouls — Black River 17, Norwayne 16. Records — Black River (6-17), Norwayne (13-9).