Findlay Prep opens defense of national title with victory
Findlay Prep is two wins from another ESPN RISE National High School Invitational boys basketball championship.
The Pilots, who won last year’s inaugural title, opened their postseason with a dominant 65-50 quarterfinal win over Charlotte (N.C.) Christian on Thursday at Coppin State in Baltimore.
Tristan Thompson led Findlay Prep (30-2) with 16 points and nine rebounds. The 6-foot-10-inch Texas signee had 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the first half.
“(Thompson) was ready to get after it a bit,” Pilots coach Michael Peck said in a phone interview. “He ran the floor and was aggressive.”
Seeded second in the eight-team field, Findlay Prep advanced to face No. 6 seed Mountain State Academy (W.Va.) in a semifinal at 11 a.m. today in a game that will be televised on ESPN2.
Nick Johnson had 13 points and four assists for Findlay Prep, and teammate Cory Joseph added 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
“We’re a better team when they’re clicking,” Peck said of Thompson, Johnson and Joseph. “It starts with our defense; it gets us going.”
The Pilots weren’t seriously threatened beyond the first quarter. Marko Petrovic’s 3-pointer late in the third capped a 25-9 run spanning two periods to give Findlay Prep a 55-29 lead.
The Pilots defeated Mountain State Academy 79-54 on Jan. 9 in Lexington, Ky., but Peck said he expects a tougher game today.
The Falcons (22-3) are coming off a 59-53 win over Oak Hill Academy (Va.) on Thursday.
“It’s less than a 24-hour turnaround,” Peck said. “We’ve just got to match our effort.”
