By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Rossville boys basketball hosted the McLouth Bulldogs in the first round of Class 2A postseason action Friday night with a 90-28 statement win.
Senior Jack Donovan scored 47 points with nine 3-pointers in Rossville's 90-28 Class 2A sub-state win over McLouth. [File photo/TSN]
The Bulldawgs entered the playoffs having won four of their last five games and were looking to regain their momentum following a six-point loss to St. Marys.
“We can't sit in that adversity for too long,” said Rossville coach Brandon McDonnell. “We lost to a good St. Marys team, but we also knew our season wasn't done yet. We could be mad about it for a second, but we had to come back and get ready for this game right here. The boys came out dialed in and ready to go.”
Rossville, the No. 3 seed, wasted no time asserting control, opening the game on a 19-0 run, fueled by senior Jack Donovan, who scored 12 straight points during the surge on his way to a game-high 47 points with nine 3-pointers.
McLouth finally got on the board when Beau Harsh found the basket to stop the run.
Donovan continued his hot start, knocking down another 3-pointer for his 15th point of the quarter to make it 22-2.
Senior Cam Miller added a 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter to stretch the lead to 27-7.
“You know, my team was setting me up and putting me in good spots to get open,” Donovan said. “I was able to let it go, and it was going in.”
McLouth scored first in the second quarter, but Rossville responded with an 8–0 run to push the lead to 35-9.
Miller caught fire, hitting a 3-pointer and following it with a layup for five quick points to extend the margin to 40-11.
“It definitely helps that I’m so tall,'' Miller said. "I can jump up, grab a board, kick it out to Jacoby, and he can push it up to whoever’s running down the court.
"Jakoby and Jack make a lot of stuff easier for me to be able to play my game.”
With the score at 49-17, Rossville closed the half on an 11–0 run, including seven straight points from Donovan, to take a commanding 60-17 lead into halftime.
The Dawgs continued their dominance in the third quarter, opening with a 15–0 run.
Miller scored eight of those points to make it 73-17. McLouth briefly halted the run, but Donovan answered with back-to-back 3-pointers. Rossville carried an 85-21 lead into the fourth quarter.
McLouth was led in scoring by Harsh with 23 points.
“It’s always good to get a win,” Donovan said. “We had to get a win, and it’s good to win like this. It helps our confidence going into the next round.
"We’re playing strong together. We cherish every moment because any day could be our last, and we’re trying to enjoy everything.”
With the victory, Rossville advances to face Maur Hill-Mt. Academy on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Rossville.
ROSSVILLE 90, MCLOUTH 28
McLouth 7 10 4 7 -- 28
Rossville 27 33 25 5 -- 90
McLouth (5-19) -- B.Harsh 11-21 0-0 23, Sheehan 2-3 1-2 5, Forsberg 0-5 0-0 0, C.Harsh 0-6 0-0 0, Holloway 0-4 0-0 0, Desoto 0-1 0-0 0, Ray 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 13-41 1-2 28.
Rossville (15-7) -- Donovan 17-28 4-4 47, Miller 9-15 1-1 21, Johnson 3-6 0-0 6, McDonnell 1-3 0-2 2, Bush 1-2 0-0 2, Horgan 2-2 1-1 2, Horak 2-5 1-2 5, Martinek 1-2 0-1 2, Dick 0-3 0-0 0, Wuensch 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 36-68 7-11 90.
3-point goals -- McLouth 1 (B.Harsh), Rossville 11 (Donovan 9, Miller 2). Total fouls -- McLouth 8, Rossville 4. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
