ONTARIO — There’s a new name atop the Crestview High School basketball scoring list.
All hail to the new points king, senior Justice Thompson.
Thompson broke the record with his 16th points, and finished with 18 points in Saturday afternoon’s 61-59 upset loss at Ontario.
For his career, Thompson has scored 1,335 points. Dave Groff had the previous record of 1,332 points set in 1965 — making this a mark that stood for 60 years.
(These photos were taken by Tom Theodore)
In the game itself, well, it was memorable for Ontario, too.
Football has a Hail Mary as the adjective for an unlikely bomb that rescues victory from the jaws of defeat.
They’re going to have to come up with a new term altogether for what the Ontario boys basketball team pulled off on Saturday afternoon.
The Warriors trailed powerful Crestview 58-51 with less than a minute to play at the O-Rena, and hopes looked dim. But a missed free throw here, a turnover there, and a layup at the buzzer gave coach Jerry Moton’s squad its biggest win of the season in a 61-59 shocker.
Coach John Kurtz’s squad owned a 59-56 edge with the clock ticking down when Ontario freshman Trindon Flenoury nailed a trey to tie the game.
On the Cougars’ ensuing possession, Warriors’ sophomore Tre Fowler picked off a steal and streaked to the glass to net a layup beating the horn for the game-winning bucket.
Flenoury and freshman Cardae Brown topped the Warriors with 14 points apiece, while Fowler had a dozen. Remington Schroeder chipped in nine points and freshman Trey Remy added eight.
Crestview’s Justice Thompson set the school’s career scoring mark with 1,335 points. He finished with a game-high 18 points, as did teammate Tyson Ringler. Daniel Wells had 13 points and junior Andrew Spoerr contributed 10, but no one else scored for the Cougars.
Crestview drained 10-of-12 free throws, while the Warriors made 4-of-6. Ontario connected on six treys (four by Flenoury), compared to nine for the Cougars — five by Thompson, four in the second quarter.
The two squads battled to an 8-8 first-quarter tie before Crestview moved on top 27-20 at the half. The Warriors were still trailing 43-36 heading to the final period. Once there, Moton’s men enjoyed a 25-17 scoring advantage.
Crestview drops to 12-2 overall, and will host Bellevue on Wednesday. The Cougars only other defeat this year was a 54-50 loss to Highland on Jan. 7.
Ontario improves to 5-10 overall, and will host Marion Pleasant on Thursday.
This game was also recognized as Military Appreciation Day, with the Warriors donning uniforms provided by the Ohio National Guard.