FINDLAY — The third and final version of Perrysburg versus Anthony Wayne certainly lived
up to its hype — this time in a Division I district semifinal.The Yellow Jackets overcame an 11-point
second-quarter deficit and got within one point on two occasions in the fourth quarter.But Perrysburg
could not muster a fourth-quarter lead as the Generals had an answer for every play Perrysburg made and
walked off with a 58-54 win Thursday night at Liberty-Benton High School. PHOTO
GALLERYAW,
now 19-4 overall, will play Mansfield Senior (21-3) for the district title on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the
Stroh Center at Bowling Green State University.“Our kids really brought it tonight,” Generals head coach
Bryan Borcherdt said. “They had composure, they were poised, they executed down the stretch when we had
to.”AW clung to a tight lead late in the fourth quarter, and went 7-of-9 from the free-throw line in the
final 1:17 to help preserve the win.Perrysburg, which finished its season 15-9 overall, battled back
from a 40-31 deficit late in the third quarter to get within two (42-40) with 7:07 left in the
fourth.After AW’s Mark Donnal’s bucket, Perrysburg’s Nick Moschetti hit his third triple of the game to
make it 44-43.The Generals answered with a pair of free throws on their next possession, stretching
their lead back to three — but only for a brief moment. Shane Edwards hit a runner over Donnal to get
Perrysburg within one (46-45) with 4:29 remaining.Edwards finished with 16 points.But a 7-0 AW run over
the next 3:23 allowed the Generals to extend their lead to 53-45 until Perrysburg’s Chris Schimmoeller
knocked in two free throws with 1:06 on the clock.“We thought we were in the game the whole time and we
never thought we were desperate,” Perrysburg head coach Dave Boyce said. “We thought we could get it
right back and play it right down to the wire.”With 46 seconds left Moschetti hit his final triple,
keeping the ’Jackets alive although they still trailed 55-50.

After two free throws cut Perrysburg’s deficit to three, Moschetti had a chance to tie the
game, but his 3-point attempt from the right corner was partially blocked with 25 seconds on the
clock.Moschetti, a junior guard, finished with a game-high 22 points, which included four
3-pointers.“When we had our chances we missed a few opportunities,” Boyce said.“It’s one of those things
where you’re constantly trying to get one play ahead,” Borcherdt said. “Obviously we both know each
other, we both try to throw little wrinkles in here and there.”Schimmoeller got Perrysburg back to 56-54
with a runner with 10.8 seconds left, but it was too late and AW’s Matt Fox hit his only two free throws
to seal the win.Fox finished with 13 points, while Hunter Debo added 12.Donnal led AW with team-highs of
20 points and 12 rebounds.“I knew that once we got a lead we needed to expand it,” Borcherdt said.
“Because they don’t go away quietly, they never do.”Donnal, a 6-foot-9 senior headed to the University
of Michigan, was responsible for three of AW’s six 3-pointers for the game.His inside and outside threat
made it difficult for Perrysburg to defend him as the Generals possess good shooters in Debo and Fox as
well.AW was 6-of-9 from 3-point territory.“They’ve got a really good mix of talent,” Boyce said.
“They’re really hard to guard, and when they shoot like that … they shot off the chart
tonight.”Perrysburg fell behind early as it shot just 9-for-26 in the first half, including just 1-for-8
from beyond the arc as it trailed 28-21 at halftime.The ’Jackets rebounded to hit four triples in the
second half, all of which were by Moschetti, but it wasn’t enough to overcome AW.“We didn’t shoot well
early and that gave them control of the game and then they just kept having answers,” Boyce said.It was
the third time the Generals beat Perrysburg this year. AW was 71-65 (in overtime) and 54-48 winners over
the ’Jackets in Northern Lakes League play this year.ANTHONY WAYNE 58, PERRYSBURG 54ANTHONY WAYNEFox,
4-1-2—13; Debo, 2-2-2—12; Reid, 1-0—2; Omofoma, 1-7—9; Baker, 0-0—0; Johnson, 1-0—2; Donnal, 4-3-3—20.
TOTALS: 13-6-14—58.PERRYSBURGMesker, 0-0—0; Byrd, 1-0—2; Kaczinski, 0-0—0; Moschetti, 4-4-2—22;
Schimmoeller, 2-2—6; H. Thomas, 0-0—0; Edwards, 5-1-3—16; Patterson, 4-0—8. TOTALS: 16-5-7—54.AW 15 13
14 16 —58PERRYSBURG 11 10 15 18 —54