ONTARIO (Crawford County Now) — Things started perfectly for Seneca East as the fourth-seeded Tigers bolted out a 7-0 lead over No. 2 seed Crestview.

But the Cougars (17-6) showed why they are a perennial north central Ohio power, rallying for a 52-40 boys Division VI district semifinal win at the O-rena Wednesday night.

“We’ve done that a bunch this year. It’s kind of frustrating, but we do seem to bounce back. But in the tournament you don’t want to do that very often because it could cost you a game,” said Cougars head coach John Kurtz.

Led by Tyson Ringler and Daniel Wells, who combined for 7 of their team’s points in the first quarter, Crestview took a 14-11 lead.

Ringler finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots. Wells added 16 points.

“Crestview finished around the rim a little better than we did. We didn’t necessarily take advantage of the easies that we had. That was the tale of the game,” said Seneca East head coach Anthony Langhurst.

“They got to the rim and got to the line. We missed a few opportunities and in a tight game like this, that’s the difference.”

Seneca East (15-9) was led by Luke Mason’s 16 points and Lucas Bordner’s 15 points, 7 rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

Crestview took a 24-21 lead at halftime despite all-district player Justice Thompson being held to 4 points on the night.

“If you take him away it gives us some other looks. And Tyson had a really good game, but also Daniel Wells got some really nice open looks,” Kurtz said.

“You can’t take him away — a lot of guys try to do that, and some are very successful as they were tonight — but then that gave us some other opportunities.”

With the win the Cougars face Colonel Crawford, the district’s top seed, after the Eagles rallied for a 51-46 victory over Western Reserve in the first game.

Crestview won a Week 1 non-league game over Crawford, 56-48, to hand them their only loss.

“That seems like 10 years ago, the beginning of the year. They had only had a couple weeks of practice, and they didn’t shoot the ball very well against us — we hope that continues to happen.

“But they are a very good team, you don’t go as long as they go without losing, so it’ll be a really tough match,” Kurtz said.

Bordner hit a 3 to pull the Tigers to within 31-28, with 2:34 left in the third quarter.

But Ringler converted 5-of-8 free throws and Crestview took a 38-28 lead into the final 8 minutes.

Mason scored two quick baskets, but Thompson countered, and Wells’ trey pushed it back to an 8-point margin at 43-35.

Kurtz commended his role players for stepping up in a big game.

“When we played Ontario here in the regular season we didn’t pass the ball very well, and it’s been a real point of emphasis for us going into the tournament. I thought our kids really shared the ball, we were looking for each other, and the pressure didn’t really bother us tonight at all,” he said.

“That’s the maturity of kids growing up, knowing that as you get to the end of the year you should be getting better at those things.”

Langhurst said his team kept fighting.

“We were going to compete. Obviously, we’re a team when we’re not knocking down shots it’s difficult. I thought our defense kind of kept us in it. The effort was there.”

For Taylor Young, Bryler Beamer, Bordner, Ayden Zack, Justin Reiter and Caden Miller this was their final time wearing the Orange and Black.

“I want to thank the seniors. A special group. With those guys, effort was never an issue for the 20-plus games we played this year, and that’s all you’re looking for as a coach,” Langhurst said.

“Great athletes and those guys stepped in with their athleticism and competitiveness. They were a great fit and it was a fun group.”

The program’s success is evident, last year going to the regionals and this year, despite a 7-7 record in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, making it to the district semifinals.

“The kids have bought into what (assistant) coach (Doug) Mason and I have been teaching these guys,” he said.

“The younger guys need to see that because there’s some work that needs to be done, and a lot of big shoes to fill. They set a really good example for the younger guys.”

Box score

Seneca East    11      10       7     12 — 40

Crestview       14       15       9     14 — 52

Seneca East (15-9): Shots 17-47; 3-pt. shots 6-21 (Lucas Borner 3, Luke Mason 2, Taylor Young); Free throws 0-0; Rebounds 17 (Lucas Bordner 7); Turnovers 8. Scoring: Taylor Young 2 0 5, Bryler Beamer 1 0 2, Luke Mason 7 0 16, Lucas Bordner 6 0 15, Justin Reiter 1 0 2.

Crestview (17-6): Shots 17-37; 3-pt. shots 5-11 (Daniel Wells 4, Drew Spoerr); Free throws 13-20; Rebounds 24 (Karter Goon 6); Turnovers 7. Scoring: Tyler Ringler 5 11 21, Daniel Wells 5 2 16, Karter Goon 2 0 4, Justice Thompson 2 0 4, Drew Spoerr 3 0 7.