Mentor High Boys Basketball Team Season Ends With Tough Loss To Warren Harding

The Mentor High boys basketball team's season came down to the final 30 seconds of their regional semifinal against Warren Harding.

Though they had struggled through part of the game -- trailing by four at half time -- the Cardinals were up 54-51 with 30 seconds left.

Then Rashid Gaston of Warren Harding made a layup as sophomore Brandon Fritts fouled him. However, Gaston missed the foul shot so Mentor still had a 1-point lead with 19 seconds left.

The Cardinals gave the ball to senior who led the team with 22 points, as he has led them most of the season.

But Rasaun Smith stole the ball from Fritts and score to give Warren Harding the lead. A pair of foul shots for Warren Harding extended that lead to three points.

The Cardinals had a final opportunity to tie. With fewer than 10 seconds on the clock, the got the ball to Danny Wallack behind the 3-point line.

Wallack had made a 3-pointer earlier in the quarter that gave the Cardinals a 52-51 lead. But his final shot of the season did not fall and the Cardinals lost.

The Cardinals struggled with shooting most of the game. They were 18-54 from the field and 10-27 from three. Warren Harding also out rebounded them.

The Cardinals ended their season 22-3 and as district champions.

Audio of the entire regional semifinal is available at cleveland.com. Additional coverage can be found on The News-Herald's site.