TOLEDO, Ohio — The Whitmer Panthers fell to Centerville at UD Arena in Dayton in the state semifinal game on Saturday evening.
The final score was Centerville - 58, Whitmer - 39.
At the end of the first quarter, Centerville held a 9 point lead over the Panthers, leading 15-6.
Whitmer was able to make up some ground in the second quarter however and only trailed by 6 at halftime, 24-18.
At the end of the third quarter Whitmer trailed Centerville by a score of 37-25.
Centerville will take on Cleveland St. Ignatius in the state championship game on Sunday.
Original story:
The Whitmer High School boys basketball team is in territory not seen in over a decade. The program is competing in the Division I state semifinals for the first time since 2012.
The Panthers arrived in Dayton Friday in preparation for their matchup with Centerville, a Dayton suburb just 20 minutes from the UD Arena on the campus of the University of Dayton, where the two teams will meet.
"It's just been exciting," Whitmer head coach Anthony Stacey said. "It's been a whirlwind, obviously a lot of support, but I think the guys have done a great job staying focused. They can taste it even though we're so far away still. They're very excited. Practices have been good this week."
Whitmer got to the state semifinal after a regional final win over Garfield Heights. The game, which took place Saturday at Savage Arena, ended in dramatic fashion when Whitmer's Napoleon Jemison got off a putback shot as time expired to win, 49-47.
The win followed the Panthers' other postseason tournament wins over St. John's in the regional semifinal, Perrysburg in the district final and Anthony Wayne in the district semifinal.
Whitmer head coach Anthony Stacey has led the program since 2020 after a stint as an assistant at Bowling Green State University, his alma mater, where he set the record for most points in a career during his four-year career.
Stacey went on to have a 10-year career in overseas professional leagues.
The 2012 state semifinal team featured eventual professional talent such as Nigel Hayes in the NBA, and Chris Wormley and Storm Norton in the NFL.
The state semifinal game is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at UD Arena in Dayton. The state championship game is scheduled for Sunday, March 24th at 8:30 p.m., also at UD Arena.