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DAYTON — As he rode the bus to University of Dayton Arena, Avery Andrejcik had the feeling it would be a big Friday.
The Louisville High School senior could just hear it.
"On the way here I had the best jamfest I've ever had," Andrejcik said of the shuffle on his pregame playlist. "It was every song I love. Listening to music gets me in a groove."
J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Doechii got Andrejcik in a groove, and he stayed in it during the Division III state championship game.
Andrejcik's 14 points off the bench helped the Leopards take down Cincinnati Aiken 63-61 for their first state title in boys basketball.
It was a big contribution in the biggest of moments for Louisville, and it came from a kid who had scored a combined 23 points in the Leopards' previous five tournament games, including goose eggs in their two regional games.
Andrejcik's playing time and shot attempts fluctuated throughout the season, but the 6-foot-3 guard's readiness never did.
"A lot of it has to do with my dad, keeping me composed, saying, 'Just trust the process, stay calm and stay ready for your shot, because you're going to make it,'" Andrejcik said of his father, Adam.
Dad was right, as his even-keel son shot 3-of-6 from 3-point range and 5-of-9 overall from the floor to go with two rebounds and an assist in 19 minutes Friday. He had a key blocked shot late in the fourth quarter as Louisville held off a relentless Aiken team.
Andrejcik scored eight points in the final 2:23 of the second quarter as the Leopards went up by as many as 21 points. They needed every bit of that cushion as Aiken stormed back in the second half.
"I thought Avery was the reason we extended the lead so much," Louisville head coach Tom Siegfried said. "He was the difference."
Andrejcik said he was ready for the moment because he continued to work. Siegfried confirms that, adding, "I get to school every day at 7 a.m. and it's not uncommon that he already has 200 or 300 shots up. ... He deserves what he got tonight."
To be clear, Andrejcik's big performance wasn't completely out of the blue. He scored 24 points and made six 3s in Louisville's tournament opener against Akron North. He hit what turned out to be the game-winning 3 with 90 seconds left in the state semifinal vs. Garfield Heights.
Andrejcik entered the state final averaging 7.1 points and shooting an impressive 46.2 percent from 3-point range.
"He started the year as a starter and we went a different direction in the middle of the year," Siegfried said. "He stayed steady and kept doing what he does. He honestly just didn't get a ton of opportunities to shoot it in the middle of the year. I thought lately things were opening up outside for him. I think the thing with Avery is his overall game has gotten a lot better. His defense was pretty stellar tonight. He made a couple of good decisions. I think his best days are ahead of him."
Andrejcik sure hopes so. A good athlete with a good 195-pound frame and a good shooting stroke, he wants to play in college. Teammate Tate Aljancic, who scored a team-high 17 points Friday, interjected during the postgame press conference, "I don't know who's watching this, but any college coaches: Go get Avery."
If they want to find out about Andrejcik, just check out what he did in front of 7,180 fans on the biggest stage in Ohio high school hoops.
"I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life," Andrejcik said. "But hopefully this isn't the top basketball performance for me."
Reach Josh at [email protected]
On X: @jweirREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Louisville boys basketball's Avery Andrejcik impacts OHSAA state title
Continue reading...
The Louisville High School senior could just hear it.
"On the way here I had the best jamfest I've ever had," Andrejcik said of the shuffle on his pregame playlist. "It was every song I love. Listening to music gets me in a groove."
You must be registered for see images attach
J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Doechii got Andrejcik in a groove, and he stayed in it during the Division III state championship game.
Andrejcik's 14 points off the bench helped the Leopards take down Cincinnati Aiken 63-61 for their first state title in boys basketball.
It was a big contribution in the biggest of moments for Louisville, and it came from a kid who had scored a combined 23 points in the Leopards' previous five tournament games, including goose eggs in their two regional games.
Andrejcik's playing time and shot attempts fluctuated throughout the season, but the 6-foot-3 guard's readiness never did.
"A lot of it has to do with my dad, keeping me composed, saying, 'Just trust the process, stay calm and stay ready for your shot, because you're going to make it,'" Andrejcik said of his father, Adam.
You must be registered for see images attach
Dad was right, as his even-keel son shot 3-of-6 from 3-point range and 5-of-9 overall from the floor to go with two rebounds and an assist in 19 minutes Friday. He had a key blocked shot late in the fourth quarter as Louisville held off a relentless Aiken team.
Andrejcik scored eight points in the final 2:23 of the second quarter as the Leopards went up by as many as 21 points. They needed every bit of that cushion as Aiken stormed back in the second half.
"I thought Avery was the reason we extended the lead so much," Louisville head coach Tom Siegfried said. "He was the difference."
Andrejcik said he was ready for the moment because he continued to work. Siegfried confirms that, adding, "I get to school every day at 7 a.m. and it's not uncommon that he already has 200 or 300 shots up. ... He deserves what he got tonight."
To be clear, Andrejcik's big performance wasn't completely out of the blue. He scored 24 points and made six 3s in Louisville's tournament opener against Akron North. He hit what turned out to be the game-winning 3 with 90 seconds left in the state semifinal vs. Garfield Heights.
You must be registered for see images
Andrejcik entered the state final averaging 7.1 points and shooting an impressive 46.2 percent from 3-point range.
You must be registered for see images attach
"He started the year as a starter and we went a different direction in the middle of the year," Siegfried said. "He stayed steady and kept doing what he does. He honestly just didn't get a ton of opportunities to shoot it in the middle of the year. I thought lately things were opening up outside for him. I think the thing with Avery is his overall game has gotten a lot better. His defense was pretty stellar tonight. He made a couple of good decisions. I think his best days are ahead of him."
Andrejcik sure hopes so. A good athlete with a good 195-pound frame and a good shooting stroke, he wants to play in college. Teammate Tate Aljancic, who scored a team-high 17 points Friday, interjected during the postgame press conference, "I don't know who's watching this, but any college coaches: Go get Avery."
If they want to find out about Andrejcik, just check out what he did in front of 7,180 fans on the biggest stage in Ohio high school hoops.
"I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life," Andrejcik said. "But hopefully this isn't the top basketball performance for me."
Reach Josh at [email protected]
On X: @jweirREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Louisville boys basketball's Avery Andrejcik impacts OHSAA state title
Continue reading...
