Problems persisted for Buchanan against St. Joseph in Central Section D-I final
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- St. Joseph dominated physically and beat Buchanan 62-34 for the D-I title.
- Malcolm Price led scoring with 32 points as St. Joseph controlled the paint.
- St. Joseph outscored Buchanan 23-0 on fast breaks, sealing the Bears' defeat.
Buchanan High boys basketball coach Tom Orlich admits his team didn’t match up well against the powerhouse St. Joseph.
It showed from the opening tip to the end of the game, the Knights were too tall and powered their way to a 62-34 victory in a Central Section Division I championship game at Selland Arena on Saturday.
According to section historian Bob Barnett, this was St. Joseph’s second straight section title.
“They did a great job,” Bears coach Tom Orlich said. “We really struggled physically early on, and we had a lot of shots that didn’t go in tonight.”
This combination resulted in a loss for Buchanan, which had won the Tri-River Athletic Conference title and earned the No. 2 seed in the D-I playoffs.
The Bears found Malcolm Price difficult to stop.
Price had his way, finishing the game with a game-high 32 points.
St. Joseph outscored Buchanan 24-14 in the paint.
And what about fast-break points? That was even more lopsided in favor of the Knights.
St. Joseph outscored Buchanan 23-0 in fast breaks.
The Knights’ athleticism proved to be the Achilles’ heel for the Bears, who were led by Brayden Harris’ 14 points.
“We were unable to really maintain contact,” Orlich said. “They did a great job.”
