CANTON — Glenville and Hawken battled in a contest of teams each eyeing its first trip to the state championship game in a Division IV state semifinal March 15. One side had a run and the other responded quickly. The Tarblooders took the lead and never let the foot off the gas. A late run from Gle nville pushed the game out of reach and it took the win, 62-42. Glenville will play Marysville in the D-IV state championship game at 4:15 p.m., March 21 at the University of Dayton. PHOTOS: Hawken vs. Glenville boys basketball, March 15, 2025 Glenville took an early lead, and Hawken responded. Quick scores capped by a Greg Price steal and one-handed jam made it 12-9, forcing a Glenville timeout. The Tarblooders responded with a 6-0 run and ended the first with an 18-9 lead. A similar scenario happened in the second quarter. Hawken's Ice Taylor made back-to-back jumpers to make it 20-17 as a part of an 8-2 run and force another Glenville timeout early in the second quarter. Glenville responded with a Garry Pritchett 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run. Hawken coach Anthony Burns said Glenville's length made it hard to sustain runs. "That's what this game is built on," Burns said. "The thing about it is that whoever is able to generate the most is going to win. Every time we found a way to make one, they would counter, they really hit us in the mouth with out-rebounding us. They had a great game plan and they didn't let up. That's what good teams do." Hawken trimmed back within five as a 6-2 run to open the third quarter. Da'Ron Hill had all six points for the Hawks. Out of another timeout for Glenville, the Tarblooders made an 8-0 run and used their length to create four Hawken turnovers in the third quarter alone. All game, the Tarblooders ran the Hawks off of the 3-point line and found ways to limit shot selection. They made just one shot on five attempts from beyond the arc. "We had to settle for a lot of tough shots inside," Burns said. "They did a great job of taking Greg Price away from us. So it became next man up for us. A lot of good shots just weren't falling for us and they wanted us to go off of those misses with the pace." Hawken tried to make a run to open the fourth with Taylor and Charlie Mallett creating a 6-2 push. Again, the Tarblooders were able to speed up the Hawks defensively and then slowed the pace from the offense. The Hawks were led by Hill with 15 point and Taylor with 10. While their historic run ended, the confidence in the program is high. Four of the starters return along with key bench players. The eighth-grade team hasn't lost a game in three years. Burns expects final four runs to become more common than happenstance. "Now we know what it takes to get here," Burns said. "It's not the last time we'll be here for sure. What we did in one year without any extra time together, working with a lot of kids that the Hawken system brought up. I'm proud of how they took the steps this year and know they're ready for the next ones." Glenville was led by Xavier Vickerstaff with 17 points and seven rebounds. Pritchett had 16 points and Braylyn Irby added seven boards. The score Glenville 62, Hawken 42 ...read more read less