Richmond took down Pike and Brownsburg in the regional to get to the Seymour semi-state. The Red Devils had an even larger task against the well-oiled machine of Evansville Reitz. The Panthers blew out Franklin Central after coming from a deep hole against New Albany in its regional play.
Richmond was not afraid to play Reitz' pace. The Red Devils jumped out to a 6-2 lead, but Reitz answered with a 15-0 run. Alex Stein was fantastic in the first half. He had 13 points at the halftime break, many of his baskets were created by beating other players to the ball and playing through contact. He brought a lot of energy to Reitz.
Teams hoping to defeat Reitz have to handle the immense pressure that the Panthers apply on both ends of the floor. They never seem to let off the gas pedal. Turnovers are quickly turned into points by everyone on the court. Richmond handled the pressure at times, but were unable to finish in the paint. Then Reitz would have a spurt and extend its lead in a matter of moments.
Joel Okafor had his moments for Richmond. He had a stretch to end the half that pumped some life into Richmond, but the game was already over for practical reasons. Reitz opened more than a twenty point lead in the second quarter and cruised from there. The final score was 92-75 in the advantage of Evansville Reitz.
Okafor finished with 26 points in his final high school game. He will play at Wisconsin-Green Bay next year.
Alex Stein finished with a game-high 27 points for Reitz. Blake Ruckman added 18 points. Stein and Ruckman were key in Reitz creating separation on the scoreboard in the first half.
Evansville Retiz will face Homestead for the 4A state championship on Saturday March 28, 2015.