Lucas Cubs embraced underdog role on way to Sweet 16
LUCAS — They were counted out from the very beginning.
The Lucas Cubs graduated the most prolific scorer in program history in Logan Niswander and arguably the best defender the Cubs have ever seen in Carson Hauger. Then, their leading scorer and record-setting player, Riley Gossom, was lost for the season after being involved in a serious automobile accident.
That was 1,037 points from 2019-20 alone that was not coming back for the Cubs, so it is no wonder why they weren't taken seriously.
“It was our motivator all year,” Lucas senior Ethan Wallace said. “We heard how we graduated our leading scorer in program history and lost the player who was going to take over that spot in Riley, so we used it as motivation all year to keep us going. The senior class kept all those voices in the back of our minds.”
And they kept them in their minds all the way through their district championship win Friday night over St. Paul that netted them back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16. During a year in which everything seemed to be going against the Cubs, like a global pandemic, they came through with gold medals around their necks and a new trophy to add to a crowded case.
"Losing Riley and not getting to finish last year, there were a lot of negative things that happened to this group, and these guys did nothing but show up and work hard," Lucas coach Taylor Iceman said. "Now, we are going back to regionals."
Senior Ethan Sauder, who led the Cubs with 16 points in the district title game and recently joined the 1,000 career point club, couldn't have scripted the 2020-21 season any other way after advancing to the Sweet 16.
“It is awesome,” Sauder said. “How else can you explain something like this? We lose Riley and we can come out here and play for him. It is so great to see him out here being happy for us, and it is satisfying to be back. Hopefully, we can get the win and play in a game that we didn’t get to last year.”
That chance comes at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Firestone High School in Akron against Warren JFK.
But the improbable season started off as rocky as it could get. After a long football playoff run to the regional championship game set the Cubs back a couple of weeks, they finally kicked off their season on Dec. 11 and took a 10-point loss on the road at Crestline, bringing an end to their 21-game Mid-Buckeye Conference winning streak.
Iceman left that game with his brain scrambling.
“I walked out of the gym that night in Crestline and I didn’t know what to think of it,” Iceman said. “The kids just put their heads down and improved so much since then.”
Lucas didn't lose another league game, claiming their third consecutive conference championship — the first three-peat in program history — and put up historic defensive numbers. They allow just 40.8 points a game, which is on pace to break the program record for lowest average points allowed in a season of 43.7 set in 1951-52.
Even after posting a 15-7 regular season, the Cubs were voted the No. 5 seed in the Division IV Willard District during the seed meeting on Super Bowl Sunday. It ignited something in the Cubs, who won their next three out of four games to close out the season.
As they entered tournament play, they couldn't help but think about how they are the defending district champions and yet they were voted as the fifth-best team.
“It put that chip on our shoulder,” Wallace said. “We have had that our entire lives, and we just have that determination to overcome everything like we just did. We love that underdog role.”
Sauder was actually happy to get seeded that low.
“We were the one last year and we get the five this year,” he said. “Embracing the underdog is the most fun thing, especially when you come from Lucas. It is amazing to prove people wrong. I was actually happy to be the No. 5 seed because everyone is going to overlook you and you get to play more games to prepare for games like the district championship. There are advantages and disadvantages, but being seeded fifth definitely helped.”
The Cubs dominated Danbury in a sectional semifinal before knocking off No. 4 seed Sandusky St. Mary's on the road to win the sectional title.
Next up, Lucas beat No. 1 seed South Central to advance to the title game against No. 2 St. Paul, which also resulted in a win.
The fifth seed became a mantra for the Cubs as they focused on repeating as district champs.
“The kids wanted to break down our huddle by yelling, 'five-seed!'" Iceman said. “I told them no, but that just shows what kind of impression that ranking had on these guys. Our record wasn’t spectacular, but the teams we lost to and the teams we played like Lexington, Ontario, Willard and Worthington Christian, we played big schools and prepared ourselves.
"People look down on our league, but most of the teams in our league won their opening-round games in the tournament. So we were battle-tested. In the end, we didn’t care what seed we got — we would play anybody.”
What has also helped is the emergence of the young group of Cubs who have the program looking like it will sustain success for the next three years. Lucas has three sophomores and a freshman who play a majority of the minutes in every game to go along with three seniors.
Sophomores Andrew Smollen, Corbin Toms and Andrew Fanello and freshman Logan Toms are key contributors to the success this season.
“That freshman and sophomore classes are going to be scary in a couple of years,” Wallace said. “The way they are playing right now and how young they are, you know they are going to be trouble. They will be back here next year and the year after.”
Sauder is just amazed at the poise with which they play. Smollen was big for the Cubs with eight points and Corbin Toms had four to go with Sauder's 16 and Wallace's nine in the district title game.
“I still come out and get cotton-mouth from being nervous so I can’t imagine what these young guys are going through,” Sauder said. “Yet, they come out here and perform at a high level. It is amazing to be back here with three sophomores who play in every game. We have a freshman who starts, and those young guys do a great job.”
Iceman is excited for the future of his program with all of the young talent around.
“They are just winners and are coachable while also having a great work ethic and attitude,” he said. “The sky is the limit with this group because a lot of these guys are really young. And it is a lot of fun to think about the future, but these seniors are going to leave such a huge mark on this program with everything they have done. When we are going back to regionals in a couple of years, these seniors are going to have a lot to do with that.”
But the Cubs have some unfinished business. They advanced to the regional semifinals with a chance to make it to the Elite 8 last season, but saw their season end not by a loss, but by a global pandemic.
Still, Wallace cannot help but feel the satisfaction of winning the 2020-21 district championship. When comparing it to the feeling of winning it last year, Wallace said he has to side with the 2020-21 title.
“This year for sure,” he said. “We proved a lot more people wrong this year.”