DAYTON, Ohio — For a half, Russia could not contain Ohio’s all-time leading scorer.
Quinn “Turtle” Kwasniak nailed three 3-pointers in the second quarter, each either from deep or off-balanced with a defender or two on him. The senior guard from Cornerstone Christian finished with 38 points and connected on six 3s, but Russia figured out how to push ahead despite it Saturday with a 74-57 win for the OHSAA Division VII state championship in boys basketball at the University of Dayton Arena.
See how the Raiders (30-0) did it and hear from coach Spencer Cordonnier, senior guard Benjamin York and forward Braylon Cordonnier, plus Kwasniak and Cornerstone coach Babe Kwasniak.
The Patriots (21-9) cut Russia’s early nine-point lead down to a point with Kwasniak’s third 3-pointer of the second quarter and took a brief lead. They trailed 38-34 at halftime, but Russia quickly pushed back ahead by 10 points in the third quarter. Braylon Cordonnier led the Raiders with 22 points, while Dominic Francis had 21 with eight rebounds and four blocks.
Vince Borchers scored 14 points for Russia, which made its third straight trip to Dayton after two state semifinal losses to Richmond Heights, but finally took home its first state crown.
Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), Threads (@mgoul), Bluesky (@mgoul.bsky.social) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com).