WESTLAKE — No doubt Kurt Habermehl doesn’t mind repeating himself under these circumstances.
Habermehl, Vermilion’s head coach, said pretty much the same thing after the Sailors’ 56-54 overtime victory over Bay on Friday that he had uttered Tuesday following the team’s overtime win against Holy Name.
“This game was about the team’s character,” Habermehl said. “They don’t quit. They don’t get down on themselves. They just keep coming at you.”
For the second game in a row the Sailors had to rally from a double-digit deficit in the third period and almost certain elimination in the fourth. Vermilion trailed Holy Name 31-19 in the third and 49-40 with three minutes remaining in the last period before winning 61-57 in OT.
The Sailors were behind by 11 near the start of the third quarter and faced a five-point deficit with 1:52 left in the fourth on Friday.
But five points and a defense that limited Bay to 14 points in the third and fourth quarters kept the Sailors alive and eventually gave Vermilion (17-6) its first-ever boys district basketball championship.
“It has been a long time coming,” Habermehl said. “This school has wanted a title for a long time. We had good opportunities in the past and just couldn’t get over the hump. The community has supported this team. Our fans were great tonight.”
“I’m beyond words,” said Matt Liljegren, one of only two seniors on the floor for the Sailors. “Just to get to this game was a big step for us. To win a championship, this is a dream come true.”
The Sailors take on Lexington, a 58-55 winner over Shelby in the Ashland district, in a regional semifinal Thursday evening at Bowling Green State University. Tipoff is 6:30.
Bay, which lost twice to Vermilion in West Shore Conference regular-season games, completed its season 11-13.
“They wear you down,” Bay coach Jason Frolo said. “That’s their plan, and that was what they did to us. You can’t be careless against Vermilion. If you are, that 11-point lead is down to two or three and before you know it you’re in a close game.”
The Rockets were ahead 33-24 at halftime after a second quarter in which Vermilion went only 3-of-14 from the field.
“We got on them a little bit at halftime,” Habermehl said. “We like to be fast, but we were a little too fast in the second. We were out of control. That’s to be expected in a high-intensity game, and we’re still a young team.”
Carelessness in the form of Bay’s 10 turnovers in the third helped Vermilion score 11 unanswered points and turn the Rockets’ 35-24 cushion into a tie game.
Bay lost the lead for the first time since 17-14 in the first quarter when Liljegren stole a pass and flipped the ball ahead to Andy Pena for a layup to make it 42-40.
Pat McGlynn, who had been on the bench with four fouls during Vermilion’s run, came back in and hit a three-point play in a matter of seconds. McGlynn, who paced all scorers with 25 points, added two more field goals to give the Rockets a 47-42 advantage.
Pena hit a 3-pointer at 1:24 and Tim Clark sank a pair of free throws with 28.9 seconds to play to tie the score and force overtime.
Clark broke a 52-52 tie with a basket off an offensive rebound at 2:02 of the extra period and Pena hit one at the foul line for a 55-52 lead. McGlynn’s basket cut it to a point with 28 seconds left and Pena again made one of two chances at the line with 13.7 seconds to play.
Bay inbounded the ball at its end with 2.2 seconds left. McGlynn got the inbounds pass, but his turnaround jump shot was off the mark as the horn sounded.
“We battled out there,” Frolo said. “Pat showed us why I think he’s the best player in the conference.”
McGlynn had 11 rebounds and four assists to go with his points. Pena led Vermilion with 15 points. Liljegren, in foul trouble for most of the first half, scored all eight of his points after halftime and had five in overtime.
“I was mad because I had to sit the whole second quarter,” Liljegren said. “I was ready to go. I had fresh legs.”
Vermilion hit 21 of 49 field goal attempts and 12 of 23 free throw tries. Bay was 21-of-41 from the field and 9-of-14 from the line.
 

Vermilion 56, Bay 54

BAY (54): Ben Cullen 1-1-3, Rick Banal 4-3-11, Kyle Banal 6-0-15, Brian Harrell 0-0-0, Pat McGlynn 10-5-25, Andy Gross 0-0-0, Tyler Fordyce 0-0-0. Totals: 21-9-54.
VERMILION (56): Andy Pena 5-3-15, Matt Liljegren 3-2-8, Derek Barbato 2-0-4, Justin Turner 3-0-6, Derek Hoebing 4-4-12, Nick Farley 0-1-1, Tim Clark 4-2-10, Kyle Herchler 0-0-0. Totals: 21-12-56.
Bay                  19        14        5          9          7 – 54
Vermilion          17        7          11        12        9 – 56
Three-point goals: Bay 3 (K. Banal 3), Vermilion 2 (Pena 2). Rebounds: Bay 21 (McGlynn 11), Vermilion 22 (Clark 7). Turnovers: Bay 27, Vermilion 17. Total fouls: Bay 17, Vermilion 16. Fouled out: Hoebing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

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