DUPO - Jacob Huber led Father McGivney Catholic with 16 points, but a very strong inside game by Waterloo Gibault Catholic, with the Hawks scoring 36 points, helped Gibault to a 67-43 win over the Griffins in the IHSA Class 1A Dupo regional semifinals Wednesday night at the Dupo gym.
It was also the final game for McGivney head coach Todd Strong, who announced after the game that he would be stepping down after three seasons, succeeding Rich Beyers. Strong was 35-43 overall as McGivney head coach. including a 32-31 mark in the first two non-COVID-19 seasons and led the Griffins this year to their first-ever winning season.
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The Hawks led all the way through, holding a 17-14 lead after one quarter, extending it to 36-22 at halftime and 60-30 after three quarters, with McGivney outscoring Gibault in the fourth quarter 13-7.
Huber, playing in his final game as a senior, led the Griffins with 16 points, while fellow senior Jackson Rodgers chipped in with 12 points and Evan Schrage scored eight points. Huber, Rodgers, and Schrage, along with Ashton Mersinger and Gabe Smith, who was out most of the season due to an illness, all played in their last game for McGivney.
Gavin Kesler led the way for Gibault with 27 points, while Hudson Blank hit for 19 points, Kaden Augustine had 17 points and both Kameron Hanvey and Owen Mechler scored two points apiece.
The Hawks are now 26-7 and will play Brooklyn Lovejoy, a 57-44 winner over Maryville Christian in the second semifinal, in the regional final Friday night in a 7 p.m. tip. The Griffins end their season at 16-15 and will move up to Class 2A for the 2023-24 season.
The Wildcats are now 20-10, while the Lions conclude a successful first season competing as an IHSA school at 17-15.
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