Santiago Lugo Scores 28 as Princeton Routs St. Edward 77-51 to Reach Ohio Division I State Final

FAIRBORN, Ohio — Princeton's boys basketball program has a spot on its gym wall waiting for a state championship banner. On Saturday night at Wright State University's Nutter Center, the Vikings moved within one game of filling it. Princeton opened the Division I state semifinals by routing Lakewood St. Edward 77-51 on March 21, a game the Cincinnati school controlled from the opening minutes and never trailed.

The win sent Princeton, ranked No. 2 in Division I entering the state tournament, to the third state final in program history and a Sunday date with Hilliard Bradley at University of Dayton Arena.

A 31-14 First Quarter

The semifinal was effectively decided in the first eight minutes. Princeton led 31-14 at the end of the first quarter, according to WCPO, a margin that forced St. Edward to chase for the rest of the night. The Eagles cut into it some in the second quarter, but the Vikings still took a 44-28 lead into halftime.

St. Edward, the No. 4 team in Division I and a 22-4 club entering the weekend, was making its 13th state tournament trip and its first since 2022, according to the OHSAA's tournament preview. The Eagles won Division I titles in 1998 and 2014 under longtime coach Eric Flannery, who came into the weekend 576-172 in 30 seasons. Saturday, though, the Lakewood program never found a way to slow Princeton's offense.

Santiago Lugo Leads Four in Double Figures

Senior Rognny Santiago Lugo scored a game-high 28 points and made five 3-pointers, WCPO reported. The Findlay commit, who averaged 13.4 points per game entering the tournament according to the OHSAA preview, more than doubled that on the state stage.

He had help. Sophomore Kam Mercer scored 17 points and added six steals, junior Amire Gill had 13 points and six assists, and junior Amir Phillips finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Mercer's six steals were a reminder that Princeton's defense was as much a part of the night as its shooting, and with four players in double figures, St. Edward could not load up on any one scorer.

Wyant and the Blank Banner

For coach Bryan Wyant, the night carried extra weight. Princeton has never won a boys basketball state championship; the Vikings were Division I runner-up in 2009 and Class AAA runner-up in 1972.

"You know that banner is blank over there," Wyant said, according to WCPO. "This is something I've been praying for for 25 years."

The OHSAA preview listed Wyant at 99-42 in six seasons entering the state tournament, which made Saturday's win the 100th of his tenure at Princeton.

How Princeton Got Here

The Vikings came to the Dayton area at 23-3 on an eight-game winning streak, having outscored four postseason opponents by a combined 254-136, according to the OHSAA. Gill (17.7 points per game) and Santiago Lugo (13.4) led the Vikings in scoring during the season. Saturday's win pushed Princeton to 24-3 and its streak to nine.

Saturday's 26-point margin was right in line with the rest of Princeton's tournament run. The Vikings had won their four previous postseason games by an average of nearly 30 points, and against one of the state's most decorated programs they did not ease off.

It was also a big weekend for Greater Cincinnati basketball in general. WCPO noted that Wyoming had won the Division IV state championship on Friday, its first state title in 97 years of the program.

Up Next: Hilliard Bradley

Princeton's opponent in the final was decided in Saturday's late semifinal, when Hilliard Bradley edged Pickerington Central 44-42 to reach its first state final. Bradley, the No. 3 team in Division I, entered the final at 25-2 and riding a long winning streak under coach Brett Norris, according to WCPO and the OHSAA.

The final was set for 3:15 p.m. Sunday, March 22, at University of Dayton Arena. Princeton went on to win it 59-28, claiming the first boys basketball state title in school history, according to the OHSAA. The semifinal at the Nutter Center was the night that made that possible: a 26-point win over a program with two Division I titles of its own, and a reminder that this Princeton team was not interested in another runner-up trophy.

Photo Credit: Cole Swafford/Undrafted