Those Falcons played their final high school game on Thursday night in the University of Akron’s Rhodes Arena. They fell to powerful Canton Timken, 75-65, in a game much closer than the score indicated, and one typical of the Falcons’ spirit. ¶

"It’s a tough loss. We didn’t want it to end like this," said Mitchell, a 5-10 point guard who scored 22 points. "We set our goals high. We didn’t make it, but we had a lot of fun, and we practiced hard and played hard." ¶

Another brilliant senior guard, 6-2 Johnie Davis, led Timken with 24 points. The Trojans, Ohio’s seventh-ranked team and playing in their first regional in 30 years, are 24-0. They will play Toledo Whitmer (19-5) for the regional title and a berth in the state tournament on Saturday night. Whitmer defeated Perrysburg, 48-45, in the first game of the doubleheader. ¶

Firestone, ranked eighth in The Plain Dealer’s seven-county poll, finished 20-4. The Falcons, a regional finalist last season, played all seniors in their regular rotation. ¶

The game drew a crowd of 4,052, and the fans — allowed in after the crowd for the first game departed — matched the frenzied action in a championship game atmosphere. ¶

Forward Jacob Pope totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds for Firestone, and guard Robert Johnson scored 15 points. ¶

Both teams love to run, and it showed as Timken tallied 31 fastbreak points and Firestone 27. The tempo resulted in numerous runs, and Timken achieved the decisive one. ¶

Mitchell, Firestone’s all-time scoring leader, fed Johnson for a baseline jumper and a 57-56 Falcons’ lead with five minutes to go. Timken, though, outscored Firestone, 19-6, in the next 4:30 for a 75-63 lead. Trojans’ junior forward Chaz Moore scored seven of his 20 points during the flurry, and Davis added six, including two fastbreak dunks. ¶

Firestone was hurt by its 17-of-31 foul shooting. ¶

"We gave a great effort," said Firestone coach Jerry Laria. "We executed our game plan, but we needed to make that last run." ¶

Timken shot 59 percent from the field, and Moore collected 17 rebounds. ¶

"We’ve put runs on teams all year," said Trojans coach Rick Hairston. "At some point, teams figure they can’t beat us. That team [Firestone] didn’t give up." 