Staff photo / Preston Byers Western Reserve’s Josh Klasic, center, shoots a hook shot while defended by Lowellville’s Drew Modelski, left, and Josh Pazel during Thursday’s Division VII sectional final in Berlin Center.

BERLIN CENTER — Western Reserve finished Thursday’s playoff game vs. league rival Lowellville much like it began, which was exactly what the Blue Devils needed.

Entering the fourth quarter, the teams were separated by just two points. But fourth-seeded Reserve, which got off to a quick run to start the game, closed with an even better, 14-1 run to pull away from the ninth-seeded Rockets in a 58-46 Division VII, Northeast 2, sectional final win.

“We knew it was going to be a tough, back-and-forth game. Both games in the regular season were like that,” Western Reserve head coach Joe Serensky said. “I thought my guys played hard, they executed the way we wanted to.”

For the first 6:15 of the game, while head coach Tony Matisi urged his players to move the ball and themselves, the Rockets’ offense went without a field goal. The Devils had no such issues, as they scored nine points before Josh Pazel recorded Lowellville’s first basket.

Reserve took a 13-6 lead into the second quarter, which quickly proved to be remarkably different from the first. The most glaring change was the urgency of Lowellville’s offense, which scored two buckets in the first 47 seconds and six straight before the Blue Devils saw one go down for them. Nearing the midway point of the period, a Jayden Coon three tied the game at 15.

Despite a slow start to the second, Reserve stretched its lead back out to five twice, but each time, the Rockets fired back, including in the final 40 seconds, when they scored four quick points to send the game to halftime down 24-23.

Lowellville took its first lead of the game within the opening minute of the second half, thanks to a Pazel 3-pointer. Pazel, after an Aiden Romine three in response, re-took the lead with another triple less than a minute later.

The advantage was short-lived, however, as the Devils scored seven straight. The Rockets again pulled back within one a few minutes later, but a Sean Cochran three with 22 seconds left in the period allowed Reserve, despite surrendering a Ricky Willrich triple moments later, to take a 42-40 lead into the fourth.

Almost exactly like the third quarter, the Rockets started the fourth fast. Coon made a 3-pointer 10 seconds in to take a slim lead, and Drew Modelski made a basket 90 seconds later to give his team another edge on the scoreboard.

But Reserve, which had an answer for Lowellville the entire night, cemented that down the stretch.

Coming out of a Rockets timeout with 6:14 remaining, a Cochran three gave the Devils the lead. After nearly three minutes of scoreless action, Dominic Krut put Reserve ahead by four and, more importantly, got the Devils’ offense clicking.

Josh Klasic, along with Krut again, scored soon thereafter. A final Klasic basket with 1:11 to go put Reserve up nine and effectively iced the game.

In total, the Devils outscored Lowellville 18-6 in the fourth quarter, including 14-1 in the final six minutes. After Modelski’s field goal with 6:15 remaining, the Rockets’ only point was a Modelski free throw with 2:30 to go.

“Very, very disappointed,” Matisi said. “I don’t think our effort was there at all. Don’t take nothing away from them, they played great. We put some pressure on them in the third, and they come back, hit some big shots. Just disappointed in our defense. We gave up way too many points, too many easy points, too many good looks at the bucket for their good players. We’ve been working on that for a week-and-a-half.”

Modelski finished the night with a game-high 19 points, 14 of which came in the middle quarters. Pazel, who scored 15, was the only Rocket aside from Modelski to have more than six.

Klasic had a team-best 16, while Connor Cochran had 15. Sean Cochran and Romine combined for 15 more, courtesy of five threes.

The loss marked the end of the season for Lowellville, which had split the two previous meetings with the Reserve. The Rockets finished the year 12-10 after a 1-3 start.

“I felt we were playing our best ball at the end of the year, when you want to be. Throw this game out of there,” Matisi said. “Happy to turn it around from where we were last year.”

As for Western Reserve (15-8), the win earned the Blue Devils a Division VII, Northeast 2, district semifinal meeting with No. 7 Kidron Central Christian. The teams will play in Berlin Center on Monday.

“They’re tough, they play hard, they got some big guys. I think it’ll be another good matchup,” Serensky said. “As long as we come ready to play, I think we can play with anybody in front of us.”