By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mike Albert Leasing player Kevin Sowell, from Temple Baptist University, right, looks to release the ball while being guarded by Cintas player Deshaun Lynch, from Wright State University. (Leigh Patton photo) | ZOOM |

Ivan Johnson is a second-half performer - literally.

The 6-foot point guard walked through the Oak Hills High School gym doors at halftime of his team's Deveroes Summer League quarterfinal playoff game Sunday. He saw that his team, No. 3-seeded Stratus Group, led No. 6 Harmon-Davis & Associates 40-39. Johnson didn't know that Stratus Group had to go on a late first-half run to avoid getting blown out.

A former Withrow and Cumberland College star, Johnson was late because he was traveling from Chicago where he had a tryout with the Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association.

The NAIA Division I All-American wasted no time making his presence felt, scoring 12 second-half points and lifting Stratus Group to a 78-62 win.

At 22, Johnson is one of the youngest players on the Stratus Group team, which is full of league veterans, but he's older than most of the college players on opposing teams. Having just graduated from Cumberland, where he was named the Mid-South Conference Player of the Year, Johnson has professional basketball options that include Greece, England, Iceland, Austria and the CBA. For now, he's settling for showing the college kids a thing or two on the court.

"Fundamentals win games," said Johnson who helped take Withrow to the state semifinals in 1998. "These young guys might be athletic, but it takes more than being an athlete to win."

It also takes defensive effort say Johnson's teammates who were happy to see one of the team's best players show up. Johnson said he missed the first half because he didn't account for the time-zone change driving back from Chicago.

"He helped us a lot," said Stratus Group player-coach Wyatt Goins, who coaches the team along with his twin brother Wade. "He brings a lot of effort to the team, and he is athletic as well, which helps."

That defensive philosophy in practice enabled Stratus Group to pull away from Harmon Davis, a team made up of Xavier University and Miami University players, in the final seven minutes of the game. Until then, the teams traded baskets throughout the second half.

Stratus Group faces the winner of Tuesday's Stan Litz Law Office vs. John H. Flessa Law Office quarterfinal game at Oak Hills.

In the second quarterfinal of the day, fourth-seeded Cintas defeated No. 5 Mike Albert Leasing 92-80 behind 34 points from former Wright State sharpshooter Cain Doliboa. Doliboa played professionally in Switzerland last season and said he is looking into playing in France, Spain or Italy this season.

He connected on eight 3-pointers to lead Cintas, the defending league champion, which is missing Xavier's Romain Sato. He is playing at elite collegiate level summer camps.

Mike Albert Leasing's roster Sunday included three Dayton players, Nate Green, Ramod Marshall and D.J. Stelly, who helped the Flyers win the Atlantic 10 Tournament last March in Dayton.

Cintas will play the winner of Tuesday's Maaco-Blue Ash vs. Slats game Saturday.

At a glance

Sunday's scores

Stratus Group 78, Harmon Davis 62

Cintas 92, Mike Albert 80

Tuesday's games

6:30 p.m.: (1) Maaco-Blue Ash vs. (8) Slats

7:40 p.m.: (2) Stan Litz Law Office vs. (7) John H. Flessa Law Office

Saturday's games

12:30 p.m.: Semifinal No. 1

2 p.m.: Semifinal No. 2

Sunday

7 p.m.: Championship game

---

E-mail: ddow@enquirer.com