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Boys basketball: Medina crushes short-handed and inexperienced Shaker Heights

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MEDINA — The Medina County showdown of the season is set.

Playing one of its best all-around games, the Medina boys basketball team started strong, ended stronger and still played well in-between Friday to crush short-handed and inexperienced Shaker Heights 76-52 in Greater Cleveland Conference play.

Medina's Jon Teske blocks the shot of Shaker Height's J'van Beasley in the first quarter.

Medina’s Jon Teske blocks the shot of Shaker Height’s J’van Beasley in the first quarter.

The Bees (14-5, 9-2), who scored 25 of the game’s first 29 points, maintained their shared position atop the GCC. A ginormous battle at archrival Brunswick (15-4, 9-2) awaits Tuesday.

“I think it was a great day,” said backup post Jimmy Daw, who was the Bees’ leading scorer at halftime with eight points. “We had a long week — we didn’t have a game Tuesday — so we had a lot of time to prepare. We worked on a lot of things for this game along with the game coming up.

“We played really well tonight. We’re shooting the ball well.”

Learning valuable lessons from a buzzer-beating loss to Strongsville last week, Medina was sharp from the opening tip against the Red Raiders (7-11, 4-7), who were without double-digit scorers Jeramie Burge and Amani Redus (undisclosed).

The Bees were extremely balanced, as 10 players scored and six had at least seven points. Medina shot 28-for-56 overall, 10-for-11 at the foul line and 10-for-19 from 3-point range while adding 21 assists and owning a commanding 43-18 rebounding advantage.

Stars Jon Teske (14 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks) and Luke Schaefer (15, 7, 6) put up great numbers, but role players Jackson Sartain (12, 4-of-7 3-pointers), Ben Geschke (7, 2 assists), Colin Szumski (7, game-high 6 assists) and Daw set Medina apart.

“We can’t look down on anyone,” said Szumski, whose assists all came after halftime. “(Shaker Heights) was one of the lower teams in our conference, but our conference is so good anyone can beat us on any given night, as we saw at Strongsville.

“We just had to come out with energy and play really hard.”

Shaker Heights started two juniors, two sophomores and a freshman and never had a chance after scoring four points on 2-of-10 shooting in the first quarter. The Red Raiders then gave up a 9-0 run — all on 3-pointers — that made the score 25-4 only 1:51 into the second.

J’Von Beasley, Dale Bonner and James Williams had 10 points apiece for Shaker Heights, which didn’t attempt a free throw until 2:07 left in the first half and struggled to make buckets period (7-or-28 in the first half) with the 7-1 Teske owning the middle.

“The 2-3 (zone) worked really well on defense,” Daw said.

Medina has taken care of business the last two games, beating GCC bottom feeders Euclid and Shaker Heights by a combined 46 points. The Bees appear to be jelling again after a 5-5 midseason stretch that culminated with the upset loss at Strongsville.

The timing couldn’t be much better, as the nitty-gritty portion of the year has arrived.

“I think we’re very dangerous,” Daw said. “Everyone should look out when we’re on like that.”

Note

Cameran Thomas (17 points) banked in a floater with 4.4 seconds left to give Shaker Heights’ junior varsity a 32-30 win. Sam McKee had a game-high 18 points for Medina.

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Medina 76, Shaker Heights 52

SHAKER HEIGHTS           4   14  19  15  —  52

MEDINA               16  21  19  20  —  76

Shaker Heights — Jordan Burge 2-0-5, Kevin Bishop 1-0-2, George Evans 3-0-6, J’Von Beasley 3-2-10, Dale Bonner 4-0-10, Cory Ivory 1-0-2, Jaylin Garner 0-0-0, Isiah Wright 2-0-5, James Williams 3-2-10, Tyler Binda 1-0-2, Marlon Seymore 0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-4-52.

Medina — Luke Schaefer 7-1-15, Jimmy Clark 1-0-2, Jon Teske 4-6-14, Jackson Sartain 4-0-12, Ben Geschke 3-0-8, Colin Szumski 3-0-7, Jimmy Daw 3-1-8, Tyler Kaminski 0-0-0, Sam McKee 1-2-4, Jared Keith 0-0-0, Shane Cullen 1-0-3, Matthew McNaughton 1-0-3. TOTALS: 28-10-76.

Shaker Heights — Beasley 2, Bonner 2, Williams 2, Wright, Burge, Sartain 4, Geschke 2, Szumski, Daw, Cullen, McNaughton. Rebounds — Shaker Heights 18 (Evans 4), Medina 43 (Teske 15). Assists — Shaker Heights 10 (Bonner 4), Medina 21 (Szumski, Schaefer 6). Records — Shaker Heights (7-11, 4-7), Medina (14-5, 9-2). Junior varsity — Shaker Heights 32, Medina 30.



High school basketball: Medina, Brunswick top seeds in Copley D-I district

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COPLEY TWP. — The unpredictable Copley Division I District boys basketball draw ended up with Brunswick and Medina on top.

Joe Mackey

Joe Mackey

Top-seeded Blue Devils coach Joe Mackey appreciated the respect and Bees counterpart Chris Hassinger will use, in a small form, the No. 2 seed as motivation, but both stated the obvious Sunday: Numbers mean nothing in the grand scheme.

“I think they got the first two teams right, but I’m not sure they got the order right because Medina beat us,” Mackey said. “Either way, one has to go up and two has to go to the other side, so it really didn’t matter.

“But, like I’ve said, it shows the respect that our program has. In the end, it’s just a number. You still have to go out and win games.”

Brunswick (15-4) and Medina (14-5) will meet Tuesday in a huge Greater Conference game that will break a three-way tie with Elyria. The archrivals can meet again in the March 5 district title game.

Electing a weeklong rest for his thin rotation, Mackey chose a Feb. 27 bye, and the Blue Devils will host the winner of the Feb. 24 game between No. 9 Cuyahoga Falls (9-9) at No. 8 Highland (11-7), which valued a home sectional game.

Third-seeded Hoban (14-4) chose the other bye on the Blue Devils’ side of the bracket, while most of the mid seeds went to Medina’s side.

“Our starters have logged a lot of minutes this year — probably more so than any team I’ve coached — so we just figured giving them a week off would be beneficial to them,” Mackey said.

Hassinger was democratic in his decision to play a first-round game.

The Bees will host last-seeded Akron North (1-16), which voted Medina seventh out of 12 teams, in a Feb. 24 sectional semifinal. Barring an upset of the century, Medina then will host sixth-seeded Walsh Jesuit (12-5).

Chris Hassinger

Chris Hassinger

The game below the Bees on the bracket features No. 10 Wadsworth (4-14) at No. 5 Stow (15-4). No. 4 seed Hudson (14-4) took the bye.

“We found out last year the seeds don’t matter,” Hassinger said of his 2015 team that was the fourth-highest seed but won the Copley District. “This year, there’s a lot of balance. You’re going to play some good teams. We knew that.

“We talked to the kids and asked, ‘Do you want to play (a sectional semifinal)?’ They didn’t want to sit. The kids wanted to play.”

At the North Ridgeville D-II draw, Buckeye (13-4) was fourth seed behind Bay (14-3), Keystone (15-5) and Clearview (14-6). The Bucks took a Feb. 26 bye and will host the winner of No. 7 Holy Name (6-13) and No. 8 Firelands (8-11), with Bay and last-seeded Brookside (1-18) also on that side of the bracket.

Cloverleaf (2-16) was the 10th seed in its D-II debut. The Colts will travel to sixth-seeded Rocky River (10-8) on Feb. 23.

Black River (5-13) was the last seed in the 13-team, Wayne County-heavy Wooster D-III District. The Pirates will play at sixth-seeded Norwayne (9-9) on Feb. 23. No. 8 Chippewa (6-12) took the accompanying bye.

Schedule
(All games at 7 p.m., unless noted)
COPLEY DIVISION I
Feb. 24 — Cuyahoga Falls at HIGHLAND; Nordonia at Firestone; Akron North at MEDINA; WADSWORTH at Stow. Feb. 27 — Cuyahoga Falls-HIGHLAND winner at BRUNSWICK; Nordonia-Firestone winner at Hoban; North-MEDINA winner vs. Walsh Jesuit; WADSWORTH-Stow winner at Hudson. March 2 — District semifinal. March 3 — District semifinal. March 5 — District championship.
NORTH RIDGEVILLE DIVISION II
Feb. 23 — CLOVERLEAF at Ricky River; Fairview at Padua; Firelands at Holy Name. Feb. 26 — CLOVERLEAF-Rocky River winner at Keystone; Padua-Fairview winner at Clearview; Brookside vs. Bay; Holy Name-Firelands winner at BUCKEYE. March 2 — District semifinal. March 3 — District semifinal. March 5 — District championship., 4 p.m.
WOOSTER DIVISION III
Feb. 23 — Rittman at Wellington; Loudonville at Northwestern; Orrville at Smithville; BLACK RIVER at Norwayne; Columbia at Triway. Feb. 26 — Wellington-Rittman winner at Oberlin; Northwestern-Loudonville winner vs. Chippewa; Smithville-Orrville winner at Waynedale; Norwayne-BLACK RIVER winner vs. TRiway-Columbia winner. March 2 — District semifinal. March 3 — District semifinal. March 5 — District championship.


High school basketball: Medina, Brunswick to play tonight to break GCC first-place tie

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BRUNSWICK — Get ready for the biggest Medina County boys basketball showdown in more than a decade.

Medina vs. Brunswick. Archrivals playing their guts out in a sold-out, one-sided gym. Plenty of deserved hype. A three-way tie with Elyria atop the Greater Cleveland Conference will be broken.

Short of a winner-take-all scenario, tonight can’t get much better.

“I don’t have to really tell (the players) much,” Blue Devils coach Joe Mackey said. “If they can’t get motivated for this game, then they don’t have a ticker.”

If anything has been proven over the course of the season-long GCC emotional roller coaster, Brunswick (15-4, 9-2) and the Bees (14-5, 9-2) have plenty of heart.

Both teams lost nail-biters at Elyria (14-4, 9-2) but have rebounded with resolve. The undersized Blue Devils have continued to win behind their 3-point heavy offense (averaging 11.1 per game), while the defending Copley Division I District champion Bees have put 5-5 midseason stretch behind him behind 7-foot-1 star Jon Teske.

Brunswick is searching for its first league title since 1966 and hasn’t been in first place this late in the season since 2007. Medina is two years removed from losing its chance at the Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division championship, its last league title coming in 2010.

As Judge Mills Lane used to say: Let’s get it on.

“First of all, we don’t hate each other like we used to,” Bees coach Chris Hassinger said with a smirk. “I just think it’s pretty cool that the schools with homegrown kids have a chance to win it this year, and that doesn’t always happen in our league. It’s pretty exciting to be in this position.”

Medina won the first meeting 61-56 on Jan. 5 behind 23 points and 10 rebounds from Teske. The Blue Devils made 14-of-33 3-pointers — they took just 13 shots inside the arc — and had two scoreless possessions down by two points in the final 15 seconds.

Teske (16.5 ppg) again will loom large, though only Hassinger knows if the Bees will stick with the matchup 2-3 zone they’ve ridden recently. Small forward Luke Schaefer (6-3, 15.8), shooting guard Jackson Sartain (6-0, 12.0) and point guard Ben Geschke (6-1, 8.2) also will start, while Hassinger could choose third guard Colin Szumski (5-11, 4.0) instead of power forward Jimmy Clark (6-4, 2.7) for defensive purposes. Jimmy Daw (6-4, 4.7) is off the bench.

Brunswick will start All-Gazette point guard Michael Quiring (5-10, 14.7), forward Kevin Simmons (6-0, 14.5), forward Zach Cebula (6-0, 12.9), center Aaron Badowski (6-6, 8.9) and shooting guard Kyle Goessler (5-10, 6.2). Austin Mick (5-11, 1.4) and Zak Zografos (6-4, 2.2) are the sixth and seventh men.

Expect plenty of offense, as the Bees (66.6) and Blue Devils (61.8) are 1-2 in the county. The keys will be Brunswick defending Teske and the Bees contesting Brunswick’s bevy of shooters.

“It’s awesome feeling because these are the points in the season you live for, you know what I mean?” Schaefer said. “This is the fun part of the season.”

That feeling is mutual, as the Blue Devils know what’s at stake.

“We’ve got to come in prepared and focused,” Simmons said. “We have to execute better than they do, and, if we do that, we should be fine.”

Chad Grant contributed to this story.


High school basketball: Brunswick in GCC driver’s seat after win over Medina — and Elyria loss

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BRUNSWICK — The beach bum-themed Brunswick student section poured into the locker room on Cloud 9, ready to get rowdy with its boys basketball players Tuesday night after one of the biggest regular-season wins in recent memory.

Brunswick’s Michael Quiring celebrates after hitting a three point shot against Medina during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

The mosh pit didn’t take long to commence, and everyone who crammed in chanted the new sole leader of the Greater Cleveland Conference’s name.

“B (what), R-U (what), N-S (what), W-I-C-K” … “B (what), R-U (what), N-S (what), W-I-C-K.”

Coach Joe Mackey’s Blue Devils are knocking on history’s door.

Riding a sizzling start, a one-man-show third quarter from Kevin Simmons and just enough clutch free throws in the final two minutes, Brunswick held off archrival Medina 55-51 in front of a standing-room-only crown in the East Gym.

Coupled with Strongsville upsetting Elyria 46-45, the Blue Devils (16-4, 10-2) are alone atop the league standings. They can clinch a share of their first championship since 1966 with a win at the Mustangs (11-9, 6-6) on Friday or at home against Shaker Heights (8-11, 5-7) next week.

“Oh, jeez, (my emotions) are out the roof because you know we haven’t had a conference title in a long time,” point guard Michael Quiring said. “I love every one of these guys and coaches. We’re a tight-knit group, and it’s just special. It’s still not over, but we need to win the last two.”

Brunswick made five 3-pointers spread among four players in the opening 4:32 to take a 17-4 lead, ultimately leading wire to wire.

Simmons (5 assists) then scored 10 of his 14 points in the third quarter, mostly on ankle-breaking drives to the basket with 7-foot-1 Bees center Jon Teske (22 points, 10 rebounds) resting on the bench, but also with a 3-pointer atop the arc as time expired to put the Blue Devils up 43-34.

Medina (14-6, 9-3) kept battling behind Teske (9 points over the last 3:15) and small forward Luke Schaefer (11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), but never took the lead despite Brunswick missing the front end of three one-and-ones and Teske converting a three-point play that made the score 49-47 with 39.3 seconds left.

Luckily for Brunswick, Austin Mick, who missed one of those one-and-ones on his first career free throw attempt, drilled two pressure-packed freebies with 33.1 seconds to go.

Medina then committed a turnover, allowing Quiring (team highs of 15 points, 5 rebounds) and 90 percent foul shooter Zach Cebula to make 4-of-4 free throws to clinch the game.

“We hit some shots early and we almost blew it at the end, but we executed everything the coaches put in throughout the week in practice, especially against their matchup zone,” Quiring said. “I think we just paid attention, and that carried over into the game.”

The Blue Devils milked most of the fourth quarter and still came dangerously close to an epic collapse after taking a 45-34 lead when Simmons found center Aaron Badowski (14 points, 10 in first half) all alone for a wide-open layup against a trapping defense.

Brunswick survived because a brilliant, focused start allowed wiggle room.

Beginning with Quiring, ending with Zak Zografos and featuring other threes from Kyle Goessler and Badowski, the Blue Devils moved the ball crisply and got open looks against a stunned Medina defense. Brunswick’s three 3-point attempts in the first 91 seconds were on the money, leading to a quick timeout from Bees coach Hassinger.

Forced to stick with man defense, Medina settled down and clawed back by scoring 20 of its 26 first-half points from within 12 feet. The only problem was the Bees waited until they were behind 13 to pound the ball inside, and their guards failed to get Teske touches in what ended up being a critical third quarter.

“We played so well in our matchup zone the first game we played them (a 61-56 win on Jan. 5), and we had a couple mix-ups and gave them some early threes,” Hassinger said. “Then I thought we did a nice job battling back, but we went through that one stretch when I think (Teske) only had two touches in the third quarter. We ran all these different looks to get him touches, and we kind of panicked.”

Simmons was a reason for that sense of urgency. Brunswick led only 30-26 at halftime and Simmons was 1-for-5 shooting with four assists, but he rose to the occasion in the biggest game of his career.

The electric 6-0 left-hander got hot in a hurry, scoring on a Euro-step while getting fouled and adding another inside bucket off an inbounds play. Simmons then drilled two 3-pointers, the latter via a pass from Zografos, after Teske checked back in and protected the paint.

Simmons’ brilliance pushed the Blue Devils’ advantage to nine and put them in the driver’s seat entering the fourth quarter.

“It was great. Coach Mackey believed in me and gave me a lot of confidence,” Simmons said. “I just fed off that and starting making shots.”

Brunswick is now 64 minutes from history, barring overtime. The Blue Devils know there are no cupcake nights in the GCC, especially since experienced Strongsville in particular has won four in a row.

They’re fired up and ready for the challenge.

“We feel great,” Badowski said. “We’re going to get this one Friday, and then we’ve got to come back Tuesday, and we’ll get that one, too.

“We’re confident. We’re not trying to get 1-for-2, we’re not trying to go 0-2 and hope someone else loses. We’re trying to win the first one.”

Notes

  • Medina point guard Ben Geschke got a cut on his face late in the third quarter, causing blood to get on his No. 1 jersey. The junior switched to No. 52 during a timeout.
  • Alex Wyatt had 14 points as Brunswick’s junior varsity won 47-38. Sam McKee had 20 points for Medina.
  • The Blue Devils rallied to win the freshman game 42-37 in overtime behind 13 points from Max Ferrell. Ryan Soworowski scored 16 for the Bees.

Brunswick 55, Medina 51
MEDINA 9 17 8 17 — 51
BRUNSWICK 17 13 13 12 — 55
Medina — Luke Schaefer 5-1-11, Jimmy Clark 0-0-0, Jon Teske 9-4-22, Jackson Sartain 2-0-6, Ben Geschke 2-0-5, Colin Szumski 1-1-3, Jimmy Daw 2-0-4, Sam McKee 0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-6-51.
Brunswick — Kyle Goessler 1-0-3, Zach Cebula 0-4-4, Aaron Badowski 5-1-14, Kevin Simmons 5-2-14, Michael Quiring 5-2-15, Zak Zografos 1-0-3, Austin Mick 0-2-2. TOTALS: 17-11-55.
3-point goals — Sartain 2, Geschke, Badowski 3, Quiring 3, Simmons 2, Zografos, Goessler. Rebounds — Medina 23 (Teske 10), Brunswick 21 (Quiring 5). Assists — Medina 16 (Szumski 5), Brunswick 11 (Simmons 5). Records — Medina (14-6, 9-3), Brunswick (16-4, 10-2). Junior varsity — Brunswick 47, Medina 38.


High school basketball: Medina girls bank on power of pigtails against Brunswick

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MEDINA — Don’t mess with the power of pigtails.

Eight of the nine Medina girls basketball players who saw action Wednesday against rival Brunswick sported the popular girly hairdo — Abby Teske had a simple blonde ponytail, but that’s by design — because the superstition worked earlier in the week at Berea-Midpark.

Medina’s Margaret Swiecicki goes up for a shot against Brunswick’s Farrah Benner during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Team Pigtail/Better Together naturally kept rolling with a 43-37 Greater Cleveland Conference victory over the Blue Devils, and forward Margaret Swiecicki was asked if the Bees will continue the fashion trend in their sectional opener against Parma on Feb. 18.

The projected senior class salutatorian laughed and responded “I think so” with confidence after Medina (14-8, 7-7) improved to an eye-popping 11-5 in games decided by six points or fewer and/or overtime.

“Like we’ve been doing all season, we’ve learned how to stick together at the end,” Swiecicki said. “It wasn’t always pretty, but a win’s a win and we all contributed in little ways.”

Swiecicki hit the nail on the head, as the methodical, defense-first Bees epitomized their season while getting revenge for a 41-38 loss to the Blue Devils (11-11, 5-9) on Jan. 6.

Emerging junior Delaney Cullen led all scorers with 16 points, including a step-back 3-pointer that finally gave the Bees breathing room at 33-27. Swiecicki (7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals) hounded All-Gazette pick Farrah Benner (10 points), Jessie Holzman scored seven points in the second half and crossover-specializing freshman point guard Katie Neate played much larger than her 5-foot-1 frame and stat line of two points, three rebounds, three assists and three turnovers indicated.

Benner eventually got hot and her first 3-pointer of the night made the score 35-34, but a new hero emerged for the Bees when Emma Bobey followed with a three-point play with 2:27 left. Brunswick then committed a turnover, allowing Cullen and Holzman to ice the game at the foul line.

“Brunswick-Medina games are intense, and you never know how it’s going to go,” Cullen said. “We wanted it, and we closed it out in the end and did what we needed to do.”

Brunswick got a fantastic all-around performance from point guard Eileen Salisbury, who had eight points, a career-high 16 rebounds and three steals. Benner single-handedly kept the Blue Devils alive with eight fourth-quarter points, but the bench was even more important in the third quarter.

Benner was forced to sit after picking up her fourth foul with 3:16 left in the period — No. 3 was a ticky-tack hand check near mid court — and Medina leading 25-23. Then two-year starter Olivia Andrew exited with a possible concussion 2½ minutes later.

Through all of the adversity, Brunswick stayed around due to the play of starting center Paige Billetz (7 points, 4 rebounds) and backups Jessica Skrzypek and Angela Fink. It trailed 30-27 when Benner re-entered with six minutes to play.

“Our bench, you know what? They’ve come a long way because I don’t know in the beginning of the year this situation would have been the same,” Blue Devils coach Halle Lengal said. “I give them a lot of credit. Our bench players always have been people who show a lot of passion and pride in their team, and they were out there in a close game, a tough situation and they handled it really well.”

Ultimately, the Medina defense proved to be the difference, as Brunswick was 3-for-15 from 3-point range. The Blue Devils also were 4-for-22 from the floor in the second half before Benner drilled a 25-footer at the buzzer to make the final score a tad misleading.

Everyone involved agreed the Bees simply were the slightly better on this night.

“At the end, we just really tried to lock down on what we needed to do,” Cullen said. “Defense, I think, really got us the ‘W.’”

Note
Brittany Farley, Madison Luthy and Abby McMullen had six points apiece as Medina’s junior varsity won 38-27. Madeleine Ramicone had a game-high 10 points for Brunswick.

Medina 43, Brunswick 37
BRUNSWICK 8 11 7 11 — 37
MEDINA 8 11 9 15 — 43
Brunswick — Farrah Benner 3-2-10, Olivia Andrew 3-0-6, Paige Billetz 3-2-8, Gabbi Campbell 0-1-1, Eileen Salisbury 3-1-8, Maria Payne 0-0-0, Brittany Henke 0-0-0, Angela Fink 1-1-3, Jessica Skrzypek 0-1-1. TOTALS: 13-8-37.
Medina — Delaney Cullen 5-4-16, Margaret Swiecicki 2-3-7, Amanda Holzman 0-1-1, Jessie Holzman 2-3-7, Katie Neate 1-0-2, Emma Bobey 2-3-7, Anna Marie Smith 0-1-1, Abby Teske 1-0-2, Emily McLeod 0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-15-43.
3-point goals — Benner 2, Salisbury, Cullen 2. Rebounds — Brunswick 31 (Salisbury 16), Medina 26 (Swiecicki, Cullen 5). Assists — Brunswick 4 (Campbell Skrzypek, Salisbury, Andrew), Medina 8 (Neate 3). Records — Brunswick (11-11, 5-9), Medina (14-8, 7-7). Junior varsity — Medina 38, Brunswick 27.


High school basketball: Black River rallies, but Buckeye refuses to lose

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SULLIVAN TWP. — Wild, intense, physical and an oh-so-close miracle comeback … otherwise, it was a standard Buckeye-Black River boys basketball game.

Black River’s Allan Benson dribbles the ball to the basket around Buckeye defender Mikey Novick during the second quarter. AARON JOSEFCZYK/GAZETTE

The Bucks did all they could to grab defeat from the jaws of victory Friday against the never-say-die Pirates, but seniors Liam Murray and Nick Wills refused to lose.

Final score: Buckeye 64, Black River 57 after the Pirates (6-15, 4-11) cut a 17-point deficit to one in the Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division showdown.

“I told myself, ‘I don’t want to lose to Black River,’ honestly,” Wills said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with Black River, but it’s a rivalry. I don’t want to lose to them.”

The Bucks (14-5, 11-4) led 41-24 early in the third quarter before nearly imploding. They led just 44-38 heading into the fourth, and it would have been closer had Black River star Allan Benson (22 points, 3 assists, 7 steals) not missed a driving layup in the waning seconds.

The night got even crazier when Benson and Zach Hawley had three consecutive steals for layups that made the score 52-51 with 1:55 left, but Wills answered with consecutive putbacks to push the lead back to five.

Bulldozing Pirates post Curtis Roupe then missed a contested power layup, allowing Murray (13 points, 8 rebounds), Nathan Polidori (team-high 16 points), Joey Bartinelli (10) and Mikey Novick (3 assists) to make 8-of-8 free throws in the final minute.

Bucks coach Tom Harrington could finally exhale.

“We’re (11-3) in games decided by 10 points or closer,” Murray said. “We’ve been there before, so I think that’s why we came out victorious. We know what to do. Yeah, we were careless with the ball, but we didn’t really panic.”

With Benson and Roupe combining for 27 of the Pirates’ 35 second-half points and Buckeye (11 second-half turnovers) passing carelessly against aggressive 2-1-2 and 1-2-2 defenses, someone needed to step up and stop the bleeding.

Murray and Wills obliged.

The power forward/center duo pumped in 20 second-half points, including eight by Wills in the fourth quarter. Murray drilled a clutch 3-pointer from the corner to put his team up 49-42 with 5:07 left, while Wills’ second straight putback came off a missed contested layup by Polidori, who had just gotten a key steal with Buckeye up 54-51.

Murray and Wills scored 18 of the Bucks’ first 22 points in the second half.

“We executed down the stretch — something with didn’t do (in an overtime loss Tuesday) at Keystone,” Wills said. “That was big.”

The first half ended with the game appearing all but over, mainly because sixth man Polidori showed the form that made him a first-team All-Gazette selection a year ago.

The Baldwin Wallace football recruit, finally close to 100 percent after missing 10 games with sprained ankles, scored eight straight Buckeye points after Benson connected for his first bucket at the 5:37 mark of second quarter. Polidori’s splurge gave the Bucks a 32-20 lead, and he added another driving score to keep the spread at 12 entering recess.

Buckeye, which owned a 31-19 rebounding edge, then went on a 7-2 run to begin the third quarter, putting its advantage near blowout status before Roupe (12 second-half points) and Benson (14, 12 in fourth) went off.

“When (Polidori’s) healthy, he’s the best player in the conference,” Wills said. “I’ll say that to anybody. I’ll say that to (reigning PAC Player of the Year and Columbia forward David) Delahunty’s face. (Polidori) is very good. When he’s healthy, we feed of that when he hits a big shot. It’s fun to play with him.”

Black River accepted the moral victory knowing it will get six days to prepare for another shot at Buckeye. The first scheduled meeting, on Jan. 12, was postponed due to snow.

The Pirates fell to 4-6 in games decided by single digits, but progress is progress for coach Josh Calame’s program, which hadn’t played in that many close games in six years.

“In the past years, we haven’t had the intensity and effort to come back from being down in the fourth quarter,” Benson said. “We’d be all lethargic and wouldn’t want to come back. This year is different. We’ve got a good group of guys and we’re determined to do some good things.”

Notes

  • Before the playing of the national anthem, Black River scorekeeper Irene Gehring was presented a plaque for 33 years of service. The longtime Spencer resident, who is “retiring” after the season, received a standing ovation.
  • Buckeye won the junior varsity game 55-28 behind Adam Fauver (16 points, 9 rebounds), Spencer Imes (12, 11, 3 assists) and Cameron Imes (10). Blake Widenmeyer had nine points for the Pirates, who shot 6-for-41, including 1-for-18 in the second half.
  • The Bucks won the freshman game 55-27 to improve to 8-3.

Buckeye 64, Black River 57
BUCKEYE                              15  19  10  20  —  64
BLACK RIVER                        6   16  16  19  —  57
Buckeye — Joey Bartinelli 3-2-10, Liam Murray 4-3-13, Nick Wills 7-0-14, Braeden Stauffer 1-0-2, Mikey Novick 0-2-2, Nathan Polidori 6-4-16, Carter Hudak 1-0-2, Justin Canedy 1-1-3, Justin Lowry 1-0-3. TOTALS: 24-12-65.
Black River — Derek Hawley 3-0-7, Curtis Roupe 3-8-14, Zach Hawley 4-0-9, Allan Benson 9-2-22, Mike Hazlett 1-0-3, Brennan Scheck 1-0-2, Seth Pluta 0-0-0, Garrett Hord 0-0-0. TOTALS: 21-10-57.
3-point goals — Bartinelli 2, Murray 2, Lowry, Benson 2, Z. Hawley, D. Hawley, Hazlett. Rebounds — Buckeye 31 (Murray 8), Black River 19 (D. Hawley 6). Assists — Buckeye 9 (Novick 3), Black River 8 (Benson 3). Records — Buckeye (14-5, 11-4), Black River (6-15, 4-11). Junior varsity — Buckeye 55, Black River 28.


High school basketball: Johnson, Lance dominate Solon

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WADSWORTH — Consider the Wadsworth girls basketball team ready for another tournament run.

Wadsworth’s Sophia Fortner runs against Solon’s Maria Modkins in a game Saturday. GLEN RUTHERFORD/GAZETTE

In a showdown of Northeast Ohio elite Saturday, the Grizzlies started strong, finished stronger and left no doubt in a jaw-dropping 68-46 non-league victory over defending Division I state semifinalist Solon.

Wadsworth (21-1), the No. 1 team in The Associated Press D-I state poll, never trailed and led by 20 points at halftime. The scary part was the Grizzlies missed a bunch of close-range attempts and still won by 22.

“Just playing them all summer and that, we were back and forth,” All-Ohio shooting guard Jodi Johnson said. “We were expecting a tough one, but obviously we came out strong in that first quarter and that really boosted us throughout the game.”

The Comets fell to 14-8, but their schedule is absolutely loaded. Their losses have come to Wadsworth (No. 1 in AP D-I poll), Mason (No. 4), Pickerington Central (No. 6), Magnificat (18-4 record), Mentor (20-3, twice) and Detroit powers Martin Luther King (No. 6 in Class A) and Country Day (No. 1 in Class B).

Though Solon clearly missed graduated point guard Jordan Bekelja, who now plays 33 minutes per game for Clarion University, it still featured DePaul recruit Dee Bekelja, 6-foot-2 US Under-16 National Team member Valencia Myers, potential D-I prospect Alexis Stover and Lake Erie signee Jordan Joseph.

The Grizzlies handed the Comets their worst loss of the season, using elite half-court defense to take a 15-6 lead after one quarter, embarking on a 13-0 run in the second and winning the rebounding battle 41-19.

Solon desperately increased tempo in the second half, but that only fed into Wadsworth’s hands as it led by 26 points on multiple occasions.

“Our defense came up big for us,” Johnson said.

Johnson won her anticipated individual matchup against second-team All-Ohioan Bekelja (12 points, 5 rebounds) with game highs of 18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, four steals and three crowd-pleasing blocks, while sophomore center Lexi Lance outdueled Myers (4 points, 4 rebounds) with 14 points and six boards.

The Grizzlies’ role players were stellar, too, as power forward Jenna Johnson made 6-of-6 free throws to increase her season percentage to 83.3, backup center Peyton Banks scored 11 of her 13 points in a fast-paced third quarter and small forward Laurel Palitto added six points, two assists and two steals.

Bekelja didn’t score until 2:10 left in the first half, Stover (14 points) had four points at recess, Myers barely played in the middle quarters because of foul trouble and the Comets committed 11 costly turnovers in the opening 16 minutes.

Wadsworth’s defense was on point.

“Stopping (Myers was key),” Lance said. “And (coach Andrew Booth) in practice said we needed to stop the drive and make them shoot outside shots.

“We just kept pushing the ball, and we didn’t look at the scoreboard.”

Booth chose a first-round bye at the Medina Division I District draw so the Solon game wouldn’t have to be rescheduled, and Wadsworth prepared for the evening with tournament-like focus.

Booth didn’t mince words when asked to summarize the performance.

“To be able to throw up 68 points and win by 22 against a quality program like Solon, I couldn’t be more proud of the kids,” he said.

Note
The Wadsworth junior varsity completed a 22-0 season with an exciting 52-49 victory. The Grizzlies blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Leah Maher scored the go-ahead bucket and Wadsworth never trailed again. Meggie Flanigan had 15 points.

Wadsworth 68, Solon 46
SOLON 6 8 19 13 — 46
WADSWORTH 15 19 22 12 — 68
Solon — Dee Bekelja 5-2-12, Alexis Stover 6-0-14, Valencia Myers 2-0-4, Gabrielle Mitchell 1-3-5, Mariah Modkins 2-0-4, Jordan Joseph 2-3-7, Kyra Lance 0-0-0, Jasmine Kinsey 0-0-0, Katherine Dittoe 0-0-0, Sonny Mercer 0-0-0. TOTALS: 18-8-46.
Wadsworth — Laurel Palitto 3-0-6, Jenna Johnson 1-6-8, Lexi Lance 5-4-14, Jodi Johnson 5-8-18, Sophia Fortner 1-4-6, Olivia Chaney 0-1-1, McKenna Banks 1-0-2, Peyton Banks 6-1-13, Maddie Movsesian 0-0-0, Maggie Sonntag 0-0-0, Maria Busson 0-0-0, Meggie Flanigan 0-0-0, Molly Palecek 0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-24-68.
3-point goals — Stover 2. Rebounds — Solon 19 (Bekelja 5), Wadsworth 41 (Jo. Johnson 12). Assists — Solon 4 (Mitchell 2), Wadsworth 9 (Jo. Johnson 4). Records — Solon (14-8), Wadsworth (21-1). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 52, Solon 49.


High school basketball: Spirit of ‘Coach Walker’ gives Wadsworth drive to succeed

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WADSWORTH — As usual, Jodi Johnson was the final starter announced Saturday before the Wadsworth girls basketball team played Solon in a highly anticipated game.

The All-Ohioan continued to follow her routine, sprinting across center court and toward superfan Zane Walker’s custom-embroidered red chair on the first row of bleachers. Johnson then mimicked a double fist-bump and readied for the opening tipoff.

Walker, who many associated with the Grizzlies’ program affectionately called “Coach Walker,” died on Feb. 7 at the age of 81 after a long battle with cancer. Johnson wasn’t about to deny his spirit the chance to interact with one of his favorite players once more.

Saturday was the first Wadsworth home game without Walker, and the Grizzlies had arguably their best showing of the season en route to crushing defending Division I state semifinalist Solon 68-46.

The result was never in doubt.

“Definitely, this one was for Zane,” Johnson said while fighting back tears. “I know he would be more than happy to celebrate this with us. He’d be very proud of us, and I know he is right now.”

Before the game, Wadsworth principal Steve Moore gave a speech about what Walker meant to the community and especially the girls basketball players. A moment of silence was followed by a warm ovation for the well-known man who had a well-earned reputation for busting chops, but also for a heart of gold.

Johnson, who with help from Sophia Fortner and Meggie Flanigan will write a eulogy for Walker’s memorial at The Chapel at Wadsworth on Tuesday, acknowledged the underlying motivation for playing so well against a top-notch opponent came from their buddy.

“It’s obviously something big for us,” Johnson said. “His loss, it’s upsetting, but we know he’s going to be with us.

“Ever since he’s been in the hospital, we’ve been going over there touching his chair. His son (Stephen) actually came when he was in the hospital, and we would fist bump him as well. That was pretty cool.”

A Pennsylvania native but longtime Northeast Ohio railroad man, Walker could be seen around town volunteering for the Boy Scouts, Wadsworth Hunt Club, Soap Box Derby and Sunday school for more than 30 years.

Walker also became attached to Wadsworth athletics, volunteering to sell 50/50 tickets at football games, among other things. His true passion, however, was cheering on the decorated girls basketball program led by coach Andrew Booth, including one year helping wife Elaine make red and white scarves for all the players.

Booth remembers meeting Walker for the first time at a football game in 2005. Always one who could leave a memorable first impression, Walker told girls basketball players Cassie Schrock, Jen Uhl and Alli Macko, who were standing next to Booth, “If he loses more than one game this year, he should be fired.” Walker then walked away.

Booth didn’t know how to react at the time — the Grizzlies lost four times but reached the state semifinals that season — yet he soon became close with Walker.

“Obviously he had that sense of humor, which I didn’t know well enough at the time,” Booth recalled fondly. “He just was a genuine guy. He’d tell you something he thought would be helpful, but he’d also be very encouraging not only with the coaches, but the kids.”

Walker became more involved with the program even as his health declined, attending everything from summer league games to “90 percent” of practices. He always sat center court at home games with a notepad to track statistics while wearing a red and white T-Shirt with “Andy’s assistant” embroidered across the breast. Whenever he was admitted to the hospital, some of the first people to visit him were Wadsworth players.

Walker’s last home game was Jan. 27 against Twinsburg, and the Grizzlies pulled out a close victory. When Johnson, Lexi Lance, Laurel Palitto, Fortner and Jenna Johnson were announced as starters, they each ran across the court and gave the appreciative Walker their team towel as a tribute.

Walker will always have a place in their hearts.

“He was a big part of our lives,” Johnson said. “He’s definitely been around here for a long time. He was just an awesome guy.”

The family has established a GoFundMe website in Walker’s memory, with donations to help his wife pay medical bills. Any remaining money will be donated to the Wadsworth Hunt Club youth program.



High school basketball: Brumfield has special moment in spotlight as Buckeye beats Cloverleaf

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YORK TWP. — There was no way the Buckeye basketball team was going to lose — not on senior night and certainly not after the emotional lift provided by Blake Brumfield.

Buckeye’s Blake Brumfield scores against Cloverleaf during the first quarter. RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE

One of the team’s emotional leaders, Brumfield’s world was forever changed when doctors discovered a rare heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy — the leading cause of sudden cardiac death among young athletes — during a routine physical. He’s not even allowed to run, let alone play his second season on the varsity.

However, the 5-foot-8 guard got a moment in the spotlight Tuesday, slipping on his No. 20 jersey, getting the start and scoring a layup in the opening seconds of a 66-48 non-league victory over Cloverleaf.

“It really was just an amazing moment for me, and I just feel really blessed to come out here and actually get in a game this year,” said Brumfield, whose teammates were as excited for the moment as he was. “I know the community was behind me, and it felt so good being out there with my teammates.”

With terms agreed to by Bucks coach Tom Harrington and Colts counterpart Marty Ryan — Harrington informed the team during a film session Monday — Buckeye’s Bruce Barnby took the uncontested tip seconds after the student section chanted, “Let’s go Blake.” Liam Murray got the ball, dribbled over half court and passed to Brumfield near the top of the 3-point arc.

Brumfield then dribbled down the right side of the key and banked in a one-handed layup. The Colts’ Tyler Kapeluck got the same treatment at the other end and the game was stopped.

Brumfield exited to a rousing ovation and hugs from his teammates, including one from teary-eyed younger brother Brock. Blake Brumfield then put on his warmup and, like he’s done faithfully all season, cheered on his teammates.

“I was kind of worrying about missing (the layup) at the beginning,” Brumfield said with a laugh. “But I was just really excited to get out there.”

The game itself was in doubt for a half, as the Colts (2-19) continuously finished acrobatically at the rim with a starting lineup consisting of 6-0 Timmy Schuerger, 6-0 Michael Martin, 5-10 Kapeluck, 6-0 Travis Hissom and 6-1 Jeff Gilbert.

Everything changed when the Bucks (15-5) went on an 11-1 run to take a 43-29 lead early in the third quarter.

Buckeye junior Joey Bartinelli made 7-of-8 shots for a game-high 18 points. Balance was the calling card after that with senior Nathan Polidori (9 points), sophomore Justin Canedy (9, 5 rebounds) and senior Nick Wills (7, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), but the X-factor was clearly senior Justin Lowry (6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals).

The Bucks made 24-of-49 field goals (.490), 7-of-16 3-pointers (.438) and 11-of-15 free throws (.733).

“Our defense wasn’t very good in the first half,” Lowry said. “Coach brought that up at halftime, and he challenged us to play better. We responded very well, and that was the key factor.”

Cloverleaf countered with 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting from Schuerger. Kapeluck scored seven of his 11 points in the first quarter, while Martin added 11 points, five boards and three steals.

The main problem was the Colts couldn’t figure out the Bucks’ matchup 2-3 zone after the hot start, shooting 11-for-39 (3-for-14 from 3-point) over the final three quarters.

“I thought we were doing a better job attacking the basket,” Ryan said. “I think we got a little passive in the second half.”

Cloverleaf also had to deal with the emotions of an extra special senior night made possible by Brumfield, who normally is the maestro for choreographed interactions with the starters when they’re announced. Polidori did the honors Tuesday, giving Brumfield a long embrace.

“You know what? It was very heartbreaking when we first found out he couldn’t play this year,” Lowry said. “He never complained once about it. He’s cheered us on the whole way.

“It’s pretty much speechless to describe how awesome that (opening of the game) was.”

Notes

  • Barnby got a highlight as well, hitting a reverse layup in the fourth quarter. The 6-5, 280-pound Findlay football recruit finished with three points, three rebounds and a block.
  • Polidori and his mother, Debbie, sang the national anthem.
  • Adam Fauver had 15 points as the Buckeye junior varsity won 50-42. Joe Maloney had 14 points for Cloverleaf.

Buckeye 66, Cloverleaf 48
CLOVERLEAF 19 9 10 10 — 48
BUCKEYE 23 9 20 14 — 66
Cloverleaf — Tyler Kapeluck 4-3-11, Jeff Gilbert 2-0-4, Travis Hissom 3-0-6, Timmy Schuerger 6-0-14, Michael Martin 4-2-11, Levi Grimm 0-0-0, Austin Greer 0-0-0, Ryan Gutschow 0-2-2, Kevin Heishman 0-0-0, Joe Rohde 0-0-0. TOTALS: 19-7-48.
Buckeye — Liam Murray 2-2-6, Nick Wills 3-1-7, Bruce Barnby 1-1-3, Justin Lowry 2-2-6, Blake Brumfield 1-0-2, Nathan Polidori 2-4-9, Joey Bartinelli 7-0-18, Braeden Stauffer 1-0-3, Justin Canedy 4-1-9, Mikey Novick 1-0-3, Carter Hudak 0-0-0. TOTALS: 24-11-66.
3-point goals — Schuerger 2, Martin, Bartinelli 4, Stauffer, Polidori, Novick. Rebounds — Cloverleaf 19 (Martin 5), Buckeye 36 (Wills 6). Assists — Cloverleaf 6 (Schuerger, Martin 2), Buckeye 3 (Novick, Wills 3). Records — Cloverleaf (2-19), Buckeye (15-5). Junior varsity — Buckeye 50, Cloverleaf 42.


Love and basketball: Brought together by game, 1952 all-county team has unique bond

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Bob Kort was a quarter-mile from his daughter’s home in Cave Creek, Arizona, on Oct. 3, 2014. The 80-year-old pulled off the side of the road, exited his pickup truck and went to place a garage sale sign near the berm.

GAZETTE FILE The 1952 All-Medina County League first team consisted of, from left to right, Ken Grieve (Spencer), Don Bramley (Liverpool), Dwight Loomis (Granger-Sharon), Bob Kort (York) and Jim Schaub (Spencer).

GAZETTE FILE
The 1952 All-Medina County League first team consisted of, from left to right, Ken Grieve (Spencer), Don Bramley (Liverpool), Dwight Loomis (Granger-Sharon), Bob Kort (York) and Jim Schaub (Spencer).

An oncoming driver was blinded by sun glare, drifted right and never saw Kort. Emergency responders initially believed the impact was going to be fatal, but Kort miraculously survived. Adding to the tragedy, he was robbed of $1,200 while lying unconscious.

The York Township native was in a coma for 82 days. Doctors wanted to amputate a leg, but his daughter Pamela refused.

Kort gets emotional describing the ordeal, but not because of the 29 surgeries and not because he’s still learning to walk again while being tended to at an assistant living center.

He gets emotional because friends like Ken Grieve called him days after he awoke from the coma.

Grieve is neither a family member nor old classmate. Grieve was one of Kort’s rivals on the basketball court whenever York High and Spencer High squared off in bandbox gymnasiums in the early 1950s.

Their bond, along with Spencer’s Jim Schaub, Liverpool’s Don Bramley and late Granger-Sharon star Dwight Loomis, was brought together through fate when the quintet was named to the 1952 All-Medina County League first team following the annual league tournament at Medina High.

“I put it this way,” Kort said. “When you’re competitors way back then, it’s a life different from nowadays. I never looked at another player like I didn’t like him. I looked at him as if he was better than me, I wanted to be as good or better. They were all great people. None of us have gotten in any trouble.

“We ran into each other in Medina and we were always friendly. We all knew we were on separate teams, but we acted like we liked each other. Eventually, I knew that we did. Back then you just respected everybody.”

Kort, Grieve, Loomis, Schaub and Bramley posed for the traditional All-MCL photograph Feb. 22, 1952. They were selected based on season-long performance by the league’s 10 coaches and were, at the time, the highest-scoring All-MCL team ever with a combined 83.9 average.

  • Loomis was a versatile center who “was in a class by himself,” according to Grieve. The center averaged 16.5 points for the 17-4 MCL champion Hornets.
  • Grieve was a “gunner” at small forward and led Spencer to a 16-4 record while averaging a county-high 20.9 points. As a junior, he pumped in 43 points at LeRoy, a county standard for points in a game for almost five years.
  • Schaub was the maestro as Spencer joined Wadsworth that season as the first teams in county history to average 60 points. The 5-foot-10 point guard was a natural athlete who impacted games beyond an 11.8 scoring average, mostly by finding ways to get Grieve open shots.
  • Kort’s starpower speaks for itself as the lone member who played for a sub.-500 team. The hard-nosed 6-0 shooting guard averaged 17.9 points for the 8-10 Generals, with a high of 32.
  • Bramley was the lone underclassman, posting 16.8 points as a sophomore for 14-5 Liverpool and beating Spencer on a buzzer-beater early in the season. The sharpshooting 6-0 forward was destined to become a 1,000-point man, but a devastating knee injury in football limited him to single-digit games in each of the following two seasons.

The 1952 Fantastic Five soon forgot about basketball, at least temporarily, and went about their lives.

Kort, who nearly made the Kent State varsity team after he got out of the Air Force, became “a wealthy man” after founding Burbank Saddlery, a maker of saddles and other western wear. He also owned nationally recognized trotter horse Baron Lancer in the 1970s, earning $391,172 in winnings.

Grieve bounced around jobs before settling in for a 35-year career at Spencer Tire, and his son, Tom, won a state wrestling championship for Black River in 1977. Loomis became a dentist and served on the Highland Local School Board, Schaub became a minister and Bramley became president at Elyria Savings & Trust National Bank and was on the board of directors for what is now called First Merit.

From time to time, they’d randomly encounter each other around the county and exchange small talk. The conversation often turned to the 1951-52 season because it was what they had in common.

Finally in the early 2000s, Grieve, who naturally is a close friend with Schaub, decided to get everyone together. Every Sunday he and Kort attended Loomis’ church in Granger Township and had lunch afterward until Loomis’ passing in 2010.

Toss in periodic phone calls to Schaub and Bramley, who live in Delaware, Ohio, and Florida — “I was kind of surprised because it’s been how many years ago? 1952? That’s a long time ago,” Bramley said — and the all-county players became friends. These days they trade stories instead of points on the basketball court, and they never forget to talk about Loomis and “what a great guy he was.”

“Sports teams are like family,” Grieve said. “You’ve got to appreciate each other and so forth.”

Grieve and the boys take those words to heart, as all will try to be attendance for a welcome home party for Kort on May 14. More than 70 people have already sent their RSVP for the get-together at Quaker Steak & Lube in Medina Township.

Love, in this case through basketball, conquers all.

“I’m really excited for this,” Kort said. “We stayed in contact the best we could, which is unusual for any all-county team. I don’t think any all-county team has ever did that. (Playing high school basketball) was a great, great experience and I’ll never forget it.”

“I’ll tell ya, you’ve got to stay in touch with your family and friends,” Grieve added. “I’ve had three brothers pass away now — two of them, they just died.

“My recommendation is, tell people that you thank them and you love them. Don’t wait until they die and go, ‘Oh, I wish I would have said something.”’


High school basketball: Late rally falls short as Highland falls to Kent Roosevelt

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GRANGER TWP. — Senior night ended mercifully at 8:49 p.m. Friday, making the quickness of the game the most noteworthy highlight of an otherwise forgettable performance.

Laying an egg in its final home game of the regular season, the Highland boys basketball team still battled and had a shot to tie in the closing seconds, but fell short in a 44-40 loss to Kent Roosevelt.

Highland’s Collin Levandowski gets past Roosevelt’s Hayden Kegg in the second quarter. JUDD SMERGLIA/GAZETTE

The Hornets (13-9, 7-5) still finished second in the Suburban League American Division — an admirable achievement given the squad’s inexperience — but the postgame mood wasn’t a good one.

“You hate to play like that on senior night,” coach Adam Cestaro said. “That’s for sure.”

For all its offensive sloppiness, Highland nearly rallied from a 10-point hole in the fourth quarter behind 6-foot-7 center Joe Wiencek (13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks).

A quick 7-0 run made the score 36-33 with 3:40 to go, and a steal-and-score by Collin Levandowski made it 39-37 at the 1:22 mark.

Levandowski then picked Rough Riders star Spencer Neubert (16 points, 3 assists, 6 steals) and raced to the other end, but Neubert contested desperately and kept Levandowski from getting up a shot. The Hornets had another chance on the inbounds play, but Isaac Matejin’s pull-up jumper drew back iron.

Roosevelt’s Rayvon Pauls connected on two free throws with 23.1 seconds left, and Highland responded immediately with a corner 3-pointer by Jake Mall to put the score at 41-40. Neubert then made two free throws, and a rushed 22-footer by Highland’s Collin Rittman (9 points, 4-for-17 shooting) wasn’t all that close.

The Rough Riders (8-14, 5-7), who have won six of their last nine, clinched the game on a free throw by Christian Mehlmann with less than two seconds to go.

“We had a three (attempt) at the end to tie it on a night when we didn’t play our best basketball,” Cestaro said. “That’s nothing to be too disappointed about.”

Highland would have never been in that position if not for a terrible first half on the offensive end.

The issues were numerous, as the Hornets were out of sorts facing a gambling 2-3 zone. They scored four points — all by Brandon Shaw — on 2-for-13 shooting in the first quarter, missed their first five shots of the second and bricked all 13 3-point attempts in the first half.

Remarkably, Neubert, the SL American’s leading scorer at 19.9 entering the night, was a non-factor at 1-for-7 shooting, allowing Highland to go on a mini-run behind Rittman and trail 18-16 at recess.

At that point, the teams were 13-for-50 (.260) from the floor — that included a 4-for-6 finish by the Hornets — and 1-for-19 (.053) from beyond the arc.

Though the night got better from a scoring standpoint after the 2-for-18 start — Highland was 14-for-33 (.424) the rest of the way — ugly was ugly.

“You can’t have a letdown,” Cestaro said. “You can’t have night where you let yourself get frustrated, and you can’t have a night where you lose your poise.”

Notes

  • Curiously, Highland fell to 5-5 at home. The Hornets, who are 8-4 on the road, host Cuyahoga Falls in a Copley Division I Sectional semifinal on Wednesday.
  • Devin Myers had 11 points as Highland’s junior varsity won 50-38. The Hornets finished the year 12-10, 6-6.

Roosevelt 44, Highland 40
ROOSEVELT       7  11  14  12  —  44
HIGHLAND         4  12   8   16  —  40
Roosevelt — Christian Mehlmann 2-1-6, Hayden Kegg 3-1-7, Jordan Barnes 3-2-8, Grant Houser 0-0-0, Spencer Neubert 5-6-16, Dean Gray 1-0-3, Rayvon Pauls 0-2-2, Khai Dokes 0-0-0, Zach Adair 1-0-2. TOTALS: 15-12-44.
Highland — Brandon Shaw 2-0-4, Tyler Frederick 1-0-2, Ethan Yerian 0-0-0, Kyle Meissner 0-0-0, Collin Levandowski 2-0-5, Joe Wiencek 4-5-13, Isaac Matejin 2-0-4, Collin Rittman 4-0-9, Jake Mall 1-0-3, Ryan Frederick 0-0-0, Brandon Sauer 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-5-40.
3-point goals — Mehlmann, Gray, Levandowski, Rittman, Mall. Rebounds — Roosevelt 26 (Mehlmann 7), Highland 27 (Matejin, Wiencek 5). Assists — Roosevelt 11 (Neubert 3), Highland 6 (Levandowski 3). Records — Roosevelt (8-14, 5-7), Highland (13-9, 7-5). Junior varsity — Highland 50, Roosevelt 38.

 


Video game brings Medina County League to life

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The Spencer Redbirds (red) and York Generals (white) tip off the "NBA 2K16" Medina County League Tournament championship game

The Spencer Redbirds (red) and York Generals (white) tip off the “NBA 2K16″ Medina County League Tournament championship game

Want boys basketball players to have your undivided attention? Use “High school” and “2K” in the same sentence.

Bet you any money they stop dead in their tracks (Buckeye guard Braeden Stauffer’s jaw drop was particularly memorable).

The term “2K” is slang for the video game “NBA 2K16,” the award-winning sports franchise produced by 2K Games. The in-game TV show host is none other than talented 2008 Wadsworth High graduate Rachel DeMita.

Almost every prep player owns an NBA 2K game. He’ll talk smack while battling buddies online, ball out with his favorite team and even use facial scanning software to create his likeness and embark on a career against LeBron James, Stephen Curry and the rest of The Association.

He’s never seen anything like this, though:

Before Highland (1952), Buckeye (1953), Black River (1958) and Cloverleaf (1960) were established, most townships had their own school system and accompanying basketball team.

The Medina County League featured 13 schools at its height — minus Medina and Wadsworth — and the season-ending MCL Tournament on the old Medina High auditorium stage (now the Medina County Administration Building) was an annual spectacle that brought the area together.

Before reading further, burn this into your brain: These Homer Cavaliers, Lodi Tigers, Granger Rockets and Liverpool Flying Dutchmen, among others, were real. Their uniforms, real. Their logos, real. Alumni are at least 75 years old, but community passion runs as thick as blood.

What if the Medina County League existed today? Who would play for what team? What would their uniforms look like? Most importantly, who would win?

This is where fantasy and reality collide.

Early this season, Black River, Buckeye, Cloverleaf and Highland players provided their home townships. MCL teams were compiled accordingly, but four — the Litchfield Orange and Black, Chatham Oilers, Hinckley Wildcats and Seville Barbers — couldn’t field complete rosters and their players were “given” to a neighboring school (luckily, most of these moves matched historical context).

Brunswick also was excluded because of sheer size, resulting in an eight-team league of the Spencer Redbirds (scarlet/gray), Homer Cavaliers (green/white), York Generals (purple/gold), Liverpool Flying Dutchmen (blue/white), LeRoy Red Raiders (red/white), Lodi Tigers (black/gold), Granger Rockets (green/gold) and Sharon Bulldogs (red/black).

Then began the process of creating players in “NBA 2K16” — not forgetting out-for-the-season Blake Brumfield, Connor Rhine and Matthew Potter — using accurate heights, weights and skills (more on that in a bit). Every player is wearing his real-life jersey number and most are rocking their shoes (Nike Zoom Solider 9s are popular). If they wear a knee sleeve, wrist tape, undershirt or ankle brace, they wear one in the game, too.

The true chore was facial design, as the aforementioned facial scan software, in layman’s terms, applies only to a specific game mode and thus was unavailable. Eye colors and hair styles were calculated using headshots, and the amount of detail the game provides is staggering, right down to brow height, chin width, ear size and facial asymmetry (can’t make that up).

Some of the player models are creepy realistic (Brumfield, Mike Hazlett, Travis Hissom, Collin Levandowski, Justin Lowry), while others didn’t come out well no matter how determined the attempt (Joe Wiencek, Liam Murray, Allan Benson, Michael Martin, Tyler Frederick). A lot of sleep was lost over them nonetheless.

Next came 42 attributes, 68 tendencies and 82 special skills called “badges” for all 58 players to program the game for who does what and how well (or poorly) they do it. Examples are Mikey Novick is a pass-first point guard, Isaac Matejin is a power forward with range (aka “Stretch 4”), Timmy Schuerger is a volume shooter and Nathan Polidori is a flashy, athletic scorer. Getting every virtual player to compete as realistically as possible was painstaking but also the most critical aspect.

Skill-rating discussion was when interest naturally peaked. Murray half-jokingly/half-seriously said he’d be upset if his overall rating wasn’t at least 80 (spoiler alert: fifth-best player at 77), while Polidori asked if his dropped because of two sprained ankles (no) and Bruce Barnby only cared about his hustle attribute (the 6-foot-5, 280-pound Findlay football recruit thinks he’s Anderson Varejao).

Finally, the fun began. A traditional 14-game league season was simulated to lock in seeding for the ultimate prize, the MCL Tournament.

This is when the project shined, as the fourth-seeded Spencer Redbirds caught fire and thrillingly reached the title game against the second-seeded York Generals. Redbirds guard Benson distributed while Roupe was playing like a possessed man-child, banking in an elbow jumper with 3.7 seconds left to take down Lodi and scoring 25 second-half points (not a typo) in an upset of the top-seeded Sharon Bulldogs.

That epic double-overtime championship game between Spencer and York is chronicled elsewhere in this unique section, but the original goal — bringing generations of county basketball players together with a massive, you-need-a-life enterprise — was achieved.

Here’s how I’ll wrap it up:

Gently used copy of “NBA 2K16”: $45. Extension cord to keep battery of PlayStation 4 controller charged: $6. Man hours lost: Enough that my head will explode if I hear another Drake, D.J. Premier, Wiz Khalifa or Jay Z song.

Teaching these 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds local history in a way they’ll talk about at class reunions: Absolutely, positively, you-better-believe-this-was-worth-it priceless.

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.


“NBA 2K16″ simulation championship: York downs Spencer in 2OT thriller

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Learn more about our “NBA 2k16″ simulation championship
Video game brings Medina County League to life

Full video of the championship game in its entirety, is below the story.

GUILFORD TWP. — Liam Murray refused to lose.

The senior power forward scored a season-high 40 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, leading the York Generals to a heart-pounding 90-83 double-overtime victory over the Spencer Redbirds in the “NBA 2K16” Medina County League Tournament championship game.

While the 6-foot-4 Murray was high scorer, his most important contribution was a pass. With the second-seeded Generals (13-4) leading 86-83 and less than 30 seconds remaining in 2OT, Murray fired to cutting center Justin Canedy for a two-handed dunk that all but sealed the game.

Spencer's Curtis Roupe grabs a rebound against York's Blake Brumfield, left, and Justin Canedy.

Spencer’s Curtis Roupe grabs a rebound against York’s Blake Brumfield, left, and Justin Canedy.

Murray was 18-for-38 shooting but didn’t score over the final 4:36. Teammates stepped up, as Justin Lowry scored five of his season-high 13 points in double overtime, Canedy (11 points, 18 rebounds) added five points in the OTs, Mikey “Little General” Novick dished out a game-high 12 assists and Braeden Stauffer had eight points, nine rebounds and six dimes.

Fourth-seeded Spencer (10-7), which rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, got 31 points and nine assists from star point guard Allan Benson. Off-guard Matthew Potter, a 6.5-point scorer coming in, added an out-of-nowhere 20 points, while center Curtis “Big Dog” Roupe had 19 and 19 boards despite getting limited touches in the first half.

York never trailed after Canedy scored 31 seconds into double overtime. Clinging to 81-79, 84-81 and 86-83 leads over the final 2:06, the Generals got a Lowry 3-pointer, a Stauffer off-rim, off-backboard, off-rim-and-in jumper and the Canedy dunk. Novick iced the game with two free throws.

The York victory was earned the hard way.

The Generals appeared to be in control with 4:37 to go in regulation after Stauffer made a down-the-lane layup to make the score 65-56. The bottom fell out, however, as Spencer countered with an 13-0 run — the final eight points coming on Benson drives — and went ahead 69-65 with 1:14 left.

York's Justin Lowry looks to pass against Spencer's Brennan Scheck

York’s Justin Lowry looks to pass against Spencer’s Brennan Scheck

The Redbirds couldn’t hang on, as Murray drilled a fadeaway 17-footer with the shot clock winding down and Stauffer connected on a high-post jumper after Spencer committed a turnover. The Redbirds’ Derek Hawley then had a hotly contested left-handed layup spin out with 4.2 seconds left, and Novick’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.

The first overtime had a similar story.

Trailing 72-69, the Redbirds embarked on an 8-1 run behind a an acrobatic, double-pump layup by Roupe — he was fouled but missed the free throw — four Benson free throws and a pick-and-roll bucket by freshman Brennan Scheck that put the score at 77-73 with 44 seconds to go.

Spencer couldn’t finish — again.

Murray banked home on a leaner in the paint just past the outstretched arm of Roupe with 38.5 seconds left and got a steal at the other end. Novick then nearly was stripped driving baseline, but he gathered the ball quickly and cashed in a short jumper just off the block to tie the game.

Spencer had one more chance. The Redbirds ran clock and isolated Benson, but his 17-footer rattled out. York again had a last-second look for the win and again Novick came up short.

With NBA rules in place — the shot clock in particular had a huge impact — shots were aplenty and turnovers were limited. The teams combined to fire 72-for-183 overall (.393), 13-for-54 from 3-point range (.241) and 16-for-29 from the foul line (.552). They each had 46 points in the paint, Spencer won the rebounding battle 66-59 and York had 29 assists on 38 field goals.

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

York 90, Spencer 83 (2OT)

SPENCER                   15  17  17  20  10  6  —  83

YORK                          20  15  21  13  10  13  —  90

Spencer — Derek Hawley 1-9 0-4 2, Brennan Scheck 3-6 1-2 7, Curtis Roupe 9-20 1-4 19, Matthew Potter 7-18 0-0 20, Allan Benson 13-37 4-4 31, Zach Hawley 1-4 2-4 4. TOTALS: 34-94 8-15 83.

York — Justin Lowry 5-13 0-0 13, Liam Murray 18-38 3-5 40, Justin Canedy 4-11 3-6 11, Braeden Stauffer 4-12 0-0 8, Mikey Novick 3-11 2-2 9, Carter Hudak 3-3 0-0 6, Blake Brumfield 1-1 0-0 3. TOTALS: 38-89 8-13 90.

3-point goals — Spencer 7-34 (Potter 6-13, Benson 1-9, Scheck 0-1, Z. Hawley 0-3, Roupe 0-4, D. Hawley 0-4), York 6-20 (Lowry 3-6, Brumfield 1-1, Murray 1-3, Novick 1-5, Canedy 0-1, Stauffer 0-4). Rebounds — Spencer 66 (Roupe 19), York 59 (Murray 20). Assists — Spencer 15 (Benson 9), York 29 (Novick 12). Turnovers — Spencer 3, York 5. Total fouls — Spencer 7, York 10.


High school basketball: Wadsworth beats shorthanded Brunswick to advance to district finals

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MEDINA — The Wadsworth girls basketball team is playing at another level right now.

Riding their elite half-court defense Monday, Peyton Banks, Jodi Johnson and the rest of the top-seeded Grizzlies dominated shorthanded No. 6 seed Brunswick 67-44 in the Medina Division I District semifinals.

Wadsworth’s Peyton Banks shoots against Brunswick’s Paige Billetz during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

That score was woefully misleading, as Wadsworth (23-1) went on a 33-0 run in the first half. The Grizzlies began subbing in junior varsity players with three minutes to go before halftime, which began with the Grizzlies leading 40-6.

Coach Andrew Booth’s squad advanced to battle third-seeded Berea-Midpark (18-6) for the championship Thursday night.

“The team’s focus is really good,” Banks said. “We’re coming out every game and playing hard on defense.

“To be honest, I can’t believe (we went on a 33-0 run). We played so good in the first half. The key to the run was defense, getting easy baskets and really playing basketball.”

Wadsworth, which made 15-of-15 free throws, got 22 points (9-for-13 shooting) and three steals from first-team All-Ohioan Jodi Johnson, but the Ashland recruit was hardly the only standout.

The physical Banks pumped in a career-high 20 points and ripped down a game-high seven rebounds, while fellow sophomore post Lexi Lance added six first-quarter points. Sophomore backup guard Maddie Movsesian (4 points, 5 steals) was key defensively, helping Jenna Johnson and Jodi Johnson hound Blue Devils star Farrah Benner (12 points, 4-for-16 shooting).

The Grizzlies’ run began after Benner tied the score at 3 on the second possession of the game. It ended when Brunswick freshman Angela Fink, who was making her first career start with Jessica Skrzypek (foot) and Olivia Andrew (concussion) unavailable, made two free throws with 2:33 left in the half.

Jodi Johnson and Banks had 13 and 12 points, respectively, during the splurge, while Lance added six and Sophia Fortner (game-high 6 assists) two.

In the first half, Brunswick (12-12) missed its final 14 shots and committed 16 turnovers. The Blue Devils finally snapped a 15½-minute field goal drought when Eileen Salisbury scored 11 seconds into the third quarter.

“Unfortunately, we’ve got to play (Wadsworth) sometime,” coach Halle Schmidt joked. “They’re going to be down in the state tournament, and I’d be surprised if they don’t win. They’re a very, very good basketball team.”

The Blue Devils showed character in the second half, firing at will and connecting on a number of tough shots. Salisbury was electric, scoring 17 second-half points on 7-for-9 shooting, while Benner, Gabbi Campbell and Fink also helped Brunswick make 8-of-16 3-pointers over the final 16 minutes.

Still, there was no way to prepare for the Grizzlies’ aggressive, switch-everything man defense that made Brunswick’s five-out scheme a non-factor when the game was still in doubt.

“We had a lot of talk as a team (defensively),” Movsesian said. “We came in really prepared. We practiced really well this week, and overall we just came ready to play. It was serious. There wasn’t any goofing off.”

Notes

  • Small forward Laurel Palitto was the only Wadsworth starter to play in the fourth quarter, while the all-JV lineup of Maggie Sonntag, Maria Busson, Meggie Flanigan, Molly Palecek and Leah Maher was on the court for the final 4:14.
  • Jodi Johnson is 17-for-21 from the floor, 6-for-9 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the foul line this postseason.
  • Piloted by former Brunswick coach Kevin Braaten, Berea-Midpark defeated North Royalton 57-47 in the nightcap behind nine 3-pointers. The Bears were playing without injured starters Julianne Lebo and Lexi Chuppa and got 19 points from freshman center Taiyier Parks.

Wadsworth 67, Brunswick 44
BRUNSWICK 3 3 20 18 — 44
WADSWORTH 18 22 17 10 — 67
Brunswick — Gabbi Campbell 3-7 0-0 7, Farrah Benner 4-16 0-0 12, Paige Billetz 0-2 0-0 0, Angela Fink 1-7 2-2 5, Eileen Salisbury 7-10 0-0 17, Macie Tobel 0-0 0-0 0, Maria Payne 0-0 1-2 1, Danielle Razzante 1-1 0-0 2, Brittany Henke 0-0 0-0 0, Natalie Galaida 0-1 0-0 0, Katia Shapovalova 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16-44 3-4 44.
Wadsworth — Laurel Palitto 1-2 0-0 3, Jenna Johnson 1-7 0-0 2, Lexi Lance 2-6 2-2 6, Jodi Johnson 9-13 2-2 22, Sophia Fortner 1-5 0-0 2, McKenna Banks 0-2 0-0 0, Peyton Banks 6-8 7-7 20, Olivia Chaney 2-3 0-0 4, Maddie Movsesian 1-4 2-2 4, Alexa Conley 0-1 0-0 0, Meggie Flanigan 0-2 0-0 0, Maggie Sonntag 0-2 2-2 2, Molly Palecek 0-3 0-0 0, Maria Busson 0-0 0-0 0, Leah Maher 1-3 0-0 2. TOTALS: 24-61 15-15 67.
3-point goals — Brunswick 9-27 (Benner 4-14, Salisbury 3-4, Fink 1-4, Campbell 1-4, Galaida 0-1), Wadsworth 4-14 (Jo. Johnson 2-5, Palitto 1-2, P. Banks 1-2, Movsesian 0-1, Conley 0-1, Fortner 0-3). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Brunswick 20 (Benner 5), Wadsworth 36 (P. Banks 7). Assists — Brunswick 7 (Henke, Campbell 2), Wadsworth 15 (Fortner 6). Turnovers — Brunswick 21 (Salisbury 7), Wadsworth 12 (Fortner, Palitto, Chaney 2). Fouls — Brunswick 14, Wadsworth 7. Records — Brunswick (12-12), Wadsworth (23-1).


Benson, Roupe combine to score 46 points, but Pirates lose

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Albert Grindle
The Gazette
CRESTON — Black River coach Josh Calame shed a tear not because the season was over, but because his boys basketball team showed its character for the umpteenth time.
The 13th-seeded Pirates lost 61-54 to fifth-seeded Norwayne in a Wooster Division I Sectional semifinal Tuesday. Their 6-17 record was identical to last season, but the number of close games they played illustrated unarguable improvement.
“I got a little emotional (in the locker room),” Calame said. “I’m just real proud of this group. I just hope they understand and everyone else understands how far they’ve come. They don’t lay down to anybody.
“The epitome of our team right now is that game — you play your hearts out, you get down, but you don’t quit and battle back.”
That held true against the Bobcats (13-9), as Black River got an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to seven and likely would have been closer if 6-foot-7 Norwayne center Nate Weinman (22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks) didn’t make 6-of-6 free throws to keep the scrappy Pirates at bay.
The stars powered the comeback, as Allan Benson (26 points) and Curtis Roupe (20, 9 rebounds) scored 29 of Black River’s first 30 points in the second half. The duo was dynamite in the fourth quarter, as Benson had 14 points on 3-of-5 field goals and 8-of-8 free throws and Roupe added three inside scores.
Norwayne led 50-32 after backup guard Devin Kay drained consecutive 3-pointers to start the fourth. The Bobcats then couldn’t hit a shot — they were 9-for-32 after a 13-for-25 first half — allowing Benson and Roupe to respond with a 16-5 run that made the score 55-48 with 60 seconds to play.
Black River got no closer because surefire All-Wayne County Athletic League pick Weinman answered the call.
“I’m devastated because we almost came all the way back in the fourth quarter,” said Benson, who finished third in school history with 1,162 career points. “If we didn’t have such a slow start, who knows what the outcome could have been.
“We fought till the end. That’s the most important thing.”
As Benson alluded to, the Pirates were in a desperate position because of awful starts to each quarter. They trailed 12-3 right off the rip, then allowed 9-0, 7-2 and 6-0 runs to begin the next three quarters.
The initial spurt was especially damaging, as a season-long theme of slow starts bit again.
“I have no idea (what happened),” Benson said. “Maybe (Norwayne) had more intensity, more emotion than us. It’s their home floor. We played here in a scrimmage, but we haven’t played here in months, so that could have been a factor.”
Black River, which trailed 32-22 at half and 44-32 after three periods, also didn’t receive secondary help. The Bobcats got complements to Weinman and guard Griffin Lusk (19 points) in the forms of power forward Bryce Rohrbaugh (7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) and Kay (8 points, 2 assists).
Pirates not named Benson or Roupe combined for eight points on 2-for-19 shooting, including 0-for-13 over the final three quarters. Anything resembling a third scorer could have been critical, as Norwayne switched from man to a 2-3 zone and dared anyone not named Benson to shoot outside.
“You have a guy go for 26 and another for 20, and you’ve got six and two (from the other two players who scored),” Calame said. “That also is the epitome of us this year. We just couldn’t a lot of nights get that third scorer.”
Despite its struggles, Black River still poured heart into making a final push and finished the season playing in its 11th game decided by single digits.
For a program that lost 49 consecutive games not too long ago, that accomplishment is something the Pirates are proud of.
“We just didn’t give up, you know?” Benson said. “We’re a different team than the last two years. I’m not talking crap about (Norwayne), but we just had that feeling we were still in this game and that we weren’t going to give up.
“I knew it was going to be different this year.”
Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.
Norwayne 61, Black River 54
Wooster Division III Sectional Semifinal
BLACK RIVER 13 9 10 22 — 54
NORWAYNE 16 16 12 17 — 61
Black River — Derek Hawley 0-7 0-0 0, Brennan Scheck 0-2 0-0 0, Curtis Roupe 9-14 2-4 20, Zach Hawley 1-5 3-4 6, Allan Benson 8-17 9-10 26, Mike Hazlett 1-5 0-0 2, River Wheeler 0-0 0-0 0, Brandon Heath 0-0 0-0 0, Blake Widenmeyer 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 19-50 14-18 54.
Norwayne — Cade Hiles 1-3 0-0 2, Bryce Rohrbaugh 3-8 1-2 7, Nate Weinman 6-12 10-11 22, Griffin Lusk 9-16 0-0 19, Alex Widmer 0-5 0-0 0, John Dreher 0-0 0-0 0, Devin Kay 2-10 2-4 8, Brevin Harris 0-2 0-0 0, Grant Holcomb 1-1 1-1 3. TOTALS: 22-57 14-18 61.
3-point goals — Black River 2-16 (Z. Hawley 1-3, Benson 1-6, Roupe 0-1, Hazlett 0-1, Scheck 0-1, D. Hawley 0-4), Norwayne 3-11 (Kay 2-4, Lusk 1-3, Weinman 0-1, Widmer 0-1, Rohrbaugh 0-2). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Black River 25 (Roupe 9), Norwayne 32 (Weinman 11). Assists — Black River 5 (D. Hawley, Widenmeyer 2), Norwayne 16 (Hiles 6). Turnovers — Black River 16 (Benson 6), Norwayne 15 (Weinman 6). Fouls — Black River 17, Norwayne 16. Records — Black River (6-17), Norwayne (13-9).



Wadsworth selects Todd as football coach

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WADSWORTH — The Grizzlies have a new leader for their tradition-rich football program.

Justin Todd, head coach at Mount Vernon and previously at Loudonville, will be recommended to replace Greg Dennison, who resigned after compiling a 148-77 record over 21 seasons, at the March 7 board meeting.

A graduate of Mount Union, Todd is best known for an impressive run at Loudonville from 2012-14.  His final Redbirds team was one of the state’s prolific offensively (46.9 ppg) and reached the Division VI, Region 19 championship game, earning Todd The Associated Press Coach of the Year award.

Check The Gazette on Thursday for more details.


High school basketball: Determined Highland bounces back with win over Cuyahoga Falls

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GRANGER TWP. — Resilient was too soft of a word.

The gritty, determined and mentally tough Highland boys basketball team epitomized its season Wednesday with a hard-earned 51-47 win over Cuyahoga Falls in a Copley Division I Sectional semifinal. The eighth-seeded Hornets got contributions from everywhere, played strong defense in high-pressure situations and atoned for a frustrating upset loss to sub-.500 Kent Roosevelt five days prior.

Highlands’s Isaac Matejin steals the ball from Cuyahoga Falls’ Kevin Gainer during the first half. AARON JOSEFCZYK/GAZETTE

Coach Adam Cestaro’s team (14-9), which improved to 9-5 in games decided by six points or fewer, advanced to play at No. 1 Brunswick (18-4) on Saturday after limiting the ninth-seeded Black Tigers (11-12) to 2-for-13 shooting in the fourth quarter.

“It was a great win,” sophomore small forward Collin Rittman said. “We’ve been in battles like that the entire season, so we knew what to do. We had to execute down the stretch, and that’s what we did.”

Highland blew a 10-point second-quarter lead and almost saw a 47-39 advantage melt away in the fourth. The Hornets got a game-high 20 points from the emerging Rittman, who is averaging 16.7 over the last 12 games, and 12 from power forward Isaac Matejin, who also limited Cuyahoga Falls leading scorer Kevin Gainer (12.5 ppg coming in) to six points, including zero in the first half.

Rittman and Matejin were far from the only key contributors. Center Joe Wiencek had seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds, combo guard Jake Mall posted a game-high four assists and backup Brandon Shaw (5 points, 3 offensive rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks) had his signature performance since missing 12 games with a broken wrist.

The Black Tigers got 13 points from off-guard Ka’Von Gainer, 12 points, six rebounds and three assists from physical point guard D’Vontay Friga and 10 points from mid-range-shooting center Troy Tofil, but they also shot 10-for-37 when a 9-for-13 third quarter was factored out and made only 5-of-21 3-pointers.

“We really executed our offense,” said Cestaro, whose team made 6-of-13 threes. “We’re pretty comfortable saying, ‘Just run it and execute.’ We ran our ball-screen motion, and I don’t have to call a million sets because we play off each other really well.”

Ka’Von Gainer went on a personal 6-0 run to make the score 47-45 late in the fourth. Rittman scored inside at the 1:30 mark, but Friga countered with two free throws 25 seconds later and the Hornets blew a good look at a transition layup.

Luckily for Highland, Shaw, who subbed in for Collin Levandowski in crunch-time defensive situations, blocked Friga from behind near the rim. The Hornets again left the door open with two missed free throws, but Shaw got a piece a down-the-lane drive by Friga, whose shot attempt deflected high off glass.

Cuyahoga Falls burned precious clock fouling five times over the final 15 seconds to get to the bonus, allowing Rittman to ice the game by making both ends of a one-and-one with 4.8 seconds left.

“Coach just told me to stay in front of (Friga) and don’t let him by me,” Shaw said. “I got straight up, got the block and that’s it.”

Highland now gets another shot at neighboring Brunswick, the Greater Cleveland Conference champion that ranks 11th in state history with 238 3-pointers and has won 11 of its last 12 games. The Hornets lost to the Blue Devils 48-38 at home on Dec. 1.

Both teams have improved drastically, however, making Saturday intriguing.

“It’s definitely a redemption game,” Rittman said. “We’re all excited and ready to play them on Saturday.”

Highland 51, Cuyahoga Falls 47
Copley Division I Sectional Semifinal
CUYAHOGA FALLS 8 10 20 9 — 47
HIGHLAND 12 11 15 13 — 51
Cuyahoga Falls — Caleb Freeman 0-4 0-0 0, Kevin Gainer 2-3 1-2 6, Troy Tofil 5-8 0-0 10, Ka’Von Gainer 5-13 1-2 13, D’Vontay Friga 5-16 2-2 12, Jeff Shaffer 1-3 0-0 3, Tylor Cingle 1-3 0-0 3, Brandon Plucinski 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 19-50 4-6 47.
Highland — Collin Rittman 7-12 4-5 20, Isaac Matejin 5-10 0-0 12, Joe Wiencek 3-7 1-4 7, Jake Mall 2-6 0-0 5, Collin Levandowski 1-6 0-0 2, Brandon Shaw 2-4 0-2 5, Brandon Sauer 0-0 0-0 0, Tyler Frederick 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 20-45 5-11 51.
3-point goals — Cuyahoga Falls 5-21 (Ka. Gainer 2-8, Cingle 1-2, Ke. Gainer 1-2, Shaffer 1-3, Freeman 0-1, Friga 0-5), Highland 6-13 (Rittman 2-3, Matejin 2-4, Shaw 1-2, Mall 1-3, Levandowski 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Cuyahoga Falls 22 (Friga 6), Highland 27 (Wiencek 11). Assists — Cuyahoga Falls 8 (Friga 3), Highland 9 (Mall 4). Turnovers — Cuyahoga Falls 10 (Friga 3), Highland 14 (Levandowski 4). Fouls — Cuyahoga Falls 12, Highland 7. Records — Cuyahoga Falls (11-12), Highland (14-9).


High school basketball: Lance, Banks dominate in paint as Wadsworth beats Berea-Midpark

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MEDINA — The Wadsworth girls basketball team broke its huddle moments before the opening tip Thursday with a low-toned “Woo-woo” — a surprisingly new twist for a team that thrives on superstition. The newest wrinkle sounded a lot like a soft bark from a bull mastiff.

Fittingly, the Grizzlies then let their big dogs eat.

Wadsworth’s Jodi Johnson, center, Jenna Johnson, left, and Laurel Palitto hold up the Medina District 1 Championship trophy after beating Berea Midpark 80-50. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Sophomore centers Lexi Lance and Peyton Banks were beasts Berea-Midpark couldn’t contain. The duo never played at the same time, but provided a devastating inside presence against an opponent with a 6-foot-3 shot-blocker in the paint.

Combine Lance and Banks with a season-best showing from power forward Jenna Johnson and top-seeded Wadsworth again looked extremely impressive, crushing the third-seeded Titans 80-50 to win the Medina Division I District championship for the fifth straight season and reach the Sweet 16 for the eighth time in 11 years under coach Andrew Booth.

Next up for the Grizzlies (24-1) is a date with Magnificat (21-4) at North Royalton on Tuesday.

“This is exciting,” Lance said. “(Winning the district title), it’s two years in a row (for me) and obviously it’s more exciting for the seniors seeing how they’ve done it four years in a row.”

The 6-1 jump-out-of-the-gym starter, Lance finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds, two highlight-reel blocks, a steal and an assist. Banks, Lance’s 5-10 backup, powered home a game-high 16 points to go with four boards, a career-high four assists — highlighted by two to older sister McKenna Banks (8 points) in the third quarter — and a steal.

Lance and Peyton Banks combined for 29 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals while simultaneously getting 6-3 Berea-Midpark counterpart Miranda Otero into foul trouble, and their rebound total was two more than the Titans (18-7), who got 14 points from speedy point guard Jada Marone but only five on 2-for-10 shooting from 1,000-point scorer Zoranne Host.

Oh, and don’t forget Grizzlies junior varsity center Meggie Flanigan (4 points, 3 rebounds) and Johnson (season-high 13 points, 6-of-6 free throws), illustrating the inside dominance.

“When you have one good post player in this day and age, it’s a great luxury,” Booth said. “When you have two kids that can play and you can interchange them and keep them fresh, that’s something many teams don’t have.”

Lance, Banks and Johnson combined for 14 points in the first quarter that ended with Wadsworth up 22-4. The Grizzlies led 45-17 late in the second, but Berea-Midpark went on a 13-1 run that made the score semi-interesting at 46-30 early in the third.

No big deal, as Wadsworth scored 30 of the next 40 points before the third string checked in with four minutes left.

First-team All-Ohioan Jodi Johnson played a complementary role and scored eight of her 12 points in the second half, including a three-point play that moved her into fifth place on the Medina County career scoring list. Maddie Movsesian again was stellar defensively and added six points, three rebounds and three steals, while Sophia Fortner had seven points and four assists.

Wadsworth finished 27-for-55 from the field and 24-for-30 from the foul line, where they are shooting .788 this postseason. The 80 points were a season high, but most importantly the Grizzlies continued a postseason-long theme of burying opponents early.

Wadsworth outscored Brecksville, Brunswick and Berea-Midpark 72-15 in first quarters on its way to the title.

“It goes back to our leadership,” Booth said. “Those kids have been around three and, in Jodi’s case, four years seeing what it takes. They understand one bad quarter, especially early in the game, can cost you. The rest of the kids — we had five play in this game last year — they understand it, too.”

The postgame celebration was familiar yet sweet. The Grizzlies posed for gaggles of pictures as teammates took turns cutting down the net nearest to their bench — starting with Maria Busson and ending with Jenna Johnson — and flashed plenty of smiles.

The Wadsworth players savored the moment until they got on the bus. There’s more work to be done.

“I’m so happy and glad to be going on to regional semis again,” Banks said.

Wadsworth 80, Berea-Midpark 50
Medina Division I District Final
BEREA-MIDPARK 4 22 14 10 — 50
WADSWORTH 22 23 24 11 — 80
Berea-Midpark — Zoranne Host 2-10 0-0 5, Lexy Siggers 2-4 2-2 6, Miranda Otero 2-2 0-1 4, Lexie Scranton 5-7 1-4 12, Jada Marone 6-15 0-0 14, Makayla Holivay 0-5 1-2 1, Kristen Slovick 2-3 0-0 6, Amaya Johnson 1-4 0-0 2, Riley Cummings 0-0 0-0 0, Kelsi Miske 0-0 0-0 0, Kayla Gudel 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 20-50 4-9 50.
Wadsworth — Laurel Palitto 0-3 0-0 0, Jenna Johnson 3-5 6-6 13, Lexi Lance 4-10 4-6 12, Jodi Johnson 4-8 4-5 12, Sophia Fortner 3-4 0-0 7, Peyton Banks 5-9 6-8 16, Olivia Chaney 1-4 0-0 2, McKenna Banks 3-4 2-2 8, Maddie Movsesian 3-5 0-0 6, Alexa Conley 0-2 0-0 0, Meggie Flanigan 1-1 2-2 4, Maggie Sonntag 0-0 0-0 0, Maria Busson 0-0 0-1 0, Molly Palecek 0-0 0-0 0, Colleen Fry 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 27-55 24-30 80.
3-point goals — Berea-Midpark 6-20 (Slovick 2-3, Marone 2-4, Scarton 1-3, Host 1-5, Johnson 0-1, Holivay 0-4), Wadsworth 2-6 (Je. Johnson 1-1, Fortner 1-1, Jo. Johnson 0-1, Conley 0-1, Palitto 0-2). Fouled out — Ortero. Rebounds — Berea-Midpark 17 (Siggers 6), Wadsworth 38 (Lance 15). Assists — Berea-Midpark 9 (Marone 4), Wadsworth 16 (Fortner, P. Banks 4). Turnovers — Berea-Midpark 25 (Host 7), Wadsworth 19 (Palecek, Lance, Jo. Johnson, Je. Johnson 3). Fouls — Berea-Midpark 21, Wadsworth 12. Records — Berea-Midpark (18-7), Wadsworth (24-1).


Boys basketball: Buckeye’s Nathan Polidori hits last-second game-winner in North Ridgeville Division II Sectional championship

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YORK TWP. — Nathan Polidori will never forget the devastating feeling of burying his helmet into the turf after the Buckeye football team lost an epic triple-overtime playoff game against West Geauga in November.

The senior also never will forget the euphoria of Friday, when he was lifted into the air by basketball teammate Mikey Novick and pinned to the gymnasium wall by a frenzied home student section that lost its collective mind in excitement.

Buckeye's Braeden Stauffer goes up for a shot against Holy Name's Nick Opinar during the third quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Buckeye’s Braeden Stauffer goes up for a shot against Holy Name’s Nick Opinar during the third quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Polidori grabbed a rebound, flew down the court at 100 mph and finished a double-pump layup as time expired, giving the Bucks a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me 61-59 victory over Holy Name in a North Ridgeville Division II Sectional championship.

The fourth-seeded Bucks (17-6), who scored five unanswered points in the final 15 seconds, advanced to face No. 1 Bay (20-3) on Thursday.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet, to be honest,” Polidori said with a piece of net in his ear. “It was surreal. I don’t even understand. It’s like the opposite of how I felt after the West Geauga game. That’s how I feel.

“Coach (Tom Harrington) said one of the keys was, ‘How bad do you want it?’ We just wanted it. We flat-out wanted it more, and we just made plays and at the end we came out on top.”

Buckeye tied the game on a Braeden Stauffer 3-pointer with 15 seconds left. The Bucks then nearly forced a miracle turnover when Liam Murray tipped the ball from behind driving Green Wave superstar Dwayne Cohill (26 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, 7 turnovers) and out of bounds — the initial call went Buckeye’s way but was overturned — giving way for Polidori’s hair-raising sequence.

After Cohill’s cut down the key was stifled, seventh-seeded Holy Name (8-16) inbounded successfully and got the ball to Sean Hickey (17 points, 13 in fourth quarter). The sharpshooter wanted to hoist a 3-pointer, but sticky defense from Novick forced Hickey to ball-fake and attempt a shot from 17 feet.

Hickey fired off-balance with approximately six seconds left. The ball bounced off rim and to the left, where Polidori (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) snared it while getting a head of steam.

The 5-foot-11 guard sprinted to the other end and blew by the Buckeye bench. He went up, powered through Hickey getting his hand on top of the ball and banked in the off-balance shot of his life.

Game over, crowd goes bonkers and Polidori gets mobbed by 100 of his closest friends.

“I got tunnel vision, I looked at the rim — Coach said I’m going to get a scholarship for as fast as I got down the court — and I ended up finishing,” Polidori said. “I thought I got fouled, but it was going in.”

The Bucks were in desperation mode after Hickey made two free throws with 38 seconds left to put Holy Name up 59-56. Stauffer got a good look from the top of the arc after a bad defensive switch, but the shot went begging and the Green Wave grabbed the rebound.

Holy Name inbounded, but Polidori tipped an ensuring pass. In a right-place, right-time moment, Holy Name point guard Ralph Vance corralled the loose ball and tried to split the middle of the defense.

A split-second later, Murray (11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks) made his biggest play and on a dead sprint stripped the ball clean. A Murray pass toward the student section somehow avoided the outstretched arm of Cohill and found Polidori, who had a driving lane to his left.

Polidori attacked the rim as multiple scrambling defenders collapsed. Polidori then elevated, twisted and fired a back-handed pass to the corner, where a wide-open Stauffer rattled in a stunning 3-pointer.

Tie ballgame.

“We’re down by three, and when Nate went up for the layup, I was like (hands on head),” Stauffer said. “You would think he’d realize we were down by three, and he saw me in the corner. I just made the shot.

“That shot would have haunted me if I didn’t make it. It was pretty nice.”

“At first I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. The ball’s getting stolen,”’ Polidori added. “Then I caught the ball and I was going up and I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, we’re down by three,’ so I kicked it to Braeden and he hit a huge shot — huge shot.”

Stauffer and Polidori’s buckets capped a classic back-and-forth battle. Sophomore combo guard Cohill, a rivals.com four-star recruit who tweaked his left knee at the second-quarter horn, was magnificent throughout, while Buckeye countered with 11 first-half points from Nick Wills (13 points), 11 third-quarter points from Polidori and well-timed scores from Murray and Joey Bartinelli (9 points, 4-for-8 shooting).

Buckeye, which committed only three turnovers, led 41-32 in the third quarter but needed a buzzer-beating layup by Polidori to go up 45-39. The Bucks’ matchup 2-3 zone allowed Hickey to cash in three open corner 3-pointers — Hickey and Cohill scored 30 of their team’s 32 second-half points — to start the fourth, and Buckeye trailed 55-52 when Cohill tipped in his own miss.

Wills responded, however, with up-and-under footwork to score inside. Cohill countered with two free throws to make the score 57-54, but Murray banked in a layup at the other end.

That set up the crazy final minute.

“In games like this, players make plays,” Harrington said. “Coaches can try to take all the credit in the world, but we won this game because of our players.”

Those players were all smiles as they climbed a ladder to snip their piece of the net. Such a ceremony is traditionally reserved for league and district championships, but Buckeye won a sectional crown for only the fifth time in school history (1988, ’89, ’93, 2014).

The new challenge will be a Bay team that is averaging north of 80 points, but, as the Bucks proved Friday, anything can and will happen in the tournament.

“I think I’m still in shock,” Murray said, echoing Polidori’s reaction nearly word for word. “I don’t think it’s hit me yet. It’s such a surreal feeling. I’ve really never been this happy in my entire life. To win a sectional championship for the fifth time in school history with this group of guys is amazing.”

Notes

Cohill was 10-for-13 from the floor, 2-for-4 from 3-point range and 4-for-5 at the foul line. He scored or assisted on 11 of his team’s 12 first-half field goals before pumping in 15 points in the second half.“He’s special,” Harrington said. “He’s going to be as good as he wants to be, and not everybody can say that.”l Cohill (Middleburg Heights), Vance (Cleveland) and Shakif Seymour (Cleveland), a backup post and Toledo football recruit, are the only Holy Name players who attended a public middle school.

l Buckeye did not commit a turnover in the first, second and fourth quarters.

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Buckeye 61, Holy Name 59

North Ridgeville Division II Sectional Final

HOLY NAME                          16  11  12  20  —  59

BUCKEYE                              10  17  18  16  —  61

Holy Name — Brandon Styers 1-8 0-0 3, Sean Hickey 5-11 4-4 17, Nick Opincar 3-6 0-0 7, Dwayne Cohill 10-13 4-5 26, Ralph Vance 2-5 0-0 4, Shakif Seymour 1-1 0-0 2, Joe Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Joe Petrilla 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 22-44 8-9 59.

Buckeye — Joey Bartinelli 4-8 0-0 9, Liam Murray 5-12 1-2 11, Nick Wills 4-12 5-5 13, Nathan Polidori 5-15 4-7 17, Mikey Novick 1-3 0-0 3, Braeden Stauffer 2-5 2-2 7, Carter Hudak 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Canedy 0-1 1-2 1. TOTALS: 21-56 13-18 61.

3-point goals — Holy Name 7-21 (Hickey 3-6, Cohill 2-4, Opincar 1-2, Styers 1-7, Vance 0-2), Buckeye 6-21 (Polidori 3-7, Novick 1-3, Bartinelli 1-3, Stauffer 1-4, Murray 0-4). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Holy Name 28 (Opincar 8), Buckeye 23 (Murray 6). Assists — Holy Name 15 (Cohill 7), Buckeye 6 (Polidori 3). Turnovers — Holy Name 14 (Cohill 7), Buckeye 3 (Polidori 2). Fouls — Holy Name 16, Buckeye 11. Records — Holy Name (8-16), Buckeye (17-6).

 


High school basketball: Stellar siblings lead Brunswick over Highland; Hoban up next

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BRUNSWICK — The Simmons brothers laid the foundation for victory, and bulldozers, trackhoes, dump trucks and skid steers were not needed.

Brunswick boys basketball players Kevin and Keith Simmons were ankle-breaking foes Highland had no answers for in a Copley Division I Sectional final. That the elder Simmons sparkled wasn’t a huge surprise, but little bro being the X-factor caught most off-guard.

Brunswick’s Kevin Simmons makes a pass while guarded by Highland’s Joesph Wiencek during the second half. AARON JOSEFCZYK/GAZETTE

Together they were dynamite Saturday in the Blue Devils’ 59-42 victory, as early in the fourth quarter the scoreboard read Simmons brothers 33, Hornets 32.

Top-seeded Brunswick (19-4) advanced to battle No. 3 Hoban (18-5), an 87-76 winner over Firestone, at Copley on Wednesday.

“It was a good night for the Simmons family,” Blue Devils coach Joe Mackey quipped.

Kevin Simmons, a 6-foot senior, finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting. The left-hander had 10 points in the first quarter, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and then beat the horn again to give the Blue Devils a 29-25 halftime lead.

Mackey recognized the hot hand almost immediately and ran multiple isolation plays. Simmons responded, often getting the ball near mid court before breaking down defenders with crossover dribbles en route to the rim.

Considering Simmons was 4-for-6 from 3-point range, too, the eighth-seeded Hornets (14-10) had no choice but to extend their defense.

“He makes you look pretty good from time to time,” Mackey said. “We’ve got a lot of isolations for him, with good reason. We just kind of get out his way and make plays.”

While Kevin Simmons was providing the highlight-reel moments, Keith Simmons was the wild card.

The junior varsity point guard in the regular season, Keith Simmons saw his first significant varsity action when he entered in the second quarter. The junior soon made a driving layup, earning more playing time in the third.

Running the show for long stretches — All-Gazette pick Michael Quiring (11 points) moved to off-guard — Simmons completed a big three-point play with 2:49 left in the third. He added another score shortly thereafter and made two free throws in the fourth, giving him a career-high nine points.

“I’m not going to lie. I was surprised,” Kevin Simmons said proudly. “I mean, he’s my little brother and everything, but he did some things I haven’t seen him do in a while. I was really happy for him.”

Brunswick, which also received a productive night from center Aaron Badowski (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 charges taken), only led by four points at halftime because the Hornets scored in the paint often. The Blue Devils took care of that in the second half, taking away driving lanes and limiting Highland to 17 points on 7-for-22 shooting without committing a foul.

The Hornets got 12 points from combo guard Jake Mall, 10 from point guard Collin Levandowski and nine from Collin Rittman, one of Medina County’s hottest scorers in the second half of the season. Highland’s problem was defense, as Brunswick shot 10-for-17 in the second half.

The Simmons brothers had a lot to do with that, making 6-for-8 after recess.

Notes

  • The Blue Devils finished a season undefeated at home (9-0) for the first time since 1962-63 (8-0).
  • Highland’s 51.54 defensive average ranks third in school history behind 2009-10 (46.6) and 1952-53 (51.50).

Brunswick 59, Highland 42
Copley Division I Sectional Final
HIGHLAND 13 12 7 10 — 42
BRUNSWICK 17 12 15 15 — 59
Highland — Collin Rittman 4-8 1-2 9, Isaac Matejin 2-5 0-2 5, Joe Wiencek 1-4 1-2 3, Jake Mall 5-11 0-0 12, Collin Levandowski 4-7 1-2 10, Brandon Shaw 1-6 1-2 3, Brandon Sauer 0-3 0-0 0, Tyler Frederick 0-0 0-0 0, Ethan Yerian 0-0 0-0 0, Kyle Meissner 0-1 0-0 0, Matt Fry 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17-45 4-10 42.
Brunswick — Kyle Goessler 0-2 0-0 0, Zach Cebula 1-3 0-0 2, Aaron Badowski 2-7 2-2 7, Kevin Simmons 11-17 0-0 26, Michael Quiring 4-8 1-1 11, Austin Mick 1-1 0-2 2, Keith Simmons 3-4 3-3 9, Zak Zografos 0-0 2-2 2, Ryan Flynn 0-0 0-1 0, Tyler Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Filip Grdic 0-0 0-0 0, Chad Kaiser 0-0 0-0 0, Dominic Garcia 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 22-42 8-11 59.
3-point goals — Highland 4-13 (Mall 2-4, Levandowski 1-2, Matejin 1-3, Rittman 0-2, Shaw 0-2), Brunswick 7-18 (Ke. Simmons 4-6, Quiring 2-3, Badowski 1-6, Goessler 0-1, Cebula 0-2). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Highland 26 (Rittman 7), Brunswick 20 (Ke. Simmons 6). Assists — Highland 5 (Levandowski 2), Brunswick 5 (Cebula, Badowski 2). Turnovers — Highland 13 (Levandowski 5), Brunswick 9 (Ke. Simmons 3). Fouls — Highland 15, Brunswick 5. Records — Highland (14-10), Brunswick (19-4).


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