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).