YORK TWP. — The Highland boys basketball team’s double-or-nothing gamble paid off.
First-year coach Adam Cestaro was looking for spark after watching his inexperienced squad grind through an unwatchable first half Monday against Buckeye. The Bucks were sliding under screens atop the 3-point arc, daring the bigger Hornets to beat them with jumpers.
Buckeye’s Justin Lowry has his shot blocked by Highland’s Devin Myers during the second quarter. AARON JOSEFCZYK/GAZETTE
The adjustment was subtle, as Highland set double-screens to create driving lanes. Along with a stout defense, the Hornets did little wrong the rest of the night in an efficient 52-40 victory.
Highland (3-5) is gaining momentum even without starters Brandon Shaw (wrist) and Collin Rittman (back), and another winnable game is on tap Wednesday against rebuilding rival Wadsworth (2-5).
“Our offense was a little stagnant at first, but we pulled together,” said shooting guard Jake Mall, whose rapid improvement has been an early-season storyline. “We kept at it and knew that our shots were going to fall.”
Up 20-16 coming out of the locker room, the Hornets went 5-for-5 from the floor during a 13-2 run. Forward Isaac Matejin had four points, two rebounds and an assist on a corner 3-pointer by fellow left-hander Mall, who added an assist and two free throws during the splurge.
Struggling to score without injured star guard Nathan Polidori (ankle), Buckeye (4-3) never got closer than seven points the rest of the night.
The offense was remarkably balanced for Highland, which shot 12-for-22 and didn’t force anything in the second half. Mall (12 points) and Matejin (9, game-high 9 rebounds) loomed large during the game-deciding run, but Collin Levandowski (8 points), Joe “Tree” Wiencek (11, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Kyle Meissner (career-high 7) — the fifth player off the bench — also had their moments.
“Our defensive hustle set the tone, and that rolled into our offense,” said Matejin, who dove into his bench to save a loose ball. “That’s how we pulled out the win.”
The Bucks played their worst offensive game of the season, rarely attacking the rim and instead settling for jumpers. The 40 points were their fewest since Feb. 5, 2013 at Firelands (37), and they are now 1-3 without Polidori, who averaged 19.2 points last season.
Center Nick Wills started slow but had a team-high 10 points and five rebounds.
Braeden Stauffer (9 points) was the team’s most aggressive player offensively, but no one else added more than five points on a night when Highland took away the right-handed driving ability of 15-point scorer Liam Murray (4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists).
Buckeye shot 15-for-45 from the floor, including 3-for-16 from 3-point range. Most critically, it failed to take advantage of Highland’s equally poor offense in the first half (8-for-24 shooting).
The only good news is Polidori is expected to return next week.
“Good teams find a way to win those games,” said Wills, who added the entire team needed to be more aggressive without Polidori. “We didn’t find a way to win this game.”
Note
Jarrett Smith had 12 points and Landon Mazzocco added six points, four rebounds and four assists as the Highland junior varsity won 53-42. Michael Doerge (12 points) and Adam Fauver (8, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) had strong games for the Bucks, but the Hornets shot 23-for-41 from the floor.
Highland 52, Buckeye 40
HIGHLAND 10 10 16 16 — 52
BUCKEYE 6 10 10 14 — 40
Highland — Isaac Matejin 4-1-9, Brandon Sauer 0-0-0, Joe Wiencek 5-1-11, Jake Mall 3-5-12, Collin Levandowski 3-1-8, Ryan Frederick 0-0-0, Devin Myers 2-0-4, Tyler Frederick 0-1-1, Ethan Yerian 0-0-0, Kyle Meissner 3-0-7, Matt Fry 0-0-0, Jarrett Smith 0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-9-52.
Buckeye — Joey Bartinelli 2-0-5, Liam Murray 2-0-4, Nick Wills 4-2-10, Braeden Stauffer 2-4-9, Mikey Novick 1-0-2, Justin Lowry 1-0-2, Justin Canedy 2-1-5, Carter Hudak 1-0-3. TOTALS: 15-7-40.
3-point goals — Mall, Levandowski, Meissner, Bartinelli, Stauffer, Hudak. Rebounds — Highland 31 (Matejin 9), Buckeye 26 (Murray 6). Assists — Highland 6 (Mall 2), Buckeye 7 (Murray, Novick 2). Records — Highland (3-5), Buckeye (4-3). Junior varsity — Highland 53, Buckeye 42.