The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Clearview’s Smith gets her 1,000th career point
Respect between a coach and a player isn’t given.
It isn’t earned overnight or a formality, but built in many different ways.
For Clearview head coach Nick Dimacchia and senior Brandyce Smith, their relationship has grown and evolved into a special bond shared by both player and coach.
On Feb. 3, Smith became the first player under Dimacchia at Clearview to score 1,000 career points on a 3-pointer against Buckeye.
“Honestly, I feel great for her
because she has worked so hard and she’s earned this,” Dimacchia said. “Her first couple of years, she probably didn’t like me a whole lot, I rode her quite a bit, but she bought into it and she started doing what she needed to do and it turned out to be a great accom- plishment for her and I’m thrilled for her to be able to get 1,000 points.”
Looking to get the best out of his players, Dimacchia pushed Smith to be the best player she could be and when the big shot fell and the buzzer rang, Smith turned to Dimacchia in her proudest moment.
“The first person I looked at when I made the shot, I looked at Coach Dimacchia and then I looked at the crowd at my grandad,” Smith said. “I couldn’t do anything but just smile because it amazed me because I didn’t think I was going to hit it that game. I thought I was going to hit it on senior night. They were the first two people I laid my eyes on and made eye contact with.”
When the shot finally fell, Smith admitted it was a huge weight off her shoulders.
Pressing a bit to get the big moment, Smith didn’t even expect the game against Buckeye to be the one. Getting locked into a groove, Smith exploded for 28 points in the game and had 20 points in the first half alone.
“It meant a lot because I had a goal that I set and we had finally gotten to where I needed to be. It felt great,” Smith said. “It got a lot of relief off of me because I told my coach if I wasn’t going to get it then, I was going to stress over it. I’ve been stressed over it and finally when I hit it, it was a big relief off my shoulders.”
Taking in the whole moment from the sideline, Dimacchia said he has waited a long time to see a player of his accomplish a feat of this level, but isn’t surprised Smith got to this moment.
“I’ve been here 10 years and this is the first 1,000 point scorer I’ve had and you know what, it’s an accomplishment for Brandyce,” Dimacchia said. “Her transformation over the last four years has been incredible. She’s been outstanding in the classroom and on the court. Her attitude and focus have grown over the last four years and it’s a great accomplishment for her to get 1,000 points in her career.”
Smith and her teammates are now focused on the tournament. Earning a No. 3 seed for the Division II Elyria District, Smith said her team is fired up
and focused on the task at hand with an extra home playoff game as the Clippers will host the winner of Brookside and Buckeye on Feb. 22.
“It feels great because we’re on our home floor and we know how to play it and we know our range, where we shoot at,” Smith said. “We have to all be on the same page. We have to stay focused and have our mindset to play in the tournament if we want to go far. Once we have that mindset, that’s when everybody will come together and put it all together on the defensive end.”
Bracketology
The road to Columbus starts next week. The brackets are in, so it’s time to have some fun. Here’s the favorites and dark horses for all of the Morning Journal area districts.
D-I ELYRIA CATHOLIC DISTRICT
FAVORITE » Strongsville belt . ... Lutheran West (152) saw its 14-game winning steak snapped by Wellington, 57-56. The hardfought loss, combined with losses by those behind the Longhorns, keeps Lutheran West at No. 4 . ... Wellington (15-2) now owns the area’s longest winning streak at 12. The Dukes make a large jump, but don’t top No. 4 Lutheran West even with a win, due to it being a one-point game and the Longhorns holding an identical record with a tougher schedule . ... Westlake (109) appears to be putting it together at the right time. The Demons have won five of their last six, with four of those five wins coming against Crop Watch List teams . ... Avon Lake (11-9) is on a two-game losing streak and with only Amherst left, the Shoregals need to right the ship before the playoffs. ... The rigor of Bay’s (11-7) schedule appears to finally be paying off. The Rockets have won four straight, including a dominating win over Normandy to set up a Feb. 10 showdown with Elyria Catholic for a share of the GLC title . ... Lake Ridge (10-8) is reeling without Sydney Mayberry. Yes, their games are competitive, but the Royals have struggled to close games, leading to a five-game losing streak as the postseason looms. ... Clearview (13-5) finally breaks into the Crop. The Clippers have won nine of their last 11, and of their five losses, two have come to No. 4 Lutheran West and one to No. 5 Wellington . ... North Ridgeville (10-10) drops out after hovering on the line for the past few weeks. The Rangers went 1-2 last week, continuing an up-and-down season. Note: Records as of Feb. 6.
DON’T FORGET » Olmsted Falls, Avon
DARK HORSES » Westlake, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville
BREAKDOWN » Olmsted Falls is like the favorite 1a for this district. The Bulldogs are the defending champions. Strongsville gets the nod simply because it has not suffered any extended losing streaks. The interesting factor for this district is the conferences. Should Olmsted Falls have gotten the nod as the Southwestern Conference is arguably the better conference topto-bottom? Or is Strongsville justified coming out of a conference whose top teams are elite, even if the bottom is not?
Avon has proven itself strong in the playoffs, regardless of seed. This should be the case once again, meaning the Eagles will be a tough out.
Westlake, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville are scary when they are hot. Will they be hot when the district kicks off on Feb. 17? Well, right now it looks like Westlake is nearing its peak, while Avon Lake seems to be going a bit downhill and North Ridgeville is stuck in a rut. In other words, the jury is still out on those three, but if any team — even Strongsville, Olmsted Falls or Avon — takes them lightly, it will lose.
D-II ELYRIA DISTRICT
FAVORITE » Bay DON’T FORGET » Cloverleaf DARK HORSES » Clearview, Holy Name
BREAKDOWN » The seeding may say otherwise, but Bay is the favorite in this district. Why? It simply comes down to the schedules.
Cloverleaf, while impressive in its ability to win and win big, played a schedule that is tough, but not anything over-the-top difficult. Bay has played one of the toughest schedules in The Morning Journal area, and the Rockets have emerged with a rough record. The way Bay is playing its second round through the Great Lakes Conference shows that the Rockets are much better than they were even a month ago.
Holy Name is cut from the same cloth at the Rockets, with a difficult schedule that has seen the Green Wave take its lumps. It is a stark contrast to a Clearview squad that has a sterling record and can score in droves, but the Clippers have not faced a challenge that matches what the other teams previously mentioned have seen.
D-II GALION DISTRICT
FAVORITE » Bellevue DON’T FORGET » Norwalk DARK HORSES » Willard BREAKDOWN » This district is really Bellevue’s to lose. The Redmen have a topnotch offense and a smothering defense. Getting past the Redmen will take a game where the opponent is nearly perfect and Bellevue is having an off game.
The team that appears to matchup best with Bellevue is Norwalk. In their only meeting this year, Bellevue was victorious, 51-36. But the final score is not indicative of how close the game was for most of the game.
D-III NORTH RIDGEVILLE DISTRICT
FAVORITE » Elyria Catholic DON’T FORGET » Lutheran West, Kirtland DARK HORSE » Wellington BREAKDOWN » The Panthers don’t have the best record in the district, but they are easily the favorites. Elyria Catholic crafted a nonconference schedule that prepared them for the postseason, and it will show.
Kirtland is an X-factor here. The Hornets are undefeated, but play a schedule that lacks the character of what Elyria Catholic or Lutheran West have played. It will be interesting to see how the East Side matches up against the West Side.
Wellington is a dark horse due to one simple fact: The Dukes lack deep tournament run experience. Wellington has a very talented team, but it will be interesting to see how it handles certain situations the later it gets in the tournament. The Dukes are more than capable of claiming the district if they play at the top of their game each outing.
D-IV NORWAYNE DISTRICT
FAVORITE » Dalton
DON’T FORGET » Lake Ridge DARK HORSE » Rittman BREAKDOWN » Dalton is the defending district champion, and has played like it through the regular season. The Bulldogs played a schedule ripe with higherdivision games and have emerged as a team that is battle-tested and ready.
The X-factor of this district is the Royals. Particularly, will Sydney Mayberry be back at full strength for a playoff run? A Michaela Harrison-led Royals squad is dangerous. However, a Harrison-and-Mayberryled squad is a state threat. If Mayberry is back, the Royals are a favorite to make it out, particularly coming off of a schedule that is the toughest in the district.