The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Crutcher takes over
Senior scores 34 points to lift squad weakened by suspensions
Missing nearly half of his roster for the second game in a row due to suspension, Elyria Catholic coach Phil Kuchta knew he was going to need a strong effort from his starting five if the Panthers were going to beat their rival Rocky River.
What he got was a career night from Dorian Crutcher.
Knowing his team needed him more than usual, Crutcher was feeling it all evening as he overwhelmed the Rocky River defense with swift moves on the wing and a silky smooth stroke from distance. The result was a dominating performance for Elyria Catholic as they cruised to a 78-56 victory at home on Feb. 9.
Crutcher dropped 34 points, a career high for the 6-foot-4 senior guard. His length and athleticism was on full display as he tallied four 3-pointers in the first half along with 18 points, helping the undermanned Panthers (9-8, 7-4 GLC) jump out to a 29-14 lead in the second quarter.
“Yeah, it’s just leadership,” Crutcher said. “I have got to display leadership for the other guys on the team and I have to push them to work hard. It’s working well for us right now… I think
we just came out with a lot of energy and we went after it.”
The same effort that helped them stun Vermillion was on display as Kuchta went with a tight five-man rotation, with the rest of his bench being players from junior varsity and the freshman squad.
“For us, a great night and a great week over all. All the different things that life throws at you with adversity and challenges, and for our kids to come out this week and respond with two big wins against two good teams and quality opponents, I could be more happy for them,” Kuchta said.
With Crutcher leading the way, juniors Jarred Logan and David Griffin were thriving on the court. Griffin’s slashing and kicking out, paired with Logan’s presence in the paint proved too much for the Pirates (6-12, 3-8) defense to handle.
Logan finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Griffin chipped in 16 points and one steal.
The Panthers took a 3927 lead into halftime, with all of their points coming from the starting five lineup.
It was a frustrating letdown for Pirates coach Mike Murray as his team was just days removed from giving state-ranked Holy Name a run for its money.
“We didn’t come to play at all,” Murray said. “I thought (Elyria Catholic) did a great job. They moved the ball well. I thought they played great basketball and we didn’t. We got off to a terrible start. We weren’t ready from the beginning and that’s a lesson we are going to have to learn.”
Senior Oliver Clingain led the Pirates with 16 points and four rebounds.
The Pirates tried to slow down the Panthers offense, but things only got worse in the third quarter as Elyria Catholic held Rocky River to only six points, while putting on an offensive display.
They certainly didn’t look like an undermanned team as they took a commanding 61-33 lead into the final quarter.
“We just use everything that happened to us. We try to use it to jell together and just work hard for each other. Because we just have to realize that those are our brothers out there,” Crutcher said.
After missing two straight flashy dunk attempts, an exhausted Crutcher, who played all 32 minutes, put the icing on the cake with a safe twohanded slam in the fourth, sealing the victory.
“Dorian is an outstanding man first and foremost, and coaching him each and every game has been an absolute pleasure. He never says a word. He just battles and competes,” Kuchta said. “He is winding down what has been a great career. Hopefully he has a lot more games left.”
The Panthers have a tough schedule they host Lorain, followed by away games at Bay and Garfield Heights.