Panthers clinch a shot at league title

The Panthers defeated Rocky River on Feb. 15 earning themselves a shot at the Great Lakes Conference title. Christopher Coon has the details.

Elyria Catholic beat Rocky River at home, 6553, on Feb. 15 as the Panthers have clinched at least a share of the Great Lakes Conference Title. The Panthers, who improve to 11-9 on the season and 9-2 in league play, potentially have a chance to win the GLC outright when they travel to Parma on Feb. 19 but must win that matchup to be conference champions. “Obviously a really tough conference team who beat us the first time around,” Elyria Catholic head coach Rob Palmer said. “That team is well-coached, and they have shooting on the outside and Cristain Dean is a heck of a player, but I thought our boys came ready to play tonight. I thought our defense really stepped up and did a fantastic job.” Both teams in the first quarter started off slow offensively, as Rocky River, 13-6 on the year and 6-4 in league play, went 2 of 4 from the field while Elyria Catholic shot 4 of 11, but it was the Pirates who won the quarter, outscoring the Panthers, 12-9. “I thought that first quarter was like a boxing match,” Palmer said. “We went punch-for-punch, but I thought we really started to wear them down a little bit. I think they only played seven guys, and so finally in the second half we kind of capitalized on a couple of good runs to get some separation.” Elyria Catholic’s offense in the second quarter seemed to wake up, as they outscored Rocky River, 159, while holding them to 12 total shots, with only three of them being made. The Panther’s appeared to carry their momentum from the first half into the second, as they outscored the Pirates, 21-15, while junior guard Edward Wright made some key shots from behind the arc. “When we need a shot, I know my team looks for me to step up,” said Wright. “I just do what I have to do for the team, and I know when I make those shots it energizes everybody, and it gets everybody involved and we become a better team when that happens.” Wright, who led Elyria Catholic in scoring with 18 points, made four threepointers in the game while scoring eight points in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Panthers have won four out of their last six, while also focusing on having a much stronger defense as of late. “After we started losing, we looked in the mirror,” Wright said. “We started realizing that our offense isn’t just gonna get it. We have to do both sides of the court, so we wanted to come into practice and emphasize the defensive part. We knew the offense would come because of the talent we have on our team.” As for the Pirates, they were led on offense by senior Luke Coyne with a game-high 19 points, followed by Cristain Dean with 14. Rocky River’s shooting woes from behind the arc appeared to be a problem in the second half, as they went 5-of-19. “I thought we took way too many 3s and I don’t think we were as aggressive getting to the paint.” Rocky River head coach Mike Murray said. Elyria Catholic’s Jarred Logan had 13 points and Eli Palmer had 12.