The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Grit and hustle drive Panthers past Tigers
Elyria Catholic moves onto the district final
Simply put, these Panthers just can’t be tamed. Third-seeded Elyria Catholic overcame a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter as they snuck past second-seeded Warrensville Heights, 69-66, in a Garfield Heights district semifinal at Garfield Heights on March 5. Elyria Catholic advances to face top-seeded Lutheran East in the Division III Garfield Heights district championship game on March 8 at 7 p.m. After trailing 54-53 heading into the final frame, Elyria Catholic battled out a backand-forth fourth to trail 6462 with 56 seconds left. The Panthers (14-9) then snatched the lead on an Edward Wright drive to the basket, notching the and-1. Warrensville Heights (13-10) couldn’t respond as Jack Griffin picked the Tigers’ Ranelle Arnold’s pocket along the left sideline of midcourt, then proceeded to tightrope walk the ball down for the layup at the other end, giving the Elyria Catholic the 67-64 lead.
Arnold tried to redeem himself with a quick basket with seven seconds left, but watched as Warrensville Heights could only foul and watch Griffin make both his free throws. As the seconds ticked down, Warrensville Heights chucked up a two pointer that bounced off the rim. That sample of plays was just a small part of a total team effort that has the Panthers sky high after redeeming themselves from being knocked out of last year’s district semifinal. “Honestly, the team oriented defense, the team oriented offensive stuff, it’s starting to really come together and these kids have bought in,” Elyria Catholic coach Rob Palmer said. “It helps when you are shooting 83 percent from the free throw line, and it’s been like that the last four games.” Elyria Catholic went 15 of 18 from the free throw line, while Warrensville Heights managed 10 of 19 from the stripe. Wright was determined to make the right play in crunch time. “For sure, it boosted our confidence and definitely boosted mine,” Wright said. “That just put us over the hump and I know that we needed that. We needed that spark for the end of the game.” The Griffin twins of Jack and David provided a spark from the opening tip. David came up with timely baskets and rebounds, tallying 12 points and five rebounds, while Jack ignited the offense and exploded for a team-high 25 points, including the game-changing steal in the final minute of play. “The last few games I have been playing I have been pretty passive,” Jack Griffin said. “So coming into this game, I knew I had to get to the basket. They have some great players and great defenders. I knew that since we spaced the court out I could get to the hoop. The coaches put me in the right position and my teammates got me the ball.” Griffin’s impact took attention away from a quiet second half from Elyria Catholic’s Jarred Logan. The 6-foot-6 senior tallied 11 points in the first half, but was held scoreless by the Tigers defense as he battled late foul trouble. Nonetheless, Logan was happy to see his teammate take the reins to grab the victory. “It was just great because we know we have a lot of guys that can step up,” Logan said. Not everybody on the scoring sheet but it’s great when we have guys coming off the bench, and especially the Griffin brothers that bring the intensity every time.” That intensity was matched with a sensational performance from Warrensville Heights senior Brandon Rush. He amassed a game-high 28 points, including four 3’s, five rebounds, two assists, and a block, as he tried to carry his team to victory. Rush fouled out with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Elyria Catholic controlled the matchup in the early minutes of the game, jumping out to a 14-3 lead. The aggressive mentality was on full display as they clung to smaller leads throughout a foul-plagued second quarter. The Panthers bolstered their lead back to 39-30 in the closing seconds before halftime, and relinquished the lead in the late stages of the third quarter. Warrensville Heights took control of the boards, overpowering the Panthers on the inside temporarily taking the lead to close out the third. Ranelle Arnold and Aundray Farmer tallied 17 and 10 points, respectively for the Tigers. Elyria Catholic came in as the underdog but have determined that they can compete with anyone they play in this year’s tournament. “Coming into this game we knew it was going to be a physical matchup,” Griffin said. “It was just a mindset that we can’t back down. As we have been saying, we have to play like dogs and do what we can to survive and advance.” The Panthers are looking forward to their matchup with Lutheran East “Obviously a great team, coached well,” Palmer said. “They got really good players with E.J. Farmer and Billingsley and the crew. Honestly I think our matchups cause them a few problems as well. Our length across the board, and they have some length as well. But I like our scat guards, and I like the way we can defend that team. Listen, it’s been a goal of mine since the beginning of the season to get the district championship game because I believe these kids have the heart of champions.” “We know that they are a good young team, but we are not going to back down,” Griffin said. “We have got to play our best and keep our physical mindset and our aggressive mindset and play to the best our ability.”