Madison falls to Tigers

One of the best seasons in Madison basketball history came to an abrupt end in a Division I sectional final March 4 at Warrensville Heights, as the fifth-seeded Blue Streaks fell to thirdseeded Cleveland Heights, 79-61.

Although Madison (204) played hard from start to finish, it fell behind the big, strong and athletic Tigers, 20-8, in the first quarter and, 43-21, by halftime. That proved to be too much of a deficit to overcome, even though the Blue Streaks never quit, outscoring Heights, 40-36, in the second half.

“In the second quarter, when we had a chance to cut it down to five, and we missed and they scored two in a row, that kind of opened up the floodgates,” Madison coach Pat Moran said. “Their speed and athleticism is tough to simulate in practice. We don’t see that athleticism and length too much in our conference.”

The Tigers were strong attacking the rim and gathering rebounds and lightning-quick in transition. Silky-smooth junior guard Yahel Hill poured in 12 of his team-high 16 points in the first quarter. Three other Tigers — Division I college football recruit Tyreke Smith (14 points), Ohio State-bound football recruit Jaylen Harris (12), and point guard Javon Roberts (11) — all scored in double figures for Cleveland Heights (13-9).

“All season we’ve been making second-quarter runs,” Cleveland Heights coach Jeremy Holmes said. “Our thing has been if we can put two halves together, we’re a very tough team to beat. I was just proud that we extended the lead and never let them back in the game, even after they hit a couple shots early in the third quarter.”

It didn’t help matters for Madison that senior Zach Guyer was lost to an ankle injury in the second quarter, and was unable to return in the second half. Nevertheless, the Blue Streaks continued to battle throughout the third quarter, hoping to cut their deficit to 10 going into the fourth, but ended up trading baskets with the Tigers and taking a 62-38 deficit into the final frame.

Undaunted, Madison showed the heart and guts embodied by its senior leaders in outscoring the Tigers by six in the fourth quarter, continuing to attack offensively and contest shots defensively. Dhel Duncan-Busby scored 12 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth. Corbin Anthony finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, Isaiah McClure was active defensively and in chasing down rebounds and loose balls, and sophomore Ron Hartman supplied energy off the bench.

“That’s the great quality of our kids,” Moran said in appreciation of his team.