Brush overwhelms Bedford in season opener

Despite missing some key players, including 6-foot-9 sophomore John Hugley, who was in a walking boot and will be out a couple weeks, Brush coach Chet Mason was able to rest easy going into his team’s season opener against visiting Bedford on Dec. 1.

Deep and loaded with experience, Brush pressed the Bearcats into 26 turnovers, and raced to a 22-4 first quarter lead on its way to a 83-42 rout.

Six Arcs scored in double figures, all between 10 and 14 points, led by D.J. Dial with 14. Andre Harris and Deion Burton added 13 each, and Tyler Williams had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Arcs had 14 steals as a team, led by Dial and Burton with four apiece. Brush held a 47-18 lead at halftime.

Mason thought his team played well overall, but noted that it committed too many fouls and turnovers.

“I think (our depth) is going to be really good for us,” Mason said. “We were missing John Hugley, Trent Harper, and Andree Franks, one of our best defenders. I think when we get our whole team back, it’s going to be really good.”

Bedford had three freshmen in its starting lineup, and that inexperience showed. The Bearcats turned the ball over 11 times in the first quarter. Carlos Hall led Bedford with 9 points, and Malik Simmons and Devin Hibbett chipped in 8 each.

“That was us, my first year here,” Mason said of Bedford. “We had two freshmen starting. I think their future is bright. Their coach is really good, and they have a lot of talent.”

Harris hit two early 3s, and the Arcs continually applied pressure and turned Bedford miscues into points at the other end.

Brush controlled the boards to the tune of 3322, led by Williams’ 12, and five each from Grayer and Tajh Benton.

“I knew they were going to come press us, because they knew we were starting young guys,” Bedford coach Pete Priola said. “Overall, I think we got better as the game went on. (Brush) is big, physical, and now they’re hitting their stride. Everything goes in cycles, and we’re the team on the other end of it now. Hopefully, in a couple years we’ll be where they are now.”

Next up for Brush is a meeting with Glenville on Dec. 3 in the Great Lakes Classic. The game will be played at Cleveland Heights.

“We’re a veteran ball club now, but we still trust our process,” Mason said. “We’re opening with Bedford and Glenville this year, and those are two of the teams we lost to last year. We’ll see how much we’ve grown from last year.”