The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Depth shows in Cardinals’ 92-75 win
Mentor makes 13 3-pointers in victory over Boardman, improves to 2-0 for the season
POLAND, OHIO » Names on Mentor’s roster may not jump off the page as in previous years.
Coach Bob Krizancic is still confident, because this year’s team has many names that constitute substantial depth.
Shane Zalba and Caden Kryz led the Cardinals with 17 points apiece, Matt Koski scored 16 and Luke Floriea scored 14 as 11 players logged meaningful minutes in a 92-75 win against Boardman on Dec. 9.
“I think we’re going to surprise some people,” Krizancic said. “I do, because we can go at you for 32 minutes. I really do.”
Mentor played the style of basketball that spurs Krizancic’s certainty, and has been the staple of his program. The Cardinals made 13 3-pointers, were potent on offense and disrupted Boardman’s offense with swarming full-court pressure.
The duress Mentor placed on the Spartans defensively combined with offensive scoring depth showed why the Cardinals are dangerous. The depth was further bolstered by the return of Floriea, Tadas Tatarunas and Mason Trubisky after Mentor’s football team made a run to the state title game.
“I think we’ve got 11 guys that are going to be in the rotation,” Zalba said. “We should never be tired and run teams off the court at all times.”
Mentor took a 26-17 lead after a quarter. One of Kryz’s five 3-pointers extended the lead to 21 points before Boardman closed with 12, 43-31, at half.
Another Kryz 3 put the Cardinals ahead by 22, their largest lead, in the third quarter. Boardman’s Holden Lipke made six 3-pointers and scored 20 of his game-high 29 points in the period to help halve the Spartans’ deficit headed into the fourth quarter.
Mentor opened the fourth with a 9-0 run on layups by Zalba and Floriea, followed by a pair of free throws and a Kryz 3 to go back up 20, 77-57, and secure the Cardinals’ victory. Mentor thought it should’ve put the game away sooner.
“It should’ve been over way earlier than that,” Zalba said. “We played terrible defense. We’ve got to be better than that.”
Boardman coach Pat Birch said the Spartans tried to simulate Mentor’s pressure in practice. The Cardinals’ length added another layer to the challenge posed to Boardman’s smaller, guard-heavy lineup.
Birch wasn’t surprised to see Mentor capitalize on Boardman’s lapses in execution against the Cardinals’ pressure.
“When we look at the other end,” Birch said, “they never deviated. They do exactly what they’re supposed to do, execute it, stick with it and they make you pay the moment you get out of position.”
Eventually, Mentor wore Boardman out — a benefit of the 11-man rotation Krizancic will refine in coming games.
Alongside the senior core of Koski, Zalba and Kryz, Krizancic is buoyed by the size in his frontcourt and the capability of Floriea, a sophomore, and freshman Luke Chicone in the backcourt.
“I have no hesitation putting either one of them in,” Krizancic said. “(Chad) Blessing’s been solid, with Tadas, Mason, give them another week or two. I like our size. I like our length. There’s a lot of plusses.”