The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Beachwood handles West G for first win
Freshman Albert leads charge with 24
Freshman guard Collin Albert and Beachwood got in the win column for the first time in 2017, defeating CVC Chagrin Division foe West Geauga. Nate Barnes was on the scene.
Beachwood coach Jon Mannarino changed his starting lineup as he looked for a spark. Prior to the Bison’s Chagrin Valley Conference opener against West Geauga on Dec. 12, they dropped their first three games.
Beachwood received the boost Mannarino sought, from a player who’s started every game but is playing his first year of high school basketball.
Freshman Collin Albert scored 24 points to lead four Bison in double figures and Beachwood earned its first win of the season, 82-65, against West G.
“Today I feel like we did a better job of moving the ball and getting more people involved,” Albert said. “We got a lot more open looks on the offensive end.”
Senior guard Josh Sizemore scored 17 points off the bench, freshman Sirr Hughes chipped in 11 points and senior Cam Thomas also scored 11.
Next to Hughes, Albert was one of two freshmen in Mannarino’s starting lineup Dec. 12. Through four games against the Wolverines, Solon, Lutheran East and St. Edward, Mannarino and the Bison have learned Albert’s poise is apt for an upperclassman.
“Nothing rattles him,” Mannarino said. “He plays the game very emotionally but he’s a constant competitor, works real hard and he’s special, for sure.”
Albert’s 24-point performance followed a 19-point game in Beachwood’s season-opener against Division I Solon, and a 14-point performance against St. Edward. But Dec. 12, Albert’s offense was unmatched.
Albert made four 3-pointers and all four of his freethrow attempts as he scored with drives, pull-up jumpshots and catch-and-shoot chances.
“Today my shot was falling a lot,” Albert said. “My teammates got me a lot of open looks, and I was able to hit shots.”
Mannarino’s lineup tweak also served its purpose.
Sizemore and Thomas came off the bench to account for 28 points. Sizemore, the team’s usual starting point guard, was impactful defensively and with his ball distribution.
“That just made lanes open up even more for him, and he was able to attack and finish,” Mannarino said. “He played the point guard position like he knows how to play.”
Beachwood led West Geauga, 20-17, after a quarter. The teams were separated by two points, 27-25, before 3-pointers by Albert and Sizemore helped the Bison go ahead by 10 late in the half.
A pair of layups by Caleb Ramey drew the Wolverines within five, 40-35, early in the third quarter. Beachwood countered with a 3-pointer by Lance Cohen and a Hughes layup to go back up by 10 points, and carried a 63-49 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bison took their biggest lead of the game, 72-53, before West Geauga used an 8-0 run to stay within striking distance late in the game.
“Today I feel like we did a better job of moving the ball and getting more people involved.” Beachwood freshman guard Collin Albert
Albert shifted momentum in Beachwood’s favor for good with an and-one layup.
Jax Shenkel led the Wolverines with 16 points, Ramey added 14, freshman Josh Irwin finished with 13 and Mark Sexton chipped in 10.
Coach Jeff Javorek called the game a test for West Geauga, which won its first two games against Chardon and Berkshire. The Wolverines held a size advantage, but it was partially negated by Beachwood’s speed and defensive pressure.
“When they try to push the ball so fast,” Javorek said, “you struggle offensive rebounding because you’ve got to make sure you have your guys back in transition. You’ve got to be able to defend them straight up.”
Beachwood’s victory is a high note after the Bison dropped their first three games. Matters are compounded by the absence of 6-foot-5 sharpshooting junior Jayson Woodrich, who is yet to play this season due to a foot injury.
Woodrich led the Bison in scoring in rebounding last season, and Mannarino is hopeful for his return shortly after Christmas. While Mannarino wants Woodrich back on the floor as soon as possible, he also looks for players to capitalize on expanded opportunities and find ways to win without their most dangerous weapon.
“Not having a Jayson Woodrich definitely hurts this team,” Mannarino said. “But it also helps them grow as individuals. A lot of guys are stuck in different roles and playing minutes that they may have not gotten with him, but they’re showing me they can play.”