The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Brush boys basketball earns a big victory
Brush defeated previously undefeated Garfield Heights, 63-60, at the Play-by-Play Classic at Baldwin Wallace. Cornerstone Christian topped Elyria Catholic, and Gilmour fell to Lutheran East.
Through an 18-win season and Western Reserve Conference title, Brush coach Chet Mason maintained his “young boys” hadn’t arrived yet. Mason continues to repeat Brush trusts its process.
At the Play by Play Classic hosted by Baldwin Wallace on Jan. 7, the Arcs showed they’re ready to win games commensurate to their potential.
Five players scored in double-figures, Brush overcame a double-digit halftime deficit and the Arcs’ process resulted in a 6360 win over previously undefeated Garfield Heights.
Sophomore John Hugley, named the game’s MVP, showed the most growth of any player with 14 points and nine rebounds. He scored half his points in the fourth quarter, when he controlled the glass at both ends of the floor.
“I was just trying to take over,” Hugley said. “Get mad, get in the post.”
Hugley, who received a Division I scholarship offer before his first varsity game as a freshman, missed the beginning of his sophomore year with a foot injury. Hugley returned, on a minutes restriction, in the loss to St. Edward on Dec. 19.
Weeks later, junior point guard D.J. Dial saw Hugley play “mad.”
“Something I’ve never seen before,” Dial said. “But I’ve tried to train him the whole week to be aggressive, he never usually was the aggressor. Today, I told him to be the aggressor. It worked, we had them shook so that was the big key for him.”
Tahj Benton led the Arcs with 15 points, Dial finished with 12, Tyler Williams scored 11 and Andre Harris chipped in 10 alongside nine rebounds.
Alonzo Gaffney led all scorers with 16 points and Alex Heath added 15 for Garfield Heights. Heath made a pair of 3-pointers to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 24-11 after one quarter and Garfield Heights maintained a 39-28 edge at halftime.
Brush cut its deficit to 4135 out of halftime. Threepointers by Dial and Benton, followed by Harris’ twisting drive for a layup, tied the score, 43-43. Harris put the Arcs up by one, 47-46, headed to the fourth when he stole an inbounds
pass and laid the ball in over a defender as the quarter’s buzzer sounded. Brush outscored Garfield Heights, 19-7, in the period.
Three-pointers by Gaffney and Meechie Johnson, then a layup by Julian Whiteside gave Garfield Heights a 54-50 lead in the fourth. Williams’ reverse putback gave the Arcs a 57-56 lead with under two minutes to play. The Bulldogs closed within one, 61-60, before Dial iced the win with a pair of free throws.
Garfield Heights lost for the first time in eight games. The Arcs don’t consider their victory against a top-ranked Cleveland team an upset.
“We’re supposed to win this game,” Dial said. “We’re training ourselves to win these big games. It wasn’t a shock to us we won this game because we trained ourselves this whole week for these moments.”
In turn, Mason expects continued improvement. The Arcs’ process is not over.
“When you win a game on this stage with a good team,” Mason said, “you’re supposed to only build up. You’re not supposed to take no steps back and I’m not going to let them take steps back.”
Cornerstone impresses
Michael Bothwell posted his third 30-point game in
a row as Cornerstone Christian defeated Elyria Catholic, 82-66, at the Play by Play Classic at Baldwin Wallace on Jan. 7.
Although Bothwell has focused on improving his shooting recently and the Patriots won their third game out of their last four, that’s not why Coach Andy Weybrecht thinks his team is headed in the right direction.
Rather, the Patriots are trying to elevate their defense to the level that won them a state championship in 2016. Cornerstone isn’t back to that level, but hopes it’s getting close.
“That’s how we win games,” Bothwell said. “We can score with anybody but we’ve got to lock down and get stops, especially against the top teams we’re playing against.”
Kendall Saunders added 20 points for the Patriots and Titus Wheeler scored 12.
Dorian Crutcher hit his average with 19 points. Elyria Catholic’s leading scorer did most of his damage after Bothwell helped Cornerstone take a double-digit lead with 18 first-half points. Crutcher was harassed by the Patriots’ lead defender, Jeremy Owens.
“Jeremy has a way of annoying people,” Weybrecht said. “He’s a guy that you love having on your team, hate playing against.”
Bothwell made four 3-pointers during a 16-point first quarter. He canned a
shot from closer to halfcourt than the 3-point arc as his scoring matched Elyria Catholic’s at the end of the first period.
“I didn’t expect him to pull from 35 feet out,” Weybrecht said. “It was a heat check. He hit it, so I’m good with that. But I run out of adjectives to describe that kid. He’s unbelievable.”
No play generated more of a reaction from the Cornerstone bench, though, than when Martel Ferrell drew a charge in the third quarter.
“I’ve been playing with Martel since sixth grade and that’s the first charge he ever took,” Bothwell said. “That’s amazing, I know when Coach Selle hears that, I don’t know what he’s going to do. He’ll probably call him tonight and scream. He’s going to be so excited.”
Ferrell’s play was one of many the Patriots made at the defensive end to maintain control of the game. Each time the Panthers were poised to cut into Cornerstone’s lead, a string of stops allowed Bothwell or Saunders to push the Patriots’ lead higher.
When Cornerstone’s defense of its state title ended in a district final to Warren JFK in 2017, Bothwell and his teammates have recommitted to the defensive end.
“Last year, we felt like we fell short because we didn’t buy in to getting stops,” Bothwell said. “We was complacent, going back and forth with teams thinking we were just going to prevail in the end. Now we’re really thinking about buying in and getting as many stops as possible.”
After a home matchup with Bedford on Jan. 9, Solon’s high-scoring offense will test Cornerstone’s defense. Weybrecht hopes to see the Patriots take another stride toward returning to their pinnacle from two seasons ago.
“We’re getting there for sure,” Weybrecht said. “We’re not where we need to be yet and we know that. We’re not going to be content until we’re state champions at the end of the year.”
Gilmour falls
Dayvon Adams 3-pointer with under four seconds to play lifted Lutheran East to a 74-72 win against Gilmour on Jan. 7.
Competing in the Play by Play Classic at Baldwin Wallace, the Lancers dropped their first game of the season to the 2017 Division IV state champion. Gilmour dropped to 5-1.
Dechlan Kirincic led the Lancers with a season-high 32 points, and CJ Charleston scored 27. Adams led Lutheran East with 28 and EJ Farmer added 26.
Gilmour led, 42-34, at halftime and 60-54 at the end of the three quarters. The Falcons tied the score, 68-68, late in the fourth before Adams’ game-winning shot.