Brush shows discipline in victory

Brush’s recent Western Reserve Conference games have followed similar scripts.

Opponents try to slow tempo offensively, employ a zone defense to test the Arcs’ discipline and hope Brush makes a few mistakes.

What may have worked against Chet Mason’s teams in the past hasn’t proven successful so far. In turn, Brush is undefeated in league play through six WRC games.

The Arcs pulled away from Kenston just before halftime and held the Bombers at arm’s length through the second half in a 76-59 win at Kenston on Jan. 17.

John Hugley led all scorers with 22 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Andre Harris scored 15, Tahj Benton added 14, Deion Burton chipped in 13 off the bench and D.J. Dial finished with 10.

Hugley’s mammoth fourth quarter helped the Arcs turn a seven-point lead into a 17-point win. But Brush established control of the game in the final minutes of the first half behind a few key plays by Benton.

The senior guard scored eight of his 14 points in the quarter.

Kenston led, 19-18, when Benton turned a steal into a layup. The Bombers never led again.

A 3-pointer broke a 2323 tie, and another sparked a 7-0 run to put Brush up, 34-28, at halftime.

“That’s Tahj,” Mason said. “He’s a hard-nosed worker. He puts on his (hard) hat and he just comes to work every day. That’s him, it’s just in his nature.”

Alongside his junior backcourt mate Dial, Benton helped Brush maintain comfort against Kenston’s zone. When the Bombers turned the ball over late in the half, they capitalized.

Mason says Benton provides leadership and toughness as one of few seniors on Brush’s roster. He calls him a model player in the program for his work in classroom. Benton also bulked up in the weight room over the offseason, to increase his physicality to a level preferred by college coaches.

“I try to lead by example,” Benton said. “Like in practice, going hard, playing, giving people highfives in layup lines, just trying to motivate them.”

Out of the half, layups by Dial and Benton extended the Arcs’ lead to 40-30. Kenston never drew within more than seven points of Brush until the final buzzer.

The Arcs played with patience and discipline in the halfcourt. When opportunities for an alleyoop from Dial to Harris or a two-handed flush by Hugley were presented, Brush competed its highlight plays.

When the fourth quarter began, the Arcs turned to Hugley to close out their win. The 6-foot-9 sophomore is Brush’s key to continued success against zone defenses.

“We’ve just got to get the ball inside and work from the inside out,” Benton said. “Get John going, then after John gets going they’re going to double down on him and he’s just going to throw it out to the guards.”

Ryan Kooser led Kenston with 20 points, Kee-Shaun Merrill scored 12 and Michael Swartz added 10.

Coach Matt Vespa was satisfied with his team’s execution of its game plan. The Bombers made few mistakes and traded leads with Brush into the second quarter. But the Arcs converted on Kenston’s miscues and remained steady.

“They just did not make any mistakes,” Vespa said. “Every time they needed a bucket, they made a bucket. Every time they needed free throws, they hit it.”