The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Cougars pass test, gain district final
Lake Catholic topples Edgewood, will face winner of VASJ-Glenville
Lake Catholic coach Matt Moran knew how Edgewood would defend his offense on March 7. The Warriors denied leading scorer Luka Eller out to half court, and when he touched the ball, Edgewood sent help.
Eller still finished with a game-high 21 points.
At the other end, Lake Catholic stopped the Warriors when necessary and claimed a 55-46 victory over No. 4-seed Edgewood in an Ashtabula District semifinal.
“They’re so athletic and disciplined,” Eller said. “It’s hard to play against them, but we just knew we needed to be patient. We played some good stretches but then again, the big mistake, we let them come back.”
Lake Catholic advances to an Ashtabula District final March 10 against the winner of VASJ and Glenville, who play March 8.
Eller was guarded by lanky 6-foot-6 senior Tye Rood, who followed Eller’s every step. Rood blocked or altered a handful of Lake Catholic’s shots at the rim when the Cougars’ guards tried to penetrate.
Rood was assisted by 6-foot-3 power forward Ricky Baldwin, whose bulk combined with Rood’s length to create a difficult matchup for Eller.
“They did an amazing job,” Moran said. “Even when we thought (Eller) was open, they got him off the block. I thought that was crucial and that’s what helped them a lot.”
Edgewood led, 16-13, after a quarter on a 3-pointer from Jacob Zappitelli and Aaron Anderson’s layup. Brandon Horton’s 3-pointer put Lake Catholic ahead, 1816, and the Cougars never trailed again. An Eller layup stretched Lake Catholic’s lead to 10, 28-18, before Edgewood closed within four at half, 29-25. Eller asserted Lake Catholic’s control with a 3-pointer and layup that forced an Edgewood timeout a minute into the third.
Eller scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half to help turn Lake Catholic’s four-point halftime edge into a lead that peaked at 12 points.
Warriors coach John Bowler lamented Edgewood’s 26 turnovers, which nullified the Warriors’ 50 percent shooting performance. Edgewood’s hopes to erase Lake Catholic’s lead were hampered by Eller’s effectiveness.
“He’s just a good player,” Bowler said. “He hustles, got a lot of loose balls, got some calls. … He got to the foul line, and that always helps.”
Likewise, Lake Catholic’s prime defensive directive was to slow down first team all-district guard Hayden Kanicki. Kanicki scored seven points in the first quarter before he was sidelined by a pair of fouls.
Kanicki finished with nine points, and didn’t score in the second half. Robert Morgan, Sean Fitzgerald and Ryan Boruszkowski traded shifts guarding Kanicki for the Cougars. Aaron Anderson led Edgewood with 10 points.
Horton made four 3-pointers to chip in 12 points for Lake Catholic. The Cougars made seven 3-pointers as Horton, Fitzgerald, Boruszkowski and Luke Frazier’s shooting ability helped increase Eller’s breathing room.
“Having them is just a relief,” Eller said. “Last year with Brandon out, we had to rely on different guys. I’m just happy we’re a pretty good-shooting team. We can space them out and just do what we want.”
Moran was encouraged the Cougars won a game without their best offensive performance. Lake Catholic hoped to create tempo and play at a faster pace but Edgewood succeeded in limiting the Cougars’ possession.
After the Warriors scored 16 points in the first quarter, Lake Catholic limited Edgewood to nine points in each of the second and fourth quarters.