Chagrin Falls weathers storm, prevails in OT

Chagrin Falls forged ahead in the first half, but neighborhood rival West Geauga rallied to force overtime. The Tigers weathered the storm, though, to prevail in this CVC Chagrin clash. Jay Kron has a recap.

A strong defensive effort by visiting Chagrin Falls combined with cold shooting by host West Geauga left the Tigers firmly in command at halftime of the teams’ CVC Chagrin Division contest Dec. 18, leading, 28-13.

Given the nature of the rivalry and history between the two schools, not to mention the fact West Geauga pulled out narrow victories each of the last two times the Tigers paid a visit, Chagrin Falls coach Dave Bargar knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

Sure enough, the Wolverines dominated the third quarter and stormed back to take a 33-32 lead. Momentum between the teams swung back and forth in the fourth, and they went into overtime tied at 43-43.

In the extra session, the Tigers rode a 13-1 run to a 56-44 lead, and converted 11 of 16 free throws to hold on and capture a hardfought, 60-54 victory. The win evened Chagrin Falls’ record at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the CVC Chagrin.

“It was a gutty win,” Bargar said. “Both teams were without important pieces with injuries. So it came down to the guys that were on the floor. Certain guys had to come in and play roles that they weren’t used to. I thought we did a better job the last quarter and a half playing smarter basketball, and when we do that we’re usually pretty successful.”

Six-foot-three senior Jensen Yonker scored 14 of his game-high 24 points, and Chagrin Falls held a 14-9 rebounding edge, grabbed four steals and limited West G to 5 of 21 shooting from the floor (23.8 percent) in taking control in the first half.

The Wolverines’ 6-foot-6 standout sophomore Josh Irwin, who was held to six points in the first half by Yonker while struggling to get shots to fall, took over the game in the third stanza. Irwin scored nine points, pulled down four rebounds and added a pair of steals and a pair of assists in the third quarter alone as West Geauga steadily cut into its deficit. A Stephen Javorek 3 on an assist from Irwin, followed by a jumper that beat the buzzer by Marco Formichelli, put the Wolverines ahead by one entering the final frame.

The Tigers scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, but once again West Geauga rallied, and triples by Javorek and Irwin knotted the score at 43 apiece before both teams missed opportunities in the final minute, and the game moved into overtime.

Chagrin Falls again seized momentum quickly in the extra frame. A pair of inside buckets by Yonker sandwiched an andone play by Cam Owen, and six straight free throws put the game nearly out of reach. An 8-0 Wolverines run, which included a two and a 3 by Irwin, cut it to 56-52. But three more foul shots by Cole Weiss iced it for the Tigers.

Yonker was difficult to stop inside all night, but Bargar thought the defense he played on Irwin was an even bigger key.

“I was more impressed with Jensen’s defense on Irwin, because that’s not an easy cover,” said Bargar, who also praised the efforts of Owen and Weiss. “We challenged Jensen to be the man that was going to get out on him today and make him work for everything he got. He had a couple breakdowns, but for the most part I thought he did a fantastic job.”

Irwin ultimately finished with 23 points to lead West Geauga, but connected on just 9 of 27 field-goal attempts.

“He’s a really great player,” Yonker said of Irwin. “He can go anywhere. He can shoot the ball, and he can go to the basket. I just tried to put pressure on him every time he got it.”

Javorek finished with 10 points, and Irwin corralled 10 rebounds for West Geauga (1-6, 0-4 CVC Chagrin). The Wolverines will look to snap a five-game losing streak when they travel to Geneva on Dec. 21.

Weiss, a 6-foot-4 senior, scored 11 points, which included five free throws in overtime, and added six rebounds for the Tigers. Owen finished with 10 points and six boards, and sophomore Xavier Perez chipped in 10 points. Chagrin Falls will host Hawken on Dec. 21.

“I think our record kind of indicates exactly how we are,” Bargar said in regard to his team’s season to this point. “I think we’re going to be up and down until we find some consistency. Hopefully once we become a little more experienced, we’ll be more consistent and string together some wins. The conference is pretty balanced, so I think it’s going to be an up and down season for everybody throughout the year.”