The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mega Euclid-Mentor matchup doesn’t materialize in 2019
It was right there for area high school boys basketball fans on March 13.
Victories by Euclid and Mentor at the Division I Cleveland State Regional would have set up a dream matchup in the March 16 regional final. The Panthers vs. the Cardinals … winner goes to Columbus.
Green and St. Edward had other ideas on this night. The Cardinals dropped a 77-60 regional semifinal game to Green, while the Panthers lost an overtime nail-bitter in the nightcap, 77-71.
For Euclid, the pain might last a long while for its players and Coach T.J. Kwasniak.
Senior Reggie Priah’s 3-pointer that banked in at the buzzer gave the Panthers extra life when it looked dead in regulation. The dramatic shot tied the game at 67-67, but the Eagles won it in the extra session.
“It felt amazing because we’ve got another chance,” said Priah, whose team bowed at 18-8. “Unfortunately we didn’t win but it felt amazing.”
There were hard lessons learned for the Panthers and Cardinals, but with talent returning next season it’s not out of the question one or both might be back at the Wolstein Center.
Euclid’s ride featured mostly seniors, save junior point guard Garvin Clarke, who was superb against St. Ed. He finished with a game-high 27 points with eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals. He should be one of the area’s top returning players, and is a fine nucleus for next season.
The bigger picture within the Panthers’ program is what they accomplished along the way to March 13 at CSU. Two years ago, Euclid was a 2-21 team, and after that season was looking for a coach. It hired Euclid native Kwasniak. Two seasons later, the players who stuck it out during that difficult season can say they are district champions.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” said Kwasniak. “… We came out and punched them in the mouth, but you know (St. Ed) they’re used to taking punches. They responded. But we kept battling and battling. It was an awesome basketball game. A great game to watch.
“I told the guys it’s not going to sink in now because they’re hurting so bad. I’ve never seen that much hurt in a long time. I told the kids that’s because of what you built.”
There was plenty of hurt for Mentor, which — like Euclid — rose up beyond expectations to have a stellar season. The Cardinals bowed out at 23-3, and as district and conference champions.
The core Coach Bob Krizancic’s team will be back. That includes starters Luke Chicone (sophomore), Luke Floriea (junior) and Chad Rogers (junior), but it was a struggle for the trio vs. Green, a team that rode the work of Kaleb Martin, Garrison Keeslar and Donovan O’Neil (combined 64 points).
Turnovers, missed free throws, losing the battle for loose balls … it was a common thread for both teams. Euclid had not been in this spot in more than 20 years. Mentor was here two years ago, but for Krizancic’s main cogs it was a new experience.
For seniors such as Mentor’s Alex Edwards and Mason Trubisky, their hoops careers ended at CSU but the ride was memorable.
“It’s been incredible,” said Edwards, who led Mentor with 14 points. “From the start of the season, people didn’t think we could do this but we thought we could. I think they’ll be back next year in the same spot, maybe even further.”
“It was an awesome ride,” said Trubisky. “We prided ourselves on taking it one game at a time, and we just kept winning. It really gave us momentum. We knew we could make this run. We just didn’t go all the way.”
Unfortunately for area fans, a mega Euclid-Mentor matchup in the March 16 regional final — so tantalizing to imagine — came up one game short.
Reach Mark at MPodolski@news-herald. com. On Twitter @mpodo