The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Spartans warm up, then zoom past Independence
NORTON » A glance at Richmond Heights’ 72-33 victory over Independence in a Division IV Norton District semifinal wouldn’t indicate the Spartans encountered any trouble in their second game of the postseason.
Yet, coach Quentin Rogers wasn’t thrilled by his team’s start.
Richmond Heights led, 12-8, following an and-one layup by Gbolahan Adio. Matt Richards responded with a 3 and Adam Miklovic’s layup gave Independence a 13-12 edge on the Spartans — who played a little too loose to start the game.
“We had to get back to discipline,” Adio said. “We kind of came out lackadaisical, undisciplined, letting them do what they want.”
Richmond Heights countered with a 21-0 run that effectively ended the game halfway through the second quarter. Adio led all scorers with 24 points, Jevontae Jones added 13 and Josiah Harris chipped in 12.
The Spartans advanced to the Norton District final on March 6 against the winner between Dalton and Rittman.
When Independence gained its short-lived advantage, Malikee Sonie sank a pair of free throws on the next possession, Adio knocked down a 3 and Jones stole the ball then dunked in transition as the Spartans quickly took back the lead.
Adio buried his second 3 of the quarter to give Richmond Heights a 24-13 lead after a quarter. The run extended into the second quarter and put the Spartans up, 33-13, when Harris put back a missed 3. Matt Flynn scored Independence’s first basket in nearly six minutes of game time at the other end.
The teams traded 3s before Jones’ layup gave Richmond Heights a 41-21 halftime advantage.
“We were just being persistent on defense and listening to what coach told us about defense,” Jones said. “Every game we go into, we try to focus on defense so we just kept playing defense, kept applying pressure like he said.”
Adio pushed the lead to 34, 61-27, late in the third quarter. The final four minutes of the game were played with a running clock as the Spartans’ lead peaked at 41 points.
Rogers was dissatisfied by Richmond Heights’ defensive effort to open the game. Offensively, he thought the Spartans dribbled far too much when they should have made passes to open teammates. He expects improved energy when Richmond Heights defends its district crown March 6.
“(Independence) came out with more energy,” Rogers said. “When you’re playing a team for the third time, that’s always going to be kind of difficult because of the familiarity factor. Overall, our players did OK.”
Richards led Independence with eight points. The Blue Devils concluded the season 16-6.
First-year head coach Kyle Johnson was proud of the season his team put together after Independence won nine games a year ago. Following a 3-4 start, the Blue Devils won 13 of 14 games headed into the district semifinal against Richmond Heights.
After Independence took an early lead, the Spartans forced too many mistakes for the Blue Devils to overcome.
“The wheels fell off,” Johnson said. “Every mistake you make, they magnify it times 10. That one simple bad pass you make, in about two seconds on the other end of the court it’s a layup or a dunk.”