The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Brush boys move on to district finals
Arcs’ 13-0 run in fourth quarter stops Tigers, sets up game vs. Mentor for regional berth
When a Cuyahoga County judge ordered Cleveland Heights’ reinstatement to the OHSAA state tournament, the Tigers and their community weren’t the only ones pleased by the result.
John Hugley and his teammates weren’t ducking anyone. Brush wanted to see Cleveland Heights again.
“I was happy they got back into the tournament,” Hugley said. “I wanted to take the hard way.”
Two months to the date of Brush’s loss to Cleveland Heights at the Euclid Play-byPlay Classic, the Arcs exacted revenge. Sophomore Elmore James IV scored 18 points, John Hugley added 16 and Brush used a 13-0 fourth-quarter run to eliminate the Tigers, 49-44, in a Euclid District semifinal on March 5.
Played in front of a crowd seemingly over capacity inside Daugherty Gymnasium, the sellout contest between two heavyweights lived up to its billing.
Cleveland Heights landed an early blow to take a seven-point halftime lead. Brush rocked the Tigers with a fourth-quarter haymaker to return to the Euclid District final against Mentor on March 7.
“It was an amazing atmosphere,” James said. “I like playing in big games like that because it gets my adrenaline rolling, you know? Once my adrenaline gets pumping, I feel like I can guard anybody in the world.”
James scored eight points in the first quarter to help put Brush ahead, 13-12. Garvin Clarke scored 11 of his teamhigh 15 points in the second quarter to catalyze a 15-2 Cleveland Heights run that gave the Tigers a 27-20 halftime lead.
After Hugley scored two points in the first half, he settled down and found his offensive rhythm. The Arcs drew within one before Davon Smith-Johnson’s 3 pushed Cleveland Heights’ lead back to four, 34-30, headed to the final period.
Greg Pitts, a hero for the Tigers in the first matchup, drilled two 3s early in the fourth to keep his team up, 40-34. Brush freshman Marlon Barnes Jr. answered with a triple, his biggest shot of the season, as five minutes remained.
A possession later, Hugley set a screen from Tyreek Crump then popped out behind the 3-point line on the elbow. Crump fed the 6-foot-10 Pitt signee, who buried a 3 to tie the score with four minutes left.
One minute later, Hugley passed out of a tripleteam to James in front of the basket. The sophomore built like a barrel of bricks missed his first shot, fought off two opponents for the rebound and put back a layup for the Arcs’ first lead since the second quarter.
Brush’s lead peaked at 4740 and the Arcs made enough foul shots to close out their victory. Cleveland Heights coach JR Bremer credited Brush’s zone defense in the Arcs’ ability to control tempo in the fourth quarter.
“We got into a little bit of a rush instead of being patient and getting the shot that we wanted,” Bremer said. “They were dictating the pace of how they wanted us to play, and giving us the shots they wanted to give us.”
Beside Clarke, no other Cleveland Heights player scored in double-figures. EJ Farmer finished with one point after James spent the first half guarding him.
When he saw Clarke scored 13 in the first half, James told coach Chet Mason who he wanted to check in the final two quarters. Clarke, an Akron commit, went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
“Elmore’s going to score but he ain’t thinking about that,” Mason said. “He’s thinking about shutting somebody’s water off.” James’ performance alongside clutch shots made by Barnes and steady point guard play from Crump reinforced the value Mason touted during the season when Brush lost to St. Edward and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary by unsightly margins.
When Cleveland Heights was poised to assert control, the Arcs didn’t panic. They played calm and controlled tempo, aided by a zone defense that befuddled the Tigers.
The Tigers sent multiple defenders at Hugley on each touch and played as physical as the officials allowed. He drew strength from his teammates at half and, alongside James, carried Brush onto the next round as Pitt assistant Jason Capel watched from the baseline near Brush’s bench.
“We told him, he’s Mr. Basketball,” James said. “He’s got to show out because he’s the best player in Ohio. Once we motivated him, that’s when the whole team got rolling.”