The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Cardinals tip off with big victory
After four delays, Mentor finally starts season with win against Kenston
After a handful of postponements and games being canceled, Mentor finally was able to take the court for the first time this season as the Cardinals took on Kenston in a nonconference matchup of teams ranked in the Top of the Crop.
You wouldn’t have been able to tell it was Mentor’s first time out Jan. 6 as the Cardinals moved to 1-0 with a 93-49 win over Kenston (1-1).
After their most recent scheduled game against Padua was postponed on Jan. 5, Mentor had to try for a fifth time to start its season. Despite the win, Mentor coach Bob Krizancic had some issues he wanted to iron out, specifically the shooting in the second half.
“We didn’t shoot well in the second half from 3 or the freethrow line,” said Krizancic. “There are some things that we need to clean up. But I think that we can have some depth and after a few weeks of playing together, we’ll be where we should be.”
Mentor has made a habit of trying to push teams into making bad shots and turning the ball over with their tempo and their defense.
Leading the way for Mentor was senior Luke Chicone, who scored 21 points in three quarters. Coming out of halftime, Chicone lit up the scoreboard with 11 of his points coming in the third quarter. Getting to play was a big relief for Chicone.
“It was a huge relief to finally be able to play,” Chicone said. “At this point, sometimes the biggest part of the nerves is just knowing if we’re going to play rather than the actual game itself.”
It wasn’t just the Chicone show for Mentor. Three other players finished with double-digit points, those being fellow starters and seniors Steven Key who had 13, Kyle Culler who had 12 and Jonah Waag who had 11.
While it was a great game on the Mentor side of the court, the same couldn’t be said for Kenston. Coach Derrick DeJarnette likes that this was the Bombers’ second game of the season because it gives them a chance to see where they are at and what they need to improve.
“I scheduled this game just to see where we’re at as a team,” said DeJarnette. “Mentor could have won the state tournament last year and they still look strong this year. It was a test for us and we have to get through it and it was good for this to be our second game.”
Leading the way for Kenston were juniors Anthony Yohman, who had 12 points, and Nick Cowoski, who had 10 points, seven in the second quarter alone. Kenston will look to return
to its winning ways when the Bombers take on Brush
on Jan. 8, and Mentor next takes the court in a conference matchup against Medina on the same date.