The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Lillstrung
As wonderful as 25-0 and state-bound may sound, each test along that journey must be mastered — and to be sure, this one was.
Mentor coach Bob Krizancic reserved high praise for Medina standout Corey Tripp postgame, lauding the 6-foot-3 senior guard as one of the finest players against whom he’s coached.
Krizancic even invoked those nights from a bygone era against LeBron James at Akron SVSM and Andrew Wiggins in his Ontario high school days.
After that encounter against James, highlights of the game were briefly shown on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.” Tony Kornheiser — joking around of course, but nonetheless — gave Mentor an infamous label as LeBron’s foes the prior night.
But the thing is, not that night or on this occasion either, the Cardinals are not a “bunch of dopes.”
They know what they need to do to keep the loss column spotless.
The goal March 13 was to make, as Shaquille O’Neal often notes on “Inside the NBA,” the “others” carry some onus.
Tripp got his, with 28 points on 13-for-23 shooting in a commendable afternoon of work.
But the Cardinals limited the rest of the Bees to 27 points.
“Corey is a great player,” Mentor’s versatile senior guard Jonah Waag said. “He might be the best player in Ohio at this point in time. So we knew he’s going to score. We said, ‘If we can hold the other players to less than 10 each, we
would be fine.’ “
More than fine, as a matter of fact.
More like buoyant, as Mentor became the third boys basketball program from a current News-Herald coverage area school to make it to the final four at least three times, joining Benedictine and Villa Angela-St. Joseph in that exclusive company.
But again — important as these facets all are — it can’t just be about Luke Chicone controlling a game and going off or the Cardinals seemingly being unable to miss beyond the arc, as it’s felt like at times through the years.
It has to be about the total body of work.
Waag was a notable example of that in this win over Medina.
“We put on the board right before the game, ‘Intangibles is going to win it,’ “Krizancic said. “The deflections. The help and quick recover. The little tips. Keeping the ball alive. Absolutely huge.
“Jonah has been phenomenal. Every one of our players, I think they were on the floor a number of times with the loose balls, got a number of deflections.”
Waag made two shots all game, but it hardly mattered.
Because the senior got to the line 18 times, making 14, and contributed seven rebounds and a pair of assists.
The stat sheet doesn’t necessarily have to be where measurable contribution ends, however.
There were three plays during the first half that summed up Waag and, by extension, Mentor, in a nutshell.
On a loose ball in the opening quarter, Waag was the first on the ground in pursuit, corralling and calling timeout as he generated
a turnover.
Later, a long rebound came off the rim, with Waag near the high block. He tipped once, then again, unable to quite snare the board but continuing the play and keeping the Cardinals in possession.
Then on another sequence in the second quarter, Waag secured the ball on the baseline but was losing his balance on one foot. He had enough sense to see a Bees player adjacent, throw the ball off him and retain possession.
Even to the final minute, with the game in hand, Waag was still pestering for potentially one more turnover near halfcourt.
That persistence has — and will — serve the Cardinals well.
“That’s what wins games,” Waag said. “The (regional semifinal) against Massillon Jackson, Andrew (Smith) got that tip for Steven (Key) with one minute left to score on a layup during a free throw. It was the play of the game. That other stuff matters.
“You have to get every 50-50. Every chance
you get to do little things right, like talk on defense, helpside ‘D,’ take a charge, it makes a huge difference in the game. And we want to be the team that does the little things.”
Especially with such a “big thing” so near in sight now.
The concept of being a 27-0 Division I state champion is two more victories away next weekend in Dayton — and there are certain inherent truths about what it takes to pursue that quest for perfection this far.
Make no mistake: Mentor gets it, all the way around.
“The pressure is a little high because we’re undefeated, and we could lose any time with a bad game,” Waag said. “But together, if we play together and just play for each other, we won’t lose. We have heart.
“We want it a lot and — man, we can make history going 27-0 and winning a state championship. And that’s what our goal is.”