The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
RIVERSIDE OWNS WRC
Beavers rout Wildcats, clinch first outright league title since 2008
It’s safe to say the Riverside boys basketball team wanted nothing to do with sharing the Western Reserve Conference title with Mayfield.
Having already clinched a share of the league title heading into the regular-season finale against the Wildcats on Feb. 17, Riverside ran out to a three-touchdown lead at halftime — 40-19 — and ran away with a 67-49 victory in front of a boistrous crowd at Riverside Community Fieldhouse.
When the final buzzer sounded, senior Jake Elly put an exclamation point on the convincing win with a dunk that electrified his teammates and gigantic student section that was already at a fevered pitch.
It’s Riverside’s first undisputed league title since 2008, when this year’s senior class was 3-years old and coach Matt Grendel was celebrating getting his driver’s license at age 17.
“I was a senior in high school and still had hair,” Grendel said with a laugh, harkening back to Riverside’s last net-cutting. “I was the age of these kids. My senior year, I wasn’t able to do what they’ve done. I’m very happy with what they accomplished tonight.”
The game … wasn’t really one. From the opening tip when Austin Lee scored on a dish from Andrew Taggart to Lee’s bucket at the end of the game, it was all Riverside. The Beavers never trailed, and while Mayfield made a run here or there, the home team answered each and every one of them.
“They came out and shot the lights out,” Mayfield coach Will Brand said. “They were ready to play. We knew what they were capable of. … We dug outselves too big of a hole.”
It was a 10-4 game early, but a 7-0 run — capped by the second of two Jake Elly 3-pointers in the opening frame — made it 17-4.
Mayfield looked to have got its footing with an 8-0 run to start the second, with Tre Spicer drilling a pair of 3s, but Riverside ended the first half on a 23-7 run, with Peyton Burnett hitting a pair of 3s and Charlie Fox scoring on a pair of transition run-outs.
“We knew we had to come out fast,” Fox said. “We didn’t want this coming down to the wire like last time. A lot of our focus was on finishing out quarters.”
The focus came into play in the third quarter when Mayfield went on an 8-0 run with the help of andones from Rocco DiPietro and Kyle Irwin that cut Riverside’s lead to 15 at 4732. But Riverside went on a 7-2 run to end the quarter, including an athletic steal from Andrew Taggart, who took the ball coast-to-coast for a 54-32 lead after three.
That run turned the fourth quarter into nothing more than a formality.
“I remember my middle school coaching talking about me having gogo-gadget arms,” Taggart said with a laugh. “I’d go up for steals like that all the time. I’ve been doing that for years.”
While Riverside’s offense was impressive, it paled in comparison to the Beavers’ defense, particularly that played against Mayfield sharpshooter Kyle Irwin. After lighting up the Beavers for 42 earlier in the season, Irwin was held to eight points, as he was hounded all night by Elly with plenty of help-side defense.
“I knew I had to stop him when he got in the paint,” Elly said. “He shoots so well when he gets inside. I did everything I could so he couldn’t get the ball.”
Brand tipped his cap to the Beavers’ defense.
“They doubled down on (Irwin) a lot and distracted him,” Brand said. “They played him a lot more physical. They did a great job tonight.”
Mayfield (13-9, 9-3) now sets its sights on a sectional opener next week against Chardon, while Riverside (18-3, 11-1) closes out the regular season Feb. 18 against Harvey prior to a tournament opener next week against Twinsburg.
As Queen’s “We are the champions” boomed from the speakers, Riverside players one by one climbed a ladder to cut down the nets in their home gym. With each strand that was cut, the roar from the crowd that stuck around afterward got louder and louder until Grendel cut the final thread and hoisted the net high above his head.
“This is what we talked about all summer, all spring after last season didn’t go the way we wanted,” Fox said. “This feels good.”