The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
NDCL avenges earlier defeat to Lake Catholic
In the final minute of NDCL’s season finale with visiting archrival Lake Catholic on Feb. 17, the Lions, with the ball, needed to make something happen in a big way.
NDCL’s lead, which had reached double digits in the third quarter and was achieved on the strength of an 18-0 run in the first half, was down to just 53-50, and it seemed almost inevitable that the Cougars were destined to take the lead or send the game to overtime.
Lions junior guard Jaxon Mangelluzzi, dribbling outside the arc on the wing, made a quick decision.
With 50 seconds left, Mangelluzzi took a pass from teammate Noah Rogers, drove toward the hoop past a defender with his left hand, switched the ball over to his right as he went by another defender, and executed a perfect reverse layup to give NDCL a 55-50 lead.
On Lake Catholic’s ensuing trip down the floor, the Lions locked in on defense, and after 15 seconds had gone by, forced a 3-point shot from the top of the key that missed.
Rogers tipped the ball to teammate Brandon Smul, who had clear sailing ahead for a runout layup and a 5750 lead. Nick Brandt followed with a triple for Lake Catholic, but it was too late, as NDCL prevailed, 57-53.
The win avenged a 71-51 loss to the Cougars earlier in the season. NDCL closed the regular season with a record of 13-9, including 3-3 in the Crown Conference, good for second place.
“I just had to finish the layup, to put us up by five points,” Mangelluzzi said. “It’s awesome. Considering we lost at Lake Catholic, it’s awesome.”
Four Lions finished in double digits, led by Mangelluzzi’s 14 points to go with 6 assists. Evan Dugger and Smul added 13 each, and Rogers contributed a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards.
Before the Lions’ lategame heroics, the story of the game was their 18-0 run in the first half to erase an early 8-2 deficit.
“It was all about our defense,” Rogers said. “Our defense is our main focus in our practices. We got burned with our press, and we played more conservatively and then brought our press back, and that really helped us out.”
Two 3s by Aidan Fitzgerald and a layup by Peyton Budrys-Rini gave Lake Catholic the early lead, but a Rogers bucket and five points by Smul gave NDCL a 9-8 lead, and the Lions kept building it thanks to a defensive effort that held Lake Catholic without a basket for nearly eight minutes.
The Cougars trailed, 208, before Budrys-Rini converted a triple with 4:50 left in the second quarter to stem the tide.
NDCL crashed the boards to a 17-12 advantage in the first half, and along with hitting a few big outside shots, were able to score on open baseline cuts to the basket to take a 29-20 halftime lead.
Lake Catholic (14-8, 2-4), cut into the lead throughout the second half with a renewed focus on rebounding and using physicality to draw fouls and get to the line.
A 12-2 Cougars run, capped by an inside bucket by Robert Russell off an assist by Brandt, drew Lake Catholic within 41-39 at the start of the fourth. Although the Cougars kept coming, a pair of 3s by Smul helped keep NDCL in the lead until the the big plays in the final minute.
“It’s tremendous,” said NDCL coach Steve Steinmetz, filling in for head coach Pat Vuyancih. “The boys came out and played so hard. They had a good start against us, and I just believed in their fight. Offensively, defensively, they just wouldn’t quit. The seniors were outstanding, it was a great team win.”
Mangelluzzi’s big gameclinching layup will long be remembered in the lore of this intense rivalry.
“That was huge,” Steinmetz said. “He did a great job of getting to the basket all night. He made good decisions on passes all night when making drives, and that shot was huge.”
Budrys-Rini led three Lake Catholic players in double figures with 16 points. Fitzgerald added 12, and Russell had 10.