The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Red Wolves control tempo, oust Bison
CANTON >> From the opening tip, Cuyahoga Heights controlled the tempo of the game in its Division III regional semifinal against Beachwood on March 8 in Canton.
With a 2-3 zone in play as well as the Bison’s own struggles from the floor, it was a perfect storm for the Red Wolves.
Thirteen second-half turnovers was the icing on the cake as the Red Wolves took the win, 58-33, and advanced to a regional final back at Canton McKinley on March 11.
They will play Lutheran East or Lake Catholic at 7 p.m. as both look to advance to the state semifinals in Dayton.
It was a back-and-forth game for both sides in the opening stages, as neither team mustered more than a two-point lead. While the first quarter finished in a deadlock, Cuyahoga Heights started to get some separation in the second.
A lot of the Red Wolves’ offensive success came from their defense that prevented the Bison on their drives. Coach David Krasnow knew his team needed to get their inside game working early if Beachwood wanted to come away victorious.
“We watched a lot of film on them very closely getting ready for this one,” Krasnow said. “We knew that they were committed to the 2-3, and they play it as well as anyone. Our gameplan was to attack it and get it inside. We had some success early, and even though we were tied at that point, I called timeout in the first because they can lull you into settling into shooting 3s. That’s the thing about 2-3s though: Teams don’t shoot well against them.”
But that is exactly what he saw his Bison fall into, as they went 1-for-17 from deep, with the only make being from Nathan Lurie late in the fourth.
The shooting challenges for the Bison also affected their work on the boards as they struggled for second-chance looks.
The Red Wolves also found a way to slow down the Beachwood attack. All season, the Bison had seen themselves be able to have high-scoring showings thanks to their fastpaced style of play.
That coupled with the defense saw Krasnow’s struggle with getting back into the game.
“They average in the low 50s, while we are up in the 70s,” Krasnow said. “Our game plan that we had coming in was when we get the ball, make or miss we want to push. I felt like we could’ve had the guys get down there before they were set but couldn’t get the guys to go fast enough. They won the battle of tempo. Coupled with their defense makes it a big uphill battle.”
The Bison were led by Josh Jones with 10 points as the only Bison in double figures. Cuyahoga Heights had Nate Biggers (21 points) and Braylan McClardy (10) in double figures.
Even with their tempo changed and a puzzling defense, the Bison saw themselves in the game at the start of the second half, as they trimmed it to a six-point deficit.
But then the Bison caught a case of the turnovers. The second-half turnovers prevented any chance Beachwood had of mounting a comeback.
“For a lot of the game, it felt like we couldn’t throw the ball into the ocean,” Krasnow said. “One of the things we talked a lot about was pump-faking them and pump-faking passes, but I can’t remember too many times we did that. I take full responsibility for that.”