Eagles remain perfect with win over rival Bulldogs

While a combination of 3-point shooting, up-tempo pace and winning the turnover battle were enough to keep up in the first half for Olmsted Falls, pure physicality and a torrid shooting stretch in the fourth quarter helped North Olmsted pull away for a 76-65 victory Dec. 19.

The win pushed North Olmsted’s record to 5-0 (3-0 in Southwestern Conference play).

“We just wanted to take care of the ball tonight,” North Olmsted coach Jason Frolo said. “This is a tough, skilled team we were up against. We knew they were going to make some runs. I’m happy for the kids, and we’re all happy to come out with the win.”

Six-foot-6 junior Andy Lucien led all scorers with 24 and recorded a double-double with 19 rebounds. Whether it was throwing down an acrobatic dunk, hitting a teammate underneath with a behind-the-back pass or even playing the point and taking the ball up the court, Lucien was firing on all cylinders.

“I just want to do whatever gets the job done for us,” Lucien said when asked about his versatility. “We just can’t overlook anyone coming up if we want to keep this momentum going. It’s all a matter of just taking things one game at a time.”

A back-and-forth first half saw Olmsted Falls go on a 10-4 run midway through the second quarter. The stretch gave them a brief 26-22 lead. Troy Hurrell led the Bulldogs with 16. Hurrell’s accuracy from 3-point range as well as hard-nosed post play from Ryan Sosic had the home team gaining confidence to pull off the upset.

Dominant play on the boards from Lucien, Ryan Coleman and Tommy Sullivan however, quickly swung things back in favor of the Eagles. A 9-1 run to end the first half was capped by an acrobatic Boys

dunk by Lucien basketball

as North Olmsted took a 32-27 lead into halftime.

“Even when we were hitting those 3s and winning in the second, I didn’t feel like we were doing great things offensively,” Olmsted Falls coach Chris DeLisio said. “It felt like we were keeping the game at our speed in the beginning parts. But all of the loose balls went their way. That’s not luck. It’s not luck that they vastly beat us on the glass, either. We just have to play harder and not have lapses.”

An 11-5 run pushed North Olmsted’s lead to eight in the third. Olmsted Falls continued to hang around into the fourth quarter until Matt Starcovic hit back to back 3s and a tough floater in traffic to push the lead to double digits. After a cold first half shooting, Starcovic was tough to stop in the latter stages and finished with 19.

“I’m definitely a confident shooter,” Starcovic said. “Coach Frolo has told me about being more aware of situational basketball, but when I am feeling it shooting the ball, it’s hard to pass up those opportunities.”

Ryan Coleman and Ryan Sosic were also in double-digits scoring with 12 each. Tommy Sullivan rang up 11 for North Olmsted to go along with seven rebounds.

“We just wanted to come out tonight and demonstrate that we weren’t a one-man show,” Frolo said. “Andy Lucien has had some wonderful games for us to start the year off, but we are going to need others to continue to step up if we want to achieve our goals at the end of the year.”

The loss drops Olmsted Falls to 2-3. The Bulldogs will try to bounce back against Bedford Dec. 26, and the undefeated Eagles will go back home to welcome North Ridgeville.