The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
SWEET SWEEP: EUCLID TAKES DOWN MENTOR
Panthers top Cardinals twice in regular season for first time in recent memory
THE SCORE EUCLID 85, MENTOR 72
No one can remember the last time Euclid’s boys basketball team beat Mentor twice in one season.
Panthers coach T.J. Kwasniak guesses it’s never happened. Cardinals coach Bob Krizancic knows his team hadn’t lost to Euclid twice in one year since his tenure began in 1993.
A month after Euclid beat Mentor for the first time in eight years, the Panthers beat the Cardinals, 85-72, on Feb. 13. Euclid earned its first season sweep against Mentor in ages. William Saunders led the Panthers’ effort with a career-high 39 points. Sophomore Garvin Clarke added 23.
Saunders’ development is indicative of Euclid’s growth in Kwasniak’s first year with the program.
As a junior, Saunders averaged less than four points per game. He believed in his ability, but realized his mentality needed to match his potential.
“I was just trying to be cool (before),” Saunders said. “Then I started going to workouts and seeing what I could really be, I could be real good at this and I could get me some offers and have fun with it, get a free education.”
Now, Saunders works out with assistant coach Darrell Blanton at 6 a.m. on game days.
Days after Saunders scored a career-high 21 points in a win over Strongsville, he nearly doubled that in the win over Mentor.
Saunders scored 25 of his 39 points in the first half. The 6-foot-1 senior made four of his five 3-pointers in the half, including one through a foul that he converted into a four-point play. His 16 points in the second quarter gave Euclid a 46-39 halftime lead.
Mentor closed within three, 49-46, early in the second half. Saunders’ 3-pointer to close the quarter put Euclid back ahead seven, 60-53, headed to the fourth quarter. Saunders made 14 of 14 free throws and knocked down six in the final minutes.
Kwasniak counts on him and fellow seniors Emari Baddour and Travis Sanders to provide leadership for their younger teammates.
Saunders’ path to success as a senior began near the end of his junior year. The Panthers lost in overtime to Garfield Heights, led by current Toledo guard Marreon Jack and Cleveland State’s Shawn Christian. After the game, former coach Jonathan Harris told Saunders and Baddour he saw the same potential for them to become a pair of D-I college guards.
When Kwasniak arrived at Euclid over the summer, he saw the work ethic that eventually led to Saunders’ explosion at Mentor.
“It just shows what a kid could be,” Kwasniak said. “Will’s a very good high school basketball player, and he’s going to go play somewhere. People see that night but it was a long time coming. Will earned that night, and I’m so proud of him.”
After the Panthers won four games in the previous two seasons, they are 10-8 with a 7-5 Greater Cleveland Conference record through 17 games under Kwasniak.
Tadas Tatarunas led Mentor with 15 points, Caden Kryz added 14, Shane Zalba finished with 12 and Mason Trubisky chipped in 10. Second-leading scorer Matt Koski was held out of the lineup with a minor heel injury.
Mentor coach Bob Krizancic estimated the Cardinals turned the ball over more than 20 times and were beaten in every statistical category. After Mentor won seven of eight games, including wins over Shaker Heights, VASJ and Brunswick, the Cardinals have dropped back-toback games to Cornerstone Christian and the Panthers.
“I thought we were taking a major step forward with some of the quality wins,” Krizancic said. “Then the last two, that’s what most people feel, that we’ve taken a step back.”