The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Arcs fall to Irish in tough test
AKRON >> St. Vincent-St. Mary unveiled its eighth state championship banner prior to its game against Brush on Feb. 17.
The 32 minutes of basketball to follow afforded the Arcs an experience they hope benefits their own run in the upcoming state tournament.
St. Vincent-St. Mary opened up a double-digit lead by halftime. DJ Dial led Brush’s rally in the second half, which fell four points shy in a 71-67 loss to the Fighting Irish.
“I feel like we showed toughness,” Dial said. “And we showed we a team that no matter what the adversity is, no matter what the refs do, no matter what our obstacles be, we’re going to fight through them and try to still get that win.”
Dial led all scorers with 26 points, John Hugley added 16 and freshman Elmore James IV chipped in 11. The Arcs fell to 183, as St. Vincent-St. Mary joined SPIRE Institute and Kennedy Catholic (Pa.) as the only teams to defeat Brush this season.
Hugley scored Brush’s first three baskets. The Arcs and St. Vincent-St. Mary were tied, 14-14, when a pair of no-calls near Brush’s basket in the quarter’s final minute sent the Fighting Irish in transition for a layup and buzzer-beating 3-pointer. The sequence sparked a 15-0 St. Vincent-St. Mary run to put the Fighting Irish in control.
Brush trailed, 39-20, at half and Branham’s layup gave the Irish their largest lead to start the third quarter. Dial and James combined to score 17 of the Arcs’ 22 points in the period and generate momentum. St. Vincent-St. Mary led, 56-42, after three quarters.
Dial’s second 3-pointer followed James’ layup to cut Brush’s deficit to single-digits early in the fourth quarter, 56-48. Hugley’s one-handed dunk in transition made the contest a 67-65, one-possession affair with a minute remaining. Free throws and a Brush turnover in the game’s waning seconds secured St. VincentSt. Mary’s victory.
Many left LeBron James Arena dissatisfied with the game’s officiating. Coach Chet Mason pointed out the Arcs didn’t execute well enough in particular areas, regardless of external factors.
“We gave up 15 offensive rebounds,” Mason said. “The other stuff we can’t control, that’s out of our hands. What we can control is rebounding, making free throws. We struggled with that.”
Brush made 7 of 12 free throw attempts. The Fighting Irish shot 15 of 26 from the foul line.
James’ play provided a necessary boost to Brush’s rally, alongside
Dial’s leadership. The freshman scored all 11 of his points in the second half, provided quality defense and forced a handful of turnovers. James’ play in a tense environment against an elite opponent was a sign of his growth.
“I try to mentor him,” Dial said. “I’m a senior, he a freshman. I know I didn’t have that senior to help bring me along as a freshman. I just try to bring him under my wing and bring him through this process, while I can.”
Malaki Branham and Lunden McDay led St. Vincent-St. Mary with 19 points apiece. The Fighting Irish improved to 16-3 and host VASJ Feb. 19.
Coach Dru Joyce liked the way his team withstood Brush’s second-half rally. It’s not inconceivable St. Vincent-St. Mary, now a Division I member, and the Arcs could meet again in March.
“It would have to be in the final four,” Joyce said. “I think they can get that far, definitely.”
Brush concludes the regular season against Madison on Feb. 19. The Arcs begin their postseason March 2 as the No. 2 seed at the Euclid District. They’ll match up with the winner of Madison and Eastlake North in a sectional final.
Until then, Brush left Akron with knowledge it still requires improvement to attain its postseason goals. Mason won’t welcome a loss, but the Arcs showed mettle in a postseason tuneup.
“When adversity strikes, your true character come out,” Mason said. “Our kids came together and we had a freshman out there doing it, we had two juniors out there doing it, as well as our two seniors. For the tournament, this was a great, great, great game to prepare us for this tournament run.”