The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Benedictine tops Harvey in boys hoops
In a late-season tuneup featuring teams with postseason aspirations, Benedictine earned a 56-50 victory over host Harvey. David S. Glasier has the story.
Better depth and firepower were decisive as visiting Benedictine pulled away for a 56-50 victory over Harvey on Feb. 18.
Senior guard Davin Zeigler, a Bowling Green signee and son of former Cleveland State standout Derrick Zeigler, paced a balanced attack for Benedictine with 15 points.
Junior guard Jashun Cobb and sophomore guard B.J. Busbee each scored 13 points as the Bengals improved to 11-10 with a hardearned win in the non-conference contest.
Junior forward Devon Holbert played through foul trouble to finish with a game-high 19 points for the Red Raiders. Junior forward Bishop Thomas added 16 points as Harvey slipped to 14-6.
Benedictine coach Rob Stircula credited his team’s commitment to defense for holding the Red Raiders scoreless for three minutes midway trough the third quarter and for four minutes to open the fourth quarter.
“We missed a lot of open shots we usually make, but we locked in defensively and didn’t allow them to make easy baskets,” Stircula said.
Harvey coach Dave Wojciechowski cited those dry spells as a key to how what had been a back-andforth battle turned in Benedictine’s favor.
“You can’t do that against good teams,” Wojciechowski said.
The Red Raiders got off to a solid start in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. They had a 17-15 lead after the first quarter and stayed in front through most of the second quarter. Threepointers by Zeigler and Busbee in the final minute of the quarter staked the Bengals to a 30-27 lead at halftime.
A pair of baskets by Holbert early in the third quarter put Harvey back in front, 34-33. Benedictine answered with a 12-4 run to take a 45-38 lead going to the fourth quarter.
“We made a lot of little mistakes that hurt us,” Holbert said.
Benedictine took advantage of Harvey’s cold spell early in the fourth quarter to move ahead, 50-38. The Red Raiders chipped away through the balance of the quarter but did not seriously threaten.
The Bengals played without starting junior forward Andy Barba (concussion) and senior reserve forward Kevin Bishop (mononucleosis).
“I was proud of the way our guys battled back,” Wojciechowski said. “This will be a great learning experience for them in how you need to execute in high-intensity situations.”
Harvey swings back into action at home against Beachwood on Feb. 22. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m.
Benedictine plays at Gilmour on Feb. 22. Tipoff is 7 p.m.