The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Green pulls away, eliminates Cardinals
Bulldogs blitz Mentor in second half of regional semifinal at CSU
Mentor’s 23-win season ended with a sobering loss to Uniontown Green, 77-60, in a Division I Cleveland regional semifinal March 13.
Kaleb Martin led all scorers with 24 points, Garrison Keeslar added 21 and Donovan O’Neil finished with 19 points. The Bulldogs controlled tempo and shot 21 of 22 at the freethrow line.
“Their guard was really, really solid,” Mentor coach Bob Krizancic said. “When we watched film, we thought they were as good fundamentally and defensively as we’ve played a team in quite awhile. That’s exactly what they did.”
Senior Alex Edwards led the Cardinals with 14 points, sophomore Luke Chicone scored 13 and senior Mason Trubisky added 10.
Martin opened the game with a pair of baskets to give Green a 4-0 lead. Luke Floriea stole a pass scored in transition to tie the score, 12-12. 3-pointers by Chicone, Edwards and Ian Kipp helped Mentor go up, 24-19, early in the second. Chicone made another in the half’s final seconds to put the Cardinals ahead, 33-31, at halftime.
Mentor and Green were tied, 41-41, midway through the third before the Bulldogs proceeded to take a 50-43 lead into the fourth quarter. Green’s defensive intensity frustrated the Cardinals and the Bulldogs made 15 of 16 shots from the foul line to close out a 17-point win.
“They were locked down defensively,” Trubisky said. “That definitely irritated us on offense but it shouldn’t have affected us anyway in any aspect of the game.”
Green wasn’t concerned about playing at Mentor’s pace. The Bulldogs shot when they thought they had a good look.
“We just looked for our best shots,” Keeslar said. “It didn’t matter if they came fast or slow, if we got a good shot we took it and we tried to contain them on defense by keeping the ball in front then closing out on their shooters.”
Edwards and Trubisky were the only seniors in Mentor’s lineup as the Cardinals went 23-3 and won the Greater Cleveland Conference title.
Floriea, a rising junior, and Chicone, a rising sophomore, will return next season as expectations will run high for Mentor’s 201920 group. Second-leading scorer Chad Rogers, Caleb Piks and Ian Kipp also remain in the fold.
Many anticipated Mentor to endure a rebuilding season following the graduation of seven seniors. Expectations entering the Cardinals’ next season will run as high as ever.
Edwards will remember Mentor’s chemistry this season. He hopes it will sustain into next season as much of the Cardinals’ core returns.
“I hope that they stay real good friends and stay close,” Edwards said, “never think that they can lose. Even when we were down seven at the end of the third, I think we still always had a chance to come back in that game until it really got out of reach in the fourth.”