BEES DOWN TITANS, 54-41
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Friday night, January 16, 2015
BEREA – The visiting Bees went on a 14-3 run to start the fourth quarter, and made all the right moves down the stretch, in an impressive 54-41 Southwestern Conference victory here this evening in front of a good crowd at Bob Purdy Gym.
Save for a handful of first quarter turnovers, and spotty shot selection on back-to-back possessions in the second period, Brecksville-Broadview Heights played a near flawless game.
The victory puts the Bees (8-3, 5-1 SWC) back into a first place tie with Berea-Midpark (9-3, 3-1 SWC), the defending league champions.
“Now it’s a race. Now it’s fun,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Steve Mehalik outside the teams noisy second floor locker room.
Matt Auble matched his career-high with a game-best 16 points. The junior play-maker also dropped 5 dimes. Senior wing Demetrius Maddox came off the bench and tallied 14 points, while reaching 4 rebounds and blocking 3 Titan shots. And junior forward Dan Harwood registered 10 points and collared 5 boards.
The Whole Gang To The Glass
Brecksville out-rebounded a much taller B-M team, 22-18. They had an 11-6 advantage on the glass in the second half.
“You know what? We rebounded the basketball. That team is so good at getting the ball inside and killing you on the glass, but we rebounded the basketball and that kept us in the game,” Mehalik said. “And then we were able to make some shots down the stretch.”
The Titans led by two at the quarter, two at the break and by a half-dozen after three.
A 3-pointer from out top by Harwood gave the guests its first lead of the game at 25-24 midway through the third frame. That started a 7-0 Bees run. A 9-0 spurt to end the third quarter elevated B-M a 33-27 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.
Maddox would score 8 of Brecksville’s next 10 points. His second consecutive three-ball, on a drive and kick by Auble, put Mehalik’ group on top 37-36 with 5:47 remaining.
The Bees never trailed after that.
Fourth Quarter Dominance
Auble’s layup gave Brecksville a 7-point lead with about a minute to go. From there on out he sank seven straight free throws. And Maddox added two more to salt away the big road triumph.
“Dan Harwood made some big shots. Demetrius Maddox made some big shots. And Danny Auble made free throws down the stretch,” said Mehalik. “And when Demetrius plays like he did tonight we are a different team. He has a skill-set that not too many players in this league have.”
Luke Cipolla, a returning all-conference senior guard, scored 7 points and dealt a trio of helpers. Jared Bazil, a 6-6 sophomore post, chipped in 4 points and grabbed as many boards. Sophomore guard Matt Dimitrijevs came in off the bench and swished a second stanza trey. He also pulled down 3 rebounds.
“I’m so proud of our guys. Luke was being face-guarded the entire night by Bret Swinnerton who is one of the best defenders in the SWC. But he didn’t press and try to force things. He is a disciplined player. That’s why he is one of the best players in the area. Luke was poised. He let other guys step-up and other guys made plays,” Mehalik said. “I love these guys. They play together. They play with poise. And when we are all together we are a pretty good basketball team.”
Quite Effective
The Bees played a sagging 2-3 zone defense the majority of the game, forcing the Titans to become an outside shooting team.
Berea-Midpark was led by senior guard Demonte Taborn who hit for 11 points. Sharpshooting senior guard Jamie Bloxson came off the bench and scored 10. Senior Nolan Gerrity, a 6-11 post who is headed to Maryland-Baltimore County, registered 7 points and carted off a game-high 10 rebounds.
“We were packing it in. We made a determination that if they were going to beat us they were going to have to make eight or nine three’s. They can. But we rolled the dice tonight and it paid off and we came out winners. They had some guys hit shots that we didn’t figure would make shots. Their role players stepped up and made some shots,” said Mehalik. “But I thought our ‘big’ combination of Harwood, Maddox and Bazil did a great job on Nolan. Joey Bachie wasn’t at one-hundred percent tonight, but that kid is an absolute beast.”
Bachie, a 6-2 junior forward who is a Division I college football prospect, was slowed by a high ankle sprain. Brecksville played without the services of junior guard Andrew Bruno who suffered a concussion while going after a loose ball in the second half of Tuesday nights home game with Westlake.
A Dan-Dee Chip And Dip
Auble was money from beginning to end. His early 3-pointer got the Bees on the board. And his free throws in the final minute or so were the perfect bookends to a solid all-around performance.
“Berea-Midpark had a crazy height advantage and they have a lot of talent. So our game plan was to sag down and make them shoot from the outside. That was the key tonight,” said Auble. “This is a huge win. Coach told us to come in expecting to win. We went out and executed the game plan and that’s what happened. It was an unbelievable win.”
Maddox was scoreless at intermission. He went off for all of his 14 points in the second half (12 in the fourth quarter) and tallied all 3 of his blocked shots in the final frame.
After Brecksville went up 43-38 on 13-foot baseline jumper by Harwood with 2:20 to go the Bees did an outstanding job of spreading the floor and making smart passes against ramped-up defensive pressure.
“It was important that we followed the game plan especially on offense. We had to move the ball and get them to be late on defense so we could get easy buckets. And that’s what we did tonight,” Maddox said. “This is a big win because it really makes a statement for us in the conference.”
How big of a statement was it? The Bees outscored the Titans on their home floor by 19 in the last eight minutes. And they held the team that was predicted to win the league title (by this corner mind you) to just 41 points.
The re-match is Friday, February 13 at the fabulous Bee Hive.
SCORE-BY-QUARTERS:
BEES 7 13 7 27 = 54
TITANS 9 13 11 8 = 41
STAT-O-MATIC:
BRECKSVILLE ….. The Bees went 10 of 12 for 83.3% from the free throw line and committed 9 turnovers.
BEREA-MIDPARK ….. The Titans went 3 of 4 for 75% from the free throw line and committed 7 turnovers.
BEES STATISTICAL LEADERS:
SCORING ….. Auble with 16 (ties career-high).
REBOUNDS ….. Harwood with 5.
STEALS ….. Harwood with 2.
ASSISTS ….. Auble with 5.
BLOCKED SHOTS ….. Maddox with 3.
CHARGES TAKEN ….. None.
TONIGHT’S OFFICIALS:
Mark Wanyerka, Mike Mitchell and Joe Hummiston. (A veteran group).
JUNIOR VARSITY GAME:
A cold-shooting Brecksville-Broadview Heights team struggled against a 2-3 Berea-Midpark zone and the Bees dropped their first game in 11 starts this season, 46-31.
The Titans, a junior-laden squad with ten listed on the roster sheet, jumped out to a 23-7 lead at halftime and held Brecksville at bay the rest of the way.
Griffin Stevens, a 5-11 sophomore guard, led the Bees with 12 points.
JUNIOR VARSITY LINE SCORE:
BEES 2 5 8 16 = 31
TITANS 15 8 9 14 = 46
BEE BUZZ:
Tonight was Brecksville-Broadview Heights’ last trip ever to the Bob Purdy Gym. The Bees and the Titans, and the Berea team formerly known as the Braves, have staged some great games in this step-down bandbox over the years.
“I’ll tell you what. They have done a great job in making this a great atmosphere. The music. The crowd. The heat from the pool. We’ll miss the rivalry. We’ll miss the games and we have had some big games against them,” said Mehalik while putting his coat for the last time and walking down the stairs. “But, you know what? We won’t miss coming to this gym. And we won’t miss this locker room.”
For my money. Duke and Stevie. The Bees and B-M on a Friday night in January with first place in the conference on the line. It doesn’t get much better than that.
For this old scribe the memories in the Bob Purdy Gym (formerly the Main Gym) run deep. As the area beat writer for Sun News I can remember Midpark coach Duke Barther celebrating the conclusion of a 20-0 regular season by popping the top off a bottle of Welch’s sparkling grape juice in the aforementioned locker room after his Meteors topped the Braves to head into the tournament with a spotless record and the top seed.
They don’t come any more down-to-earth than the good people at Midpark and Berea, and even though they are now one, things still feel the same.
Mr. Haas, the veteran B-M score book keeper, handed over a special gift during a break in the junior varsity game. “This is from Duke. He wanted you to have it,” Haas said. It was a navy blue Titans Basketball pullover. Thank you coach. I’ll wear it with pride.
About a minute into the game, while scanning the crowd, the gym and the intensity put out by the players on the floor, I scribbled onto the yellow legal pad: THIS IS SPECIAL!
The SWC is a tight-knit, 7-member family. Berea-Midpark people are pure class. Bees fans will realize just how special this evening was year from now when taking in a game at unfamiliar venues such as Stow and Twinsburg.
The Bees have had B-M’s number in the first go-round this winter. Dom Daltorio’s Lady Bees stunned the defending league and district champion Titans last Saturday at the Hive, 59-45. Zoranne Host, a member of the Titans girls team, ran the individual player scoring column on the main board and was right on the money. Miss Host, a junior guard, snagged the evenings first Tootsie Pop.
Brecksville’s frosh defeated the Titans, 50-35. The BBHHS cheerleaders wore their bright yellow uniforms this evening. They stood out like a beacon in the night in the dimly lit gym.
Get well wishes go out to the Bees Andrew Bruno who did not travel with the team due to the concussion. Classmate Danny Shirilla started in place of Bruno.
The B-M Dance Team and its cheerleaders entertained at halftime. But the best part of intermission was “Sweet Caroline” played by the in-house d-jay.
The long and short of it. How is it that the shortest volleyball player in the Southwestern Conference, the Titans 4-11 defensive specialist Michelle Lee, is good friends with the tallest basketball player in the league, 6-11 Nolan Gerrity?
B-M’s lineup is loaded with D-1 athletes. Gerrity will play big time ball at UMBC. Bachie is a Big Ten and MAC football prospect. Swinnerton has college scouts drooling over his 6-6 height as a wide receiver. And starting 6-3 junior guard Nick Gassman, who is the Titans quarterback, will definitely get some looks if he hasn’t already.
Swinnerton, who was Berea-Midpark’s leading scorer coming into the game at a 16 ppg clip, was held to 5 points. Bloxson, Gerrity and Bachie are all averaging in double-digits.
The Bees, who have converted 27 of their 30 free throw attempts over the course of their last two games, are shooting 82% from the line for the season. Brecksville remains undefeated on the road this winter at 3-0. It now has a two-game win streak.
Jared Bazil’s cousin, Kevin Gall, played basketball at Midpark and graduated in 2007. Gall, a 6-5 wing/post, went on to play at the next level at Lake Erie College (for one year) and at Baldwin-Wallace (for 3 years).
Fun Fact: This gym was the birthplace of the Tootsie Pop toss. We all have former Lady Braves Meghan Thompson and Meagan Nieman to thank (or blame) for that.
Thanks to Coach Barther for the pullover. And a million thanks to all at Berea-Midpark. There are way too many outstanding people to name. And many have become friends. Your gracious hospitality over the decades has always been appreciated.
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:
“If I would have known they were going to play 50’s music before the game I would have slicked my hair back.” – John Shirilla.
“Has ‘Berea Roy’ become Benedict Arnold?” – The Mouthpiece.
“Valentine’s Day is for the girls. And the guys should know that.” – BBH cheerleader Ariella Ponikvar.
“We’re going to rate the popcorn at every gym. The popcorn here is very good. Not too salty. Not too buttery.” – Kris Cipolla.
“We’ve got Wanyerka? We’re in trouble!” – Holly Sejba.
NEXT UP:
Brecksville-Broadview Heights heads over to State Road Saturday night to take on the Padua Franciscan Bruins in a non-league game. It is the Bees only back-to-back (weather permitting) of the season. Now the jinx is on.
This is the first meeting between the two schools in boys basketball in a very long time and perhaps ever.
“We’re going to enjoy this one for about 12 hours because this is a special night. We told the guys ‘that’s why you play games like this’. But tomorrow morning Coach (John) Silva will have them ready to play Padua. Because the last thing we want to do is go from a high like this to a low,” Mehalik said. “But, I’ll tell you what, the Bruins are a much-improved basketball team. But I’ll also tell you that, knowing our guys, they will prepare and be ready to play basketball tomorrow night.”
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
Follow the Lady Bees on the worldwide web at: beesbasketball.com.
Brecksville (7-5, 3-2 SWC) hosts Westlake Saturday afternoon. Please note: The game will be played at BBH-Middle School. There is a major gymnastics event taking center stage at the big Bee Hive.
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