Coach Derrick DeJarnette’s Bombers walked into “The Den” seeking their first win of the season again the Wolverines.
Game photos click here.
Coach Derrick DeJarnette’s Bombers walked into “The Den” seeking their first win of the season again the Wolverines.
But the Wolverines, who had beat the Kirtland Hornets a day earlier, sent the Bombers away still looking, defeating them 50-46.
Kenston was first to score with a successful layup a minute and a half in. But neither team would score again until the 3:30 mark in the opening quarter, when senior forward Max Marra went up and under his defender and drew the foul against Sonny Catalano, then connected on both free throws to extend his team’s lead to four.
The Wolverines got their first points of the night with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter, thanks to Drew Prexta connecting on a three. Landon Lear scored two with 2:10 left on the clock.
After a timeout called by West Geauga’s Catalano to set up the final play of the first quarter, a miscue from the Wolverines gave the ball back to the Bombers with one minute left. L.A. Mighton sunk a three to put his team back up, 7-5. Then two straight scoring possessions from the Wolverines gave them a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 9-7.
Leading the way offensively for the Bombers was Marra, with four points, while four Wolverines scored in the opening quarter.
Jerry Kline-Ruminski finally wrote his name in the stats book when he connected on a three early in the second quarter. Both teams went with an empty possession before Kline-Ruminski found himself at the free throw line again.
The Bombers regularly played into the Wolverines’ trap, where first-year Head Coach Micah Young’s team thrived on the fast-break points off turnovers.
The Wolverines outscored their opponent 22-6 in the second quarter. Heading into the half, the Wolverines led 31-13.
After a slow start, Kline-Ruminski led all scorers with 11 points, all in the second quarter. Catalano added four, Marra led his team with six points, and Spencer Brownfield added four.
However, that slow start was long gone by the third quarter.
Carson Weisman knocked down a three in the corner to continue the hot shooting for the Wolverines. An answer from Chris Collins got his team on the board early in the quarter.
A near steal from Braelyn Akins forced his coach to call a timeout with 6:15 remaining in the quarter.
The Bombers would then cut the lead to 13.
On back-to-back possessions, the Bombers connected on a three, trailing just 34-24 early in the third quarter. Another missed opportunity for the Wolverines gave the ball back to their opponent with less than four minutes remaining. Collins got a jumper to go down, and helped add to his team’s 8-1 run.
Jesse Moriarity finally ended the Bombers’ run with a runner that banked off the backboard for two.
Catalano extended his team’s lead to 11 after connecting on one of two free throws under three minutes.
Back-and-forth the two teams would go in the final two minutes of the third quarter. After three, the Wolverines clung to a 42-30 lead.
The Bombers outscored their opponent 17-11 in that quarter. Mighton added nine points, all threes, to cut into the Wolverines’ lead. Moriarity connected on three free throws to add five points to his resume.
Cutting the lead to two, with 2:15 left in the contest, the Bombers had all the momentum. But a 4-0 run to end the game would secure the win for the Wolverines, who improved to 4-6 on the year.
“Kenston definitely changed our pace and slowed us down a bit, which we weren’t really used to,” said Catalano, referring to the changes his team faced in the second half.
“The last two wins give us a lot of momentum,” said Kline-Ruminski, “and we are going to continue to carry this momentum and keep winning, and show everyone that you don’t want to play West Geauga because we are a good defensive team.”
L.A. Mighton led his Bombers with 14 points, while Marra added 12. Leading the way for the Wolverines was Kline-Ruminski, who had 13 points, while Catalano finished with nine.
“Especially in the third and fourth quarter, I loved our team’s mental toughness, and we played hard basketball,” Mighton said. “We played way better defense in the second half, and that got us closer in the game.”
