When Head Coach Micah Young returned to lead the West Geauga Wolverines boys basketball program in the fall of 2022, winning the Battle of 306 was certainly an important goal.
Game photos click here.
When Head Coach Micah Young returned to lead the West Geauga Wolverines boys basketball program in the fall of 2022, winning the Battle of 306 was certainly an important goal.
The Wolverines rarely won the rivalry game in the past decade, but have now won two in a row, defeating the Tigers 53-48 on Dec. 13.
After the game, Young talked about how meaningful it is to defeat the Tigers.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Coach Young said. “Even as a young kid, I’ve always dreamed about leading this program. Playing in the program and now leading the program, it’s come to fruition.
“We talk about beating Chagrin Falls every single day — 4-15 against Chagrin Falls in the past 10 years, 1-8 in the past five years against Chagrin. We want to beat those guys.”
Carson Weisman, one of only two seniors on the Wolverines roster, made some huge plays to help the Wolverines obtain the Battle of 306 victory.
Weisman echoed his coach’s excitement about defeating the Tigers.
“It was a wild game against our rival. Anything can happen,” Weisman said. “In the last five years, we were 1-8. So to get that win was incredible.
“We were down most of the game, the shots weren’t falling, but we came back and got the W.”
The Wolverines were excited and motivated about the possibility of defeating their rival, the Chagrin Falls Tigers.
Their motivation to compete was certainly evident from the opening tip, as the game was played at a quick pace filled with emotion and intensity.
In the first quarter, the Wolverines were led by Landon Lear, who has been spectacular so far this season. Lear had seven points in the first quarter.
Ryan Curtiss led the Tigers with four points in the first quarter on two field goals. All the Tigers’ additional points came on four long-range three-pointers.
The Tigers outscored the Wolverines 16-13 in the second quarter to take a 32-28 lead into halftime.
Not surprisingly, the second half of this rivalry game was an intense, defensive battle.
“We just kept it close,” Lear said. “We just fought through it. I feel like every time we play this team, we just can’t pull away from them.”
Both teams had difficulty putting the ball in the bucket during the third quarter.
The Wolverines, though, managed to outscore the Tigers 7-5 to get within two points of the Tigers heading into the fourth quarter.
Lear was the difference-maker. He hit a clutch three-pointer down the stretch and went 4-4 from the free throw line with the game on the line to propel to the Wolverines to a 53-48 victory over the Tigers.
For the game, the Wolverines were lead by Lear (18 points), Whiting (12) and Weisman (7).
Chagrin Falls was led by Russell (11 points), Aiden Beresford (8) and Costellucio (7).
After defeating Orange on Dec. 17, the Wolverines defeated the Lions, 47-43, in another extremely close contest. They were led by Lear (19 points), Weisman (8), Whiting (7) and Marino (7).
