WELLINGTON — The Wellington boys basketball team did not have an easy night in non-conference action against Firelands on Tuesday night, but the Dukes (2-2) were able to overcome their minimal offensive output in the second and third quarters to claim a 42-36 home win over the Falcons (1-3).
Wellington found itself in a hole when Firelands tied the game and took a lead in the fourth quarter. Instead of letting a win slip away, like it did in overtime against New London last week, the Dukes knocked down several clutch free throws to keep the Falcons at bay.
"It was a great win for us," Wellington coach Nathan Morris said. "We came out with a lot of energy, which we talked about and want to do. Then, we lost some of that energy and enthusiasm. Really, it is always going to start with us at the defensive end of the floor. When we lose that intensity and enthusiasm, then we’re going to struggle a little bit.
"In that first quarter, we had 17 points and probably half of those were from our defense in the full-court situation, getting steals and getting out and going," he added. "We didn’t have that in the middle two quarters. Down the stretch, we played some good defense when we had to, hit some free throws and came out with a victory."
The Dukes needed an 8-of-13 shooting night from the free-throw line after making less than 40 percent of their attempts against New London. Those free throws helped counteract Firelands’ 45-36 rebounding edge, including a 20-10 lead on the offensive glass.
"We rebounded well," Firelands coach Steve Lias said. "I just can’t figure it out. We missed some easy, point-blank shots that we couldn’t get to fall, especially come crunch time. Those are things that we’ll have to make sure that we can correct for the next game."
Wellington built a 17-5 lead after the first quarter without junior guard Devin Broadwater and senior captain Robert Shays, who were on the bench due to foul trouble. Shays, Wellington’s leading scorer coming into the game, picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and did not re-enter the game until the third quarter.
With Shays and Broadwater out of the rotation, the Dukes relied on sophomore guard Nathan Starkey to control the offense and junior forward Josh West to help rebound the basketball. West scored four points, but added four rebounds against Firelands’ much taller front line.
"We talked down the stretch in the huddle about getting stops," Morris said. "Getting stops means us getting rebounds and boxing out and only giving them one shot. Those were huge. We came down and hit two free throws on the one Shays grabbed, so it was big."
Wellington also got help from sophomore Jason Perry, who finished with a game-high nine points, team-leading nine rebounds and added a critical assist late in the fourth quarter. Rather than attempt a 3-pointer from the left wing, Perry passed the ball to Justin Kidd in the corneer for a better look at a long-range shot.
"We actually work on that drill in practice," Perry said. "We call it rebound-extra pass. It was exactly where we were spaced out. I got the ball and saw Justin in the corner. He’s a better shooter than me, so I gave it up to him. He was able to hit the big shot."
2. Mentor moves leagues: After an unceremonious departure from the Lake Erie League, whose teams nearly refused to play Mentor in football, the Cardinals’ application to join the Northeast Ohio Conference was approved by the NOC school principals. Mentor will replace Nordonia after the 2010-11 season when the Knights will transfer to the Suburban League to fill a void left by Barberton.
3. Lombardo to coach North: Medina Highland coach Tom Lombardo was chosen by the regional directors of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association to coach the North Team in the Ohio All-Star Classic this spring. The game will be played on April 23, 2010 in Columbus.
4. Hathaway Brown gets win: The Blazers had not defeated Regina since Pat Diulus took over the Royals’ program. However, that eight-game losing streak dating back to 1997 ended with Hathaway Brown’s 56-49 win over Regina Sunday afternoon. Hathaway Brown snapped Regina’s 29-game winning streak.
5. Maumee wins late: Maumee’s Damon Contat converted a put-back as the clock ran out to give the Panthers a 68-66 win over Toledo Waite. Contat rebounded Jon Hall’s jumper, but only after Hall connected on a 3-pointer to tie the game in the final minute.
Top performers
* Quincy Coldwell scored 30 points in Toledo Rogers’ 82-66 win over Whitehouse Anthony Wayne. Coldwell was aided by Damon Powell’s 20 points in the win.
* With 34 combined points between Alexxis Knannlein and Sierra Calhoun, the Toledo Central Catholic Irish (4-0, 3-0 City League) defeated St. Ursula 51-44. Calhoun and Knannlein helped key a 14-6 third-quarter scoring run for the Irish.
* Parma senior guard John Roth scored 33 points, 18 of which came in the fourth quarter, in a 79-68 win over the previously undefeated Strongsville Mustangs on Tuesday night. Roth helped key a 30-16 fourth-quarter scoring edge for the Redmen.
Looking ahead
* Columbus Northland vs. Findlay Prep boys basketball, Thursday at Otterbein College. The Vikings carry a 1-0 record into this nationally-televised game against Findlay Prep from Henderson, Nev. Northland has four players over 6-foot-7, including Ohio State recruit Jared Sullinger, whose play has reminded some of LeBron James.
* Triway boy basketball vs. Western Reserve in WQKT Classic. The Titans are off to another solid start at 4-0 and will play in the tournament at the College of Wooster Saturday afternoon.
* Hathaway Brown girls basketball at the Michigan-Ohio Classic at Toledo Start High School, Monday and Tuesday evenings. The Blazers play Sylvania Southview Monday and against the host Start High School Tuesday.
Recruiting news
The Columbus Dispatch has reported that Dublin Coffman’s Amber Kern has signed to play soccer at The University of Akron, while St. Charles’ Sandy Whittaker will swim at the University of Minnesota. The Dispatch is also reporting that Marion-Franklin quarterback Verlon Reed has verbally committed to Ohio State.
Matt's minutes
December is for making adjustments and January is for making championship runs. While watching several basketball powerhouses start their seasons well, it is nice to see new coaches settling into their new surroundings. It is also nice to see players adjusting to new offensive and defensive schemes on the basketball court. Though the games at the beginning of the season may seem meaningless, their impact can be felt for the rest of the season. These December games are a time to bond with teammates and learn the assignments in order to execute them when seedings and league championships are on the line.
Matt Florjancic currently works as a freelance reporter and sports show host for WOBL and WDLW.
