LORAIN, OHIO — The Southview Saints boys basketball team turned Saturday’s rematch with cross-town rival Admiral King into just another day on the court. A practice day on the court, that this.
The Saints made up for their lack of height, something they have dealt with all season, by knocking down 14 of their 24 3-point attempts in a 70-59 road win at The Shot Palace.
"I do dream about it, but I’ve never really seen it happen that well," Southview coach Andy Bastock joked after the win. "We’ve had some games in the early part of the season where we hit 10 3s and shot around 40 percent from 3-point land.
"To come in here with the pressure and all the frivolities and picture-taking and things happening, for the kids to just stay focused and really lock into their shots and really share it and move it around, it was a beautiful thing to watch," added Bastock.
Southview’s 3-point prowess even impressed Admiral King coach Al Stacey, Ohio’s reigning co-Coach of the Year in Division I.
"Everybody was amped up; it was a big event," said Stacey. "I thought we made some mistakes in that first quarter because we were so amped up. The defense gave them open looks, but then when we covered them, they still made shots.
"There’s not many teams that shoot that kind of percentage," Stacey added. "We were in good defensive position, they just shot lights out. How many times do you see high school teams shoot over 55 percent, over 40 percent from 3? I would be glad if I’ve got a guy shooting 38 percent."
What made Saturday’s game even more meaningful for the players, coaches and fans was the fact that it was the last regular-season meeting between the schools. The Lorain City Schools are reorganizing and consolidating the high schools into one at the end of the calendar year.
The two teams will meet one final time on March 1 in the first round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I boys basketball tournament hosted by Midview High School.
"King’s our rival and we love to play them," said Southview senior guard Angel Gomez. "We took it at our house and we took it over here. We’re glad about that and we’re looking forward to playing them in the first round. If we practice the way we practice and play the way we play, we’ll be good."
Gomez hit several important shots against King, but none created as big a shift in momentum as his step-back 3-pointer in the right corner of the gymnasium in the second half.
"We knew coming in we have kids that can shoot the ball," said Bastock. "All my kids know, expect one or two, that they have the green light to shoot any open 3, especially on a kick-out. We were doing a good job of getting penetration in there and getting it out. When we get clean looks like that, that’s where we’re at our best."
Sophomore Brandon Davis was another player who made big shots for the Saints. Davis led Southview with 17 points and connected on a trio of 3-pointers.
"I couldn’t be more proud of him," said Bastock. "If you look at our stat sheet, he’s probably our lowest-percentage 3-point shooter. You wouldn’t know that if you were sitting in the stands today. The kid was hitting nothing but net every time he shot it. For him to come out and do that, it makes him mature. It makes the kids accept him in that role a little more. It makes the coaches proud of him; it makes mom and dad happy. You win the game, everybody’s happy. Everything’s just good."
"I don’t get many shots off in a game, but today, I guess I got lucky and hit them," said Davis. "We’re a 3-point shooting team. We don’t have very much size, so all we do is rely on the three and it was there tonight."
Matt Florjancic is a freelance reporter and sports announcer for WOBL and WDLW Radio.
