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LYNDHURST, Ohio– A strong third quarter was all it took for Richmond Heights to open the game up in Tuesday night’s district semifinal game against Richmond Heights.
That helped the top-seeded Spartans knock off eighth-ranked Cuyahoga Heights 63-38 to advance to the Division IV, Northeast 3 district championship Friday night against Dalton.
The key for Quentin Rogers and his team Tuesday night was discipline as it was the third time the Spartans have faced off against the Resdskins this season.
“Sticking to a game plan and staying disciplined,” Rogers said. “They have familiarity with us so we knew they weren’t scared of us and they got here for a reason.”
Junior forward Preist Ryan led all scorers with 23 points for Richmond Heights. Fellow junior forward Josiah Harris ended the night with 20 points to pace Richmond Heights.
A key for the Spartans was the ability to get the ball inside the paint where they held a size mismatch for most of the night. But it wouldn’t be easy to start the game.
Freshman Braylan McClardy ended the first quarter scoring for the Redskins, knocking down a 3-pointer to head into the second quarter with a 14-7 deficit. From there, Devon Patel kept his team within single digits for most of the second quarter as he sunk two three-pointers in the second quarter.
However, size and speed caught up to the Reskins. In the closing two minutes of the first half, they were outscored 9-3 as they faced a 30-18 deficit at halftime.
Emmanuel Loizos ends the first half with a Redskin 3-pointer.
Richmond Heights leads Cuyahoga Heights 30-18 at the half. pic.twitter.com/lEzSuhAYuZ— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) March 3, 2021
That’s as close as Michael Tartara’s team got for the rest of the night.
In the opening three minutes of the third quarter, the Spartans used a 14-0 run to get ahead and never look back. From corner 3-pointers to fast-break dunks, it was the start Rogers was looking for to open up the second half.
“We always want to work on finding other ways to score without having to do it off the dribble,” Rogers said on the second chance opportunities that helped spark a third-quarter scoring run.
Malikee Sonie puts the Spartans up 40-28 early in the 3rd.
They’ve started the second half on a 10-0 run. pic.twitter.com/R4EpeeoRzx— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) March 3, 2021
Harris and Ryan combined for 14 points in the third quarter as they out-scored the Redskins team as a whole. The development Rogers has seen from Ryan this season has been something work noticing.
The 6-foot-6 junior has locked in and helped take on a greater role within the offense to provide another scoring option behind Harris in the starting lineup.
“He’s developing perfectly,” Rogers said about Ryan. “He buys in. He’s a total teammate and works hard. He just keeps wanting to get better and asks a lot of questions.”
End of 3rd: Richmond Heights has taken a 57-28 lead.@Preistryan21 has been a force all night for the Spartans, including two dunks in the 3rd Q. pic.twitter.com/Mjp11pKaIb
— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) March 3, 2021
The Spartan lead would hold at 20 points throughout the fourth quarter as shots just weren’t falling for Cuyahoga Heights. Devon Patel led the way with a team-high 12 points, knocking down four 3-pointers. Freshman Braylan McClardy contributed with nine points followed up by Reilly Tyna’s six points.
“It’s just tough to play against a high-powered group like that for 32 minutes,” Tartara said about Richmond Heights. “All three times we played them we had a good first half and kind of left ourselves in striking distance…to sustain that over 32 minutes takes a monumental effort.”
As for the Spartans, senior guard Jamarr Talbert Jr. injured his foot in practice and was seen in a walking boot during the game Tuesday night. It’s uncertain of his playing status moving forward but Ryan knows his team has to play more consistently in order to keep advancing throughout the playoffs.
“It’s just going to take more effort,” Ryan said. “We’re going to have to go out there and kill, play for the guys we don’t have and play like it’s our last game because it could be our last.”
