by CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio– The battle of Wyoga Lake Road belongs to CVCA as they pulled through with a 58-33 win over Walsh Jesuit Tuesday night.
“Our guys were up for the challenge and a win against Walsh Jesuit in the Wyoga Lake Road rivalry is a good one,” CVCA coach Matt Futch explained after the win.
Both teams were even for the majority of the night. There was no lead larger than four points throughout the first half. Both teams were battle-tested early, making shots difficult to come by with the swarming full-court pressure.
After the first quarter, the game was tied at 7. That’s when the Warriors started to use their bench depth to force the Royals into more difficult shots and rely on knocking down 3-pointers. Players like Milan Parris and Noah Friery instantly brought energy and toughness to the Warriors’ side. They played an important part in an early second-quarter run, during which they led by as much as four—18-14 midway through the quarter.
As the Royals did for the majority of the night, they responded. Tony Collins and Niles Nuru helped lead a balanced attack that saw the Royals end the second quarter on a 9-2 run in the final three minutes to take a 23-20 lead at halftime.
“I thought our group played well in the first half and Walsh Jesuit played well in the first half,” Futch said about the back-and-forth first half. “They’re not the typical 2-10 team.”
That’s as close of a game as it would be Tuesday night as the Royals came out of the break trying to send a message. Coach Futch’s team applied more pressure and the turnovers they forced led to a slew of transition points. The Warriors were held to just four points in the third quarter alone, something Futch credits his team for never taking a play off.
“We have to adjust. We lost our starting point guard at the beginning of the year and then we had another starter out for a while to start the year. Now, we’re starting to get those guys back and our younger guys are now developing to be trusted rotational guys,” Futch explained.
Senior guard Niles Nuru and sophomore guard Chayce Brantley headlined a third queer where the Royals outscored the Warriors 23-4. The two playmakers were a big reason for the Royals’ second-half success that came off of the difficult situations they put the Warriors in offensively.
“They’re more connected, they believe in each other and are playing for each other,” Futch said about the depth his team has and the roles some of his younger guys have taken so far throughout the year. “At this time of the year, I think that is the goal of the coaching staff.”.
The third quarter was the difference and once the Warriors got down by 20 points, their offense was headlined by 3-pointers to try to bring them back in but none would fall. For the game, Tony Collins had a game-high 22 points along with 10 from Tyler Hysolli and another 8 points from Niles Nuru.
For the Warriors, junior JP McMullin paced the offense with a team-high 10 points during the loss.
