by Willoughby, Ohio- Focus was the one thing that stuck with ISA head coach Dave Briski back on Jan. 10 during the first meeting with Western Reserve Academy. Despite winning 72-61, Briski didn’t think his team remained focused throughout the night.
That changed the second time around as ISA had no problem sweeping the season series after a commanding 106-65 win Thursday night. Ten different plays scored for ISA, with six of them scoring in double-figures. For Briski, that shows what kind of testament his young team has moved forward.
“We’re a team that plays well together,” he explained. “Very unselfish group. Guys want to find guys and our players aren’t worried about scoring, they’re worried about winning and when that happens you get that continuity.”
ISA never trailed throughout the game Thursday night. Exploiting the mismatches inside the paint was something ISA took advantage of, with five different players standing 6’6″ or taller. After the first quarter, ISA led 30-16 and there was no looking back from there.
Junior forward Charles Bediako had a team-high 12 points after the first quarter, using his 6-foot-11 frame to his advantage. With him dominating inside early in the game, that was able to open up the transition game, leading to open 3-pointers that ISA took advantage of.
“With Bediako, we want to get him scoring more as he’s a very unselfish kid,” Briski said. “The point was to pound it in early and dominate the paint. We’re really good around the paint between him and [Keon] Ambrose and that opens things up for our shooters. That’s our thing and we have a lot of sets to get the ball inside.”
Western Reserve would get within 16 points early in the second quarter, which would end up being the closest the team would trail the rest of the game. ISA took a 58-31 lead heading into halftime.
Five-star recruit Chris Livingston did all he can to try to steer his team in the right direction, but the length and transition game from ISA was too much to answer back from. As a team, ISA would end the night knocking down 11 3-pointers, with senior guard Cole Earley hitting a team-high three 3-pointers to end the night with 13 points.
Bediako led the way for ISA in scoring with 23 points, followed up with Earley’s 13 and Ambrose’s 12 points. Also, Tyrus Boock, Brad Colbert and Dario Biaggi each ended the night with 10 points apiece.
Livingston finished the night with a game-high 43 points during the defeat for Western Reserve. Cameron Baker also contributed with 10 points as six different players scored for the Pioneers. Coach Briski explained after the game that it’s always going to be a challenge containing a player like Livingston, but praised the sophomore forward for what he does on the court.
“He was mixing it up and I thought he played more physical tonight,” Briski said. “We were able to find some things that worked on him a little bit but at the end of the day, he’s a great player and has a bright future playing this game.”
