by EUCLID, Ohio- As Brush head coach Chet Mason explained late Thursday night, it’s all about continuing to practice. For the Brush Arcs, they get that opportunity after hanging on to defeat Cleveland heights 68-64 in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Euclid High School.
“We got seniors that aren’t ready to be done and the goal is to practice the next day,” Mason said. “If you’re practicing, that means you won the game.”
Brush never trailed during the first half of the game and took just a 36-30 lead heading into halftime. The Arc lead as high as 11 points during the third quarter, but things leveled off and they took just a six-point lead heading into the finals eight minutes of the game.
It took just 47 seconds in the fourth quarter Cleveland Heights senior forward Jaelyn Withers to foul out. The Louisville commit ended the night with 13 points for the Tigers. Three minutes later, Cleveland Heights took their first lead of the game, 58-57 with just over four minutes left to play in the game after a barrage of three-pointers buried by Cleveland Heights.
With two minutes left to play and Brush holding a three-point lead, the game for the Arcs would come down to knocking down their free throws. Senior point guard DJ Dial ended up knocking down one of four free throws in the closing minutes of the game.
The one free throw he did make, however, put the Arcs up four with 11 seconds left, ultimately putting the game out of reach for the Tigers.
“DJ is DJ, we ride with him, that’s why I was giving him the ball and letting him go,” Mason explained. “He missed some free throws, but he made up for it. It’s March and it’s all about advancing.”
After Cleveland Heights failed to get a shot off in the final seconds, Brush would end up advancing to the District Final game after their 68-64 win against the Tigers. For Cleveland Heights, point guard Nigel Martin led the way with a game-high 32 points.
As a team, the Tigers connected on 21 of 22 free throws, but the loss of the team’s leader Jaelyn Withers ended up being a learning experience for Cleveland Heights.
For the Arcs, junior forward John Hugley paced the team with a team-high 25 points. Corey Floyd Jr added 12 points while Andre Harris rounded out the scoring with 11.
Up next for Brush, is a matchup with the No. 1 seed Mentor Cardinals. They will meet Saturday at Euclid High School to decide who goes to Cleveland State University for the regional semifinal on March 13.
