by Garfield Heights, OH- Day three of the NEO Youth Elite Christmas Classic started off with fireworks as Lutheran West was able to take down Maple Heights 60-59 following an impressive fourth quarter comeback.
The first quarter started off with the Longhorns and Mustangs exchanging turnovers. Then, a double dribble gave the ball back to the Mustangs who also couldn’t convert. However, both sides got things rolling shortly after as Tino Yli-Junnila scored a 2 for Lutheran West. For Maple Heights, Da’Van Aniton and Kalin Allen both sunk field goals. Then, the Longhorns began to click from beyond the arc as Junnila, Dylan Bartchak, Kendyll Compton all converted from downtown. Aniton and Kenyon Giles both posted 4 points in the opening frame to keep the Mustangs within range. Going into the second quarter, Lutheran West led 14-10.
Maple Heights came to play in the second quarter as they went on an 11-6 run led by Aniton who posted 6 points. That doesn’t tell the whole story as 4 of those points came from dunks. Shots weren’t able to fall for Lutheran West as they did in the first quarter and Maple Heights capitalized on this. King Young and Giles drilled a combined three triples. Going into the half, the Mustangs led 29-22. The Longhorn’s coaching staff echoed the importance of “settling down” when it came to the game at halftime.
The second half was a tale of two parts. In the beginning stages, Maple Heights was able to control the tempo of the game and turn defense into offense with relative ease. Aniton added 6 more points while Young added 8. Allen and Giles rounded out the 18 points the Mustangs amassed in the third quarter as they each posted 2 points. Lutheran West found themselves down by double digits a few times in the third quarter, but they battled to keep the game within reach. Jayson Levis and Matt Meyer each scored 6 points while Bartchak added a triple. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Longhorns had plenty of work to do down 47-37.
The second part of the second half’s tale was the fourth quarter which the Longhorns controlled. Lutheran West’s Coach Jordan Duke made the proper adjustments and had his team firing on all cylinders. The main issue down the stretch that the Longhorns faced was free throw shooting. Overall, they went 10 for 18 from the line on the night. However, 6 of the 8 misses came in the fourth quarter. Still, Lutheran West forced their way back into the contest with plenty of 2’s. This led to them only scoring one 3 in the second half. Grit and Grind ruled the offense of the Longhorns. For Maple Heights, they couldn’t break down Lutheran West’s 2-2-1 zone defense. This defensive switch forced bad shots from the Mustangs. This gave the Longhorn’s a 13-3 run to tie things up at 50-50 with 3:41 left to play. Fast forward to the final minute, the score was within 1 possession. Junnila gave Lutheran West the 58-57 lead with 30 seconds left to play. Maple Heights turned around and made a highlight reel three. However, a timeout was taken before the shot which ensured the lead stayed with Lutheran West. A simple inbound later and the Longhorns improved to 9-0 as they won 60-59.
The fans at Garfield Heights High School couldn’t have asked for a better opening game to the evening. Following the contest, Coach Duke said this wasn’t his team’s best basketball and that they need to improve. They’ll rest up for a few hours while shifting their focus to Hawken who they play at 3PM on December 30. Maple Heights has a few days off before they ring in the new year against Brush on January 2, 2024.
This was the first game of the evening, but what about the second game? To read about Garfield Heights vs Richmond Heights, click the link below the key players!
Maple Heights Key Players
#1 Kenyon Giles: 17 Points
#11 King Young: 14 Points
#23 Da’Van Aniton: 18 Points
Lutheran West Key Players
#0 Jayson Levis: 15 Points
#5 Matt Meyer: 14 Points
#21 Tino Yli-Junnila: 13 Points
Player of the Game: Jayson Levis Read about Garfield Heights vs Richmond Heights:
https://keeonsports.com/garfield-heights-escapes-past-richmond-heights-60-57/
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