by CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio– Returning home after playing in a holiday tournament in Florida, Medina head coach Chris Hassinger wanted to see his team compete and play fast
His team went out and executed just that, defeating Walsh Jesuit 53-42 Wednesday night.
“When we went to Florida, we figured out things that we’re going to be able to take away from moving forward and if most of our guys accomplish their goals in each game, we’re going to be pretty good,” Hassinger explained. “Sometimes we try to overthink their game and kids try to make spectacular plays; just do your job and that’s what our guys did in the second half.”
Both teams played at a high pace throughout the game, but turnovers and lost offensive possessions made it a back-and-forth game all night. The Bees controlled the pace of play throughout the first half, getting the upper hand at second-chance points that started to separate themselves a little bit.
The Bees took a 10-8 lead after the first quarter, with eight of their points coming from Brock Beech. The second quarter was all senior forward Connor Smith. He ended the first half scoring nine points himself. With the Warriors a little too worried about Beech’s outside presence, that’s when Smith was able to get going for his team and with that, they took a 23-18 lead at halftime.
The Bees’ lead got as high as eight points, but a Tyler Bell buzzer-beater 3-pointer to close out the first half made it a five-point game at the break.
“This was a much slower tempo game,” Hassinger said regarding the competition his team faced in Florida. “Possessions count and we have not been in one of these yet. I knew it was coming…to hold them to 18 points in the first half, I’m pretty excited about that.”
Oh my, Tyler Bell beats the buzzer for @WalshJesuitMBB.
HALFTIME: Medina 23, Walsh Jesuit 18. @SportsKee1 @medinaathletics pic.twitter.com/fSMkO7AcXD— Michael Trivisonno (@MichaelTriv_) January 4, 2024
Players like JT Mog and Jase Holland started to make noise for the Bees in the second half. The Bees opened up the third quarter on a 17-9 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Mog sunk back-to-back 3-pointers, sparking a lead where the Bees were able to stay ahead by double digits for the remainder of the quarter.
“I think I just started off slow, I was a little nervous,” Holland said. “But then my teammates started helping me get up, getting me good passes and I started playing well too.”
Holland ended the night with nine points for the Bees. Beech finished with a game-high 19 points to pace the offense along with nine points from Connor Smith as well.
For the Warriors, Sean Spicer finished with a team-high 14 points, including knocking down three 3-pointers during the loss. Joe Sitarz rounded out the scoring with 10 points.
