by Chagrin Falls, Ohio- Brush head coach Chet Mason described his team coming out sleepwalking during the first half. With the Arcs holding an eight-point lead at halftime, he rallied his team up and the players responded with a more physical approach.
That allowed the Arcs to open up the game, eventually defeating the Bombers 89-73. Mason reiterated that he wants his players to be more active and aggressive on the defensiv side of the ball with tournament time almost here.
“Our defense has been really good this year and that has to stay the same,” he said. “We have to continue to apply the defensive pressure and our staple is our defense.”
For the Arcs, Pitt commit John Hugley led the way with a game-high 26 points and six rebounds during the win. Sophomore guard Elmore James added 20 points with freshman Marlon Barnes rounding out the scoring with 10 points.
Brush was able to get out to a swift 12-3 start in the first four minutes of the game, but from there, Kenston didn’t back down. The Bombers ended the final three minutes of the opening quarter on a 14-3 run to tie the game at 17 apiece.
Kenston sophomore guard Andy Kooser led his team into halftime trailing just 37-29, pouring in a team-high 10 points while limiting Hugley inside the paint for the majority of the first half. The Arcs were able to hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter as the zone defense from Kenston had the Arcs trusting their outside shots early.
The second half run started right off the opening buzzer, with the Arcs able to go on an 11-2 run to start the first three minutes of the second half. Turnovers and rushed shots were the themes to Kenston’s second half, as the Brush full-court press limited Kenston to many offensive sets in the third quarter. Brush headed into the fourth quarter with a comfortable 64-42 lead.
Kenston showed a fight in the fourth quarter. They started the first minute of the quarter on a 9-2 run to get within 14 points. That was the closest they’d get to any shot of a comeback. Just a few minutes later, Hugley added a breakaway dunk to get the Arcs back to a 20-point lead, ultimately sealing the win for Brush.
@thejohnhugley gets brushed with some contact but doesn’t stop him from finishing the dunk to put the Arcs up 74-54 with5:34 left in the game. pic.twitter.com/0CIVpkzkwv
— Michael Trivisonno (@Mike_Triv) February 12, 2020
For the Bombers, senior Allan Wood led the way with a team-high 15 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Kyle Quinlan, Donny Maynard and Rourke McGrath rounded out the team scoring with 11, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
With just over a week left of regular season play, Mason is getting his team prepared by trying to implement an up-tempo style within the offense. That’s something that’s taking time to develop, but he’s confident his team can turn it on at the right time.
“Our norm is locking up on defense,” Mason said. “Now we’re telling them to switch it and push the tempo on offense. Us playing up-tempo basketball we didn’t really do, so we’re working on that.”
