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Cleveland Heights, Ohio – Strongsville caught fire in the fourth quarter on the way to a 66-56 win over University School in Game #2 of the ELB Invitational Saturday afternoon.
Strongsville led 13-12 after the first period, as four different players scored for the Mustangs. The teams traded the lead back and forth in the second quarter.
University School led by as much as 19-15 before Strongsville went on a 7-0 run. Nolan Beard started the run for the Mustangs with a layup on the inside. Nicholas Quirino follwed with a steal and a transition layup to tie it up. After another steal, Nolan Beard got an offensive board and laid it in. He converted the and-one (after drawing a foul), and Strongsville led 22-19.
University School responded, taking the lead, 26-24, after a Justin Belcher steal and layup. However, Strongsville got a pair of late buckets to take a 28-26 lead going into the half.
It was a defensive battle in the third quarter, as neither team could get a lot going on offense. Nevertheless, Strongsville led 39-37 at the end of the quarter, thanks to a Justin Wypasek triple.
In the fourth, the Mustangs would get hot thanks to the contributions of Braden Wypasek and Ryan Byers, who had seven and six points in the final stanza, respectively. They only had three triples on the game, and got a pair of them in key situations to pull away. The defense also turned it up, forcing multiple turnovers along the way.
Strongsville (7-6) travels to Akron East next Wednesday evening for a non-conference contest. They were led by senior guard Justin Wypasek, who had 18 points on the day (nine in each half). Junior guard Ryan Byers had 14 points, and fellow classmate Nicholas Quirino had 13.
University School (9-4) faces Trinity Sunday evening in the nightcap of the Berkshire Hoopfest. The Preppers were led by junior guard Justin Belcher had 28 points. Senior forward Ethan Nowak had 17. The Preppers went 21 of 22 from the charity stripe.
Extended highlights here:
