by This content is brought to you by our first ever Strongsville sponsor
Nurse Practitioner Health Services in Strongsville. – http://nphealthservices.com
Do you want the comfort and security of knowing your loved one is going to be well taken care of in their most pivotal moments of retirement? At Nurse Practitioner Health Services, they provide prompt, outstanding medical services to long term care and assisted living facilities in Northeastern Ohio. NPHS has an established and proven track record, improving the quality of life for their patients, as well as supporting families, collaborating with physicians, and long-term care facilities. This serves to raise the standard for long term care, providing patients with outstanding treatment options while simultaneously reducing overall costs.
Strongsville, OH- For the third straight season, Strongsville defeats Holy Name. However, this time was different as the Mustangs had to use 4 extra minutes to get the win 87-82.
The first quarter started off with the Green Wave jumping out to a quick 10-4 lead. This outburst was led by Max Bollin as he began the game hot with 8 points. Drew Styers opened up his scoring modestly with 3 points, but he had a show still in store for the fans down the stretch. To round out the first quarter scoring for the Namers was Joe Lewis with 4. While he averages around 2 ppg, Lewis can always make an impact cleaning the glass as he did tonight. Speaking of cleaning the glass, Cal Klinzing was tasked with doing so for the Mustangs and did so skillfully. While only having 1 point in the first quarter, his impact was more defensive or even off the ball. However, the main story of this first quarter was Josh Byers. He came into this game averaging 22.9 ppg and he showed why as he posted 15 points in the opening frame including a buzzer beater to give Strongsville a 22-15 advantage heading into the second.
Turnovers remained the name of the game for Holy Name as they would struggle out of the gate. In this quarter, the Mustangs jumped on a 7-0 run to give themselves a 29-15 lead. However, the response was loud for the Green and White as they converted on five 3’s this frame. Two of these triples came from Aaron Riley who once again was a spark plug for HN’s offense. For Strongsville, it was the emergence of Brayden Wypasek that provided the extra boost the offense needed to continue their efforts. While he posted 2 points in the first, he added 7 this quarter to give himself 9 points heading into the break. After one final heave-ho, the Mustangs took their 42-36 lead into halftime.
While Holy Name kept getting within 4 points of Strongsville, it was the resolve of the Mustangs that stole the show in the third quarter. After a loud first half, Byers cooled down and posted 4 points in the third. The stage turned over to Nick Quirino as he knocked down two triples. For the Green Wave, Bollin and Styers had 7 each. Outside of these two juniors, Lewis had 2 points and Humenik posted a triple to round out the third quarter as the Mustangs took their 61-55 lead into the fourth.
Holy Name completed the comeback in the fourth quarter as Styers took over the game with 14 points this frame. The two most important points came in the final seconds of regulation as he knocked down two big free throws. With the Green Wave up 74-71, Strongsville moved the ball up the court with purpose. Even though they had a timeout, Coach Sapara opted to trust his team. This single decision led to overtime as Josh Byers knocked down a corner 3 to tie things up at 74. To make this moment even more special, his older brother Ryan Byers provided him with the assist. The Mustangs came out of the small break firing to jump out to an early lead in overtime. Styers drilled a 3 as time expired to take his tally up to 35 points. This tally was good enough for a career high, but not enough to seal the victory as the home team won 87-82.
Both teams have one regular-season contest left. Holy Name travels to Medina County to take on Buckeye while the Mustangs welcome Cleveland Heights to town, both on Friday night. This game was out of conference and after the tournament draw, meaning it had no implications for the playoffs. However, the players played like this was a playoff game. This goes to show how Coach Patton and Coach Sapara have taught these guys to play each game like it’s their last. Two class acts coaching two elite programs. What’s not to love?
Holy Name Key Players
#3 Drew Styers: 35 Points (Career High)
#4 Max Bollin: 21 Points
#10 Joe Lewis: 8 Points
Strongsville Key Players
#3 Josh Byers: 33 Points
#4 Brayden Wypasek: 16 Points
#13 Nick Quirino: 24 Points
Player of the Game: Josh Byers
