The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Brush makes it a WRC trifecta
Arcs win third straight conference title
In the final seconds of the showdown between Western Reserve Conference front-runners Brush and visiting South on Feb. 15, Brush junior Ja’len Dial stole a Rebel pass and tossed up into the air in the vicinity of the basket.
Senior Andree Franks leaped, caught the ball, and slammed it though the hoop to put an exclamation point on a 75-57 Brush victory that gave the Arcs their third straight league title.
“It’s hard to win a championship at any level, so I tell the guys that these are memories,” Brush coach Chet Mason said. “We’re the first team in the history of this conference — and for this school — to win three straight titles. We’ll take it.”
Brush (18-2, 13-0 WRC) still has one league game remaining, as Madison will pay a visit to Welser Gymnasium on Feb.19.
But the win over South clinched an outright WRC title regardless of the result of that game. Mason thought his team’s experience was the key factor.
“It’s just a big statement to finish off my senior year,” Andre Harris said. “I love everybody on my team, and it’s good to finish off our season like this. We did whatever it took to win.
“We were not going to lose any conference games. We’ve worked too hard for that.
Senior Andre Harris had a monster game for the Arcs, scoring 35 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and adding a pair of assists and a pair of steals. Senior point guard D.J. Dial, whose steady hand has guided the Brush offense for four seasons, chipped in 16 points. John Hugley pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Arcs’ full-court pressure defense and control of the boards (32-21), along with a 15-point burst by Harris in the second quarter, helped them overcome an early deficit and take the lead for good before halftime.
Brush took a 33-27 lead into the half, and extended it to 53-39 going into the fourth quarter.
Harris, a Wright State commit, scored 10 points, including a vicious dunk, during a 13-2 Brush run in the second quarter that procured a 29-24 lead. Harris would add two more dunks, go 3-for-3 on three-point shots, and convert 8 of 10 from the foul line.
“When a team is playing zone against you, you can out-rebound them, because it’s harder for them to block out,” Mason said. “I told our guys to attack the boards.”
South (16-5, 12-2 WRC) had a chance to clinch a share of the WRC title if it had won, and had the type of start it was hoping for in the first quarter.
The Rebels took a 16-10 first-quarter lead behind a zone defense that was effective early, and some defense plays that led to points. Ultimately, South couldn’t come up with enough offense to sustain its early momentum.
“Our kids fought to the end, but we didn’t shoot as well as we needed to, and I thought they were really good defensively,” said South coach Doug Barber.