NEO Season tips off with West Side classic; intriguing matchups at Great Lakes Classic
The prep season tips off on Dec. 1 and there are some intriguing matchups to open the season.
A good one features the Battle of Lakewood as St. Edward will travel a few blocks to take on Lakewood High on Dec. 1.
Lakewood will be opening its new gym after a long rebuilding project and features 6’8” senior Jacob Sala and some talented role players and should test St. Edward.
The Eagles feature three of the top ten sophomores in the state, led by guard Grant Huffman.
Across town in Cleveland Heights, the recently renovate Heights High at the corner of Cedar and Lee roads will be the site of the Great Lakes Classic Basketball Tournament. The three-day hoops smorgasbord features 15 games tipping off Friday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. when Orange plays Richmond Heights. The tournament will serve as the opening of high school’s new gym, which was built as part of a major renovation of the Eastside high school. Friday’s games conclude with Maple Heights vs. Medina. Maple Heights features one of the top guards in the top guards in northeast Ohio in Alonfse Hale (2018).
Saturday’s schedule features six games, the first — Kenston v. Rhodes — tipping off at 11 a.m. Holy Name and its outstanding guard Dwayne Cohill, who is headed to the University of Dayton, takes on East Tech at 12:45 p.m. followed by St. Ignatius vs. John Hay (2:30 p.m.); Garfield Heights vs. JFK (4:15 p.m.); Shaker Heights vs. Warrensville (6 p.m.) and Cleveland Heights vs. Cornerstone Christian at 7:45 p.m.
Six more games fill up the Dec. 2 schedule. It starts against at 11 a.m. with Kenston vs. New Day Academy followed by Lutheran East and Beachwood (12:45 p.m.); Euclid vs. Shaw at (2:30 p.m.); Cleveland Central Catholic vs. Cornerstone Christian (4:15 p.m.) Brush vs. Glenville (6 p.m.) and Cleveland Heights vs. GTA Prep Academy Canada at 7:45 p.m.
The Euclid vs. Shaw game should be an entertaining contest. Euclid features Garvin Clarke (2020) a 6’0’ point guard who has shown to be the top player in his class in the area if not the state in the early stages of his prep career.