The Week That Was, Vol. 2
*insert pun about players/conference races/teams staying “hot” regardless of the Polar Vortex* As always, please send us your suggestions for next week on top games, performances, and plays via Twitter or email. Let’s get right to it on a Monday:…
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Continue Reading*insert pun about players/conference races/teams staying “hot” regardless of the Polar Vortex*
As always, please send us your suggestions for next week on top games, performances, and plays via Twitter or email.
Let’s get right to it on a Monday:
Prospect of the Week: Morgan Safford (2019), 6’4” W, Hartley
Hartley needed a bounce-back after an 0-2 weekend to end January. Enter Morgan Safford, their unsigned senior leader who can do a little of everything out on the court.
In their three wins — Grove City Christian, Columbus DeSales, Toledo Woodward — Safford scored 99 total points. The six most important came on Tuesday at DeSales — one 3-pointer to force overtime, another at the buzzer in extra time, per Zach Fleer of 270 Hoops.
Safford is in the upper echelon of Ohio’s uncommitted seniors, regardless of position. The versatile and powerful wing is an explosive finisher who can rebound with strength in traffic. He is now pairing driving ability with an ever-improving 3-point jumper. Safford thrives when pace picks up and can provide secondary ball-handling from the small forward position.
He likes to keep things pretty quiet about his recruitment — a principle that goes against the grain in 2019 — but we expect him to find a Division I home next season.
Next best: Matt Pearce (2019), 5’10” G, Centerville
It started Tuesday with 27 points and a buzzer-beater to close out Purcell Marian, the no. 1 team in our Division III Power Rankings. They followed it up with another “upset” over Springfield on Friday. Pearce, once again, led the way with 16 points. Then, hey, why not topple 12-5 Northland by 30 points on Saturday?
All in all, Centerville’s leading scorer tallied 59 points this week on 64 percent shooting and 68 percent on 3s. Pearce, an elite 5’10” shooter, has been one of Ohio’s top senior stock-risers.
Top Performances
Andre Gordon: Put up 42 points Monday against Wapakoneta and scored a win for Sidney. Broke the record for most all-time points for a Sidney Jacket, which was previously held by DeWayne McCluskey and dates back to 1988, according to Sidney Athletics’ official Twitter account.
Jacob Gudorf: The unsigned senior — who has become a priority for Division III and NAIA programs — nearly posted a quadruple-double in Brookville’s blow-out win over Covington. Here’s the Jason Kidd-esque stat sheet: 11 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals.
Max Martz: The Penn signee outscored Westland by himself, dropping a career-high 43 points in Upper Arlington’s 68-38 win.
Taevon Pierre-Louis: TPL was energized by an electric environment Saturday night at Lorain, as the Titans welcomed in Sonny Johnson’s Garfield Heights Bulldogs. The senior’s career night included 32 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
Top Plays
Shammah Scott: Scott drove hard left only to be cut-off by a quick defender. Upon picking up his dribble, Scott pump-faked, gathered himself, then swished a fall-away to put Shaker ahead of then-undefeated Mentor.
Here is a look at that go-ahead basket by Shammah Scott. pic.twitter.com/bYvmY6bbjS
— Matt Goul (@mgoul) January 30, 2019
Jaylen Robinson: The Northern State commit converted an impossible off-balanced layup in traffic after a spin move on Tuesday against Middletown.
Here’s Jaylen Robinson’s game-winning shot with 5.4 seconds left in Hamilton’s 48-47 win over Middletown @journalnews @daytonsports @gmcsports @HHSBigBlueAD @midtownmiddies @Ohiohshoops #cincyhoops pic.twitter.com/BPIv98THY7
— Rick Cassano (@rickcassano) January 30, 2019
Andre Gordon: The posterization speaks for itself!
Put me on ???? pic.twitter.com/1i4rLB39vq
— dre (@20dre) January 30, 2019
Morgan Safford: (See above.) His late-game 3-pointers on the road against Columbus DeSales are as magical as it gets.
Top Games
Click on the orange links to read the gamers from all of Ohio’s outstanding news sources. Publications cited this week: Dayton Daily News, Corey Albertson of Triple Double Prospects, Canton Repository, Cleveland.com, Chillicothe Gazette, NEO Sports Insiders, Toledo Blade, Columbus Dispatch, Akron Beacon Journal, News-Herald, SJJ Sports Radio, Lima News, The Morning Journal.
Tuesday –
: Tallice Landers paced Wayne with 17 points as they decisively defeated Fairmont, 58-38. The Wayne Warriors had dropped four of six coming in, meanwhile Fairmont rode a three-game win streak into town. Lowest point total for the Firebirds this season.
Wyoming at Deer Park: Wyoming outscored familiar foe Deer Park 16-7 in the fourth quarter to stay undefeated in the Cincinnati Hills League. Cowboys marquee trio of Evan Prater (20), Joey Edmonds (13), and Isaiah Walker (13) combined for 46 points.
Centerville at Purcell Marian: Centerville’s 3-0 week began with a Matt Pearce buzzer beater as the Elks defeated one of Ohio’s finest Division III teams. Ryan Marchal, a steady and poised senior point guard, paced Centerville with 13 points, four rebounds, and six assists.
Massillon Jackson at Copley: Copley’s front-line — led by Sam Emich’s 16 points and 10 rebounds — outrebounded Jackson 40-19 as they won a rematch of last season’s Regional Semifinal. Quietly, Copley is 12-3 and armed with talented guards and forwards like VannAubrey Thomas, DJ Jones, and Emich.
Lakewood at Olmsted Falls: Olmsted Falls avenged their Dec. 14 loss at Lakewood with a stingy defensive performance, ultimately winning 57-44. Unsigned senior Eric Hanna scored a team-high 13 points for the Bulldogs.
Shaker Heights at Mentor: Shammah Scott’s fall-away with 21 seconds remaining clinched an upset for the Raiders of Shaker, who made it eight-straight Tuesday night. Mentor had been undefeated coming into this matchup. Scott, a shot-making combo guard, poured in 22 points while Dakota Cochran added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Logan at Chillicothe: Logan came in as no. 10 in the Division I AP Poll but would fall victim to Jayvon Maughmer’s Cavs. The junior’s 20 points, six rebounds, and four blocks were enough to overcome Bo Myers’ 21 points on the other end.
Lutheran East at Cleveland Heights: Dynamic forward duo Nigel Martin and Jaelyn Withers scored 31 and 30 respectively as the Tigers toppled Lutheran East. The game would be called after a fourth quarter on-court dispute but Heights was rewarded with the 86-72 win.
Start at Toledo St. Francis: postponed (weather)
Wednesday –
Brush at St. Vincent-St. Mary: postponed (weather)
Worthington Christian at Johnstown-Monroe: postponed (weather)
Friday –
Toledo St. Francis at Whitmer: Whitmer’s bevy of seniors all but clinched the Three Rivers Athletic Conference with their win Friday night. Trey Syroka led the way with 24 points. Fellow senior Panther Eddie Colbert turned in a banner defensive performance against the conference’s second leading scorer Jackie Harris, limiting the Oakland commit to 10 points while Colbert went for 14 in the fourth quarter alone.
Reynoldsburg at Pickerington Central: Pick Central snapped Reynoldsburg’s seven-game winning streak, 56-50. Opposing unsigned seniors led the way with West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins in attendance. PC’s Javohn Garcia — who added offers from Toledo and James Madison last week — scored 25 and Reynoldsburg’s Ben Fort 17.
Taft at Aiken: Aiken took down Taft, the no. 1 team in Ohio’s Division II behind a combined 46 points from D’Arris Dean, Tremaine Smith, and Jakada Stone, who scored all but two of Aiken’s points. Hughes left Friday night with a one-game lead in the CMAC.
Lutheran East at St. Edward: Following a 77-66 win over an EJ Farmer-less Lutheran East, St. Edward stands at 11-5. The record is deceiving, though, as they haven’t lost to an OHSAA opponent since going to Brush on Dec. 18.
Jackson Center at Anna: Jackson Center pulled within one game of Anna in the Shelby Country Athletic League in a 51-47 win. First loss of the season for Anna.
Toledo Christian at Cardinal Stritch: Junior Joey Holifield eclipsed 1,000 points and senior Jordan Burton went crazy with 23 points, seven assists, and six rebounds as Cardinal Stritch avenged their lone conference loss of the season.
Hoban at Benedictine: A go-ahead Quan Easterling layup with seven seconds remaining in overtime secured Hoban’s 65-64 win. Athletic junior forward Dominick Moegerle scored 18 for Hoban. Bene senior Davin Zeigler missed a free throw with one second to play in overtime, which would’ve forced another period of play.
Lima Senior at Toledo St. John’s: Caleb Smith and Brady Lichtenberg contributed 16 points apiece as the Titans pulled off a huge win over state-ranked Lima. SJJ hasn’t allowed an opponent to score over 50 points since an OT win at Findlay on Jan. 18.
Centerville at Springfield: The Elks ended their 60-44 road win on a 16-0 run to hand Springfield their first conference loss. Matt Pearce scored a game-best 16 points, including four 3-pointers.
Saturday –
: Behind another balanced scoring effort, Mentor bounced back from their Tuesday loss with a 67-57 win over one of Cincinnati’s top Division I teams. Junior Luke Floriea led all scorers with 23 points.
: This game speaks to the upcoming unpredictability of the Division IV postseason on the western half of the state. One day after Jackson Center knocked off undefeated Anna, they lose 49-47 to Minster. Wildcats improved to 11-6 behind 17 points from Jarod Schulze.
Moeller at Chaminade Julienne: Moeller advanced to 18-0 in their narrowest victory of the season, 62-55. Sophomore stock-riser Alex Williams, a 6’4” power forward, scored 16 points and missed only one shot. Milton Gage of CJ poured in a game-high 26 points.
: Senior Taevon Pierre-Louis powered the Titans past Garfield Heights with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Looks to be a JUCO recruit, per Prep Hoops writer Mike Fitzpatrick, but TPL is one of the top unsigned seniors in Ohio.
Hicksville at Convoy Crestview: Coming in at 14-0 and no. 6 in the AP Division IV poll, maybe some thought Hicksville would give Crestview a run for their money. Nope. The Knights crushed Hicksville 60-35 as Kalen Etzler, Wade Sheets, and Javin Etzler combined for 48 points.