Crestview cruises to 91-71 triumph

Jerry Einseidel and Tony Amabile were keys in the victory over Lowellville.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
LOWELLVILLE -- The Crestview boys basketball team wears a T-shirt that states in the middle of a basketball logo: In Memory of Coach Dick Grim, "We Shoot for You!"
Grim, the longtime shooting coach for both the Rebel boys and girls basketball programs, passed away in September of a heart attack at the age of 73.
His presence, however, was definitely felt Friday night by the Rebels as they scored 58 first-half points, then coasted to a 91-71 victory over Lowellville in a non-league game.
Jerry Einseidel scored 24 of his game- and career-high 30 points in the first half, and Tony Amabile added 23 points for the Rebels (4-1), who won their fourth straight after a two-point opening loss to Western Reserve.
"This was for Coach Grim. He taught me the proper rotation of the ball when you shoot, and I'm a much better player because of that," Einseidel said.
Team effort
"This was a great overall team effort by us tonight. My teammates got me the ball, and I just felt right with my release tonight."
Rebels coach Rick Gates felt their play in the first half set the tone for the game.
"We had great guard play in the first half, and we were able to work both our inside and outside games at different parts throughout the contest," Gates said. "Coach Grim was my father's best friend, and when I took over the program, he joined me on the staff. What a presence he was over the years.
"He ended up helping both our boys and girls basketball programs. Confined to a wheelchair for most of his life, he was an excellent coach and an even better person. He is definitely missed by both of our squads."
The Rebels canned six of their 10 3-pointers in the first period with Amabile and Einseidel canning 12 and eight points respectively as Crestview raced to a 30-22 lead.
Einseidel then hit four of his five buckets from beyond the arc in the second period, scoring 16 points in the quarter, as the Rebels built a 58-37 margin at intermission.
Opponent impressed
"I watched Crestview twice this season, first against Western Reserve and second against Beaver Local. We won't see three guards like Amabile, Einseidel and [Jordan] Reynolds the remainder of the season," Lowellville head coach Mike Mangine said.
"They combined for 60 of their 91 points tonight and deservedly so. As a staff, we've told our team that if we can score in the 60s and 70s, then we have a great shot at winning the game. Tonight, that was not the case.
"They are a very good team, a well-coached team. This just wasn't our night."
Jim Sudon and Rocky Nolfi each scored seven points in the third quarter as Lowellville (3-2) outscored the Rebels 21-14 to cut the Crestview lead to 72-58.
Seven points by Amabile and six more by Einseidel allowed the Rebels to outscore the Rockets by a 19-13 count in the final quarter to secure their 20-point victory.
Crestview was 32-of-55 from the field (58 percent), while the Rockets made just 28-of-71 attempts (39.4 percent).
Each team canned 10 buckets from beyond the arc, while Crestview was 17-of-24 from the free throw line.