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McDonald’s record streak ends at 63
By Joe Scalzo
mcDonald
Last year’s head coach was gone, last year’s starting lineup was watching in street clothes and when McDonald High boys basketball coach Brian Higgens talked about the team’s 63-game regular season winning streak, he sounded like a man describing someone else’s team, even though he sat next to Jeff Rasile for every one of those wins.
“As a program, we were proud of it and some of us were around for it, but in terms of having a direct influence, it wasn’t our streak,” said Higgens, who was promoted in the offseason after Rasile resigned. “It was Coach Rasile’s and the kids that graduated.
“I didn’t think it was fair to give these kids credit for it and I didn’t think it was fair to give them pressure for it.”
So, when the Blue Devils opened up Friday’s regular season against Girard with a chance to break Liberty’s 21-year-old Trumbull County record — the record the Blue Devils tied in last year’s regular season finale — Higgens told his team to focus on Game 1, not Game 64.
“To us,” he said, “the streak was already over.”
Early in the fourth quarter, just about everyone in the gym would have agreed.
Thanks to their physical defense and some sharp shooting by sophomore Evan Standohar, the Indians took a 51-36 lead with 6:27 left in the fourth and appeared headed for an easy win.
Then McDonald racheted up its defensive pressure with a full-court trap and turned back the clock to the past three years, pressuring the Indians into eight turnovers over their next 11 possessions. When Matt Seitz made a putback layup with 50 seconds left to cut the deficit to two, 57-55, you couldn’t help thinking, “Well ... maybe.”
“It’s a game of streaks,” said Girard coach Nolan Cubellis. “And their crowd was into it.”
McDonald was forced to foul with 30.6 left and Standohar’s first free throw bounced on the front of the rim and in. His second attempt was too long, ricocheting long off the back of the rim and into the hands of Girard senior Jabril Brown, who found freshman guard Craig Randall. Randall then made both free throws with 25 seconds left to end the suspense.
“We were fortunate enough to have enough of a cushion to keep the lead,” said Cubellis. “We’re fairly young and we’re learning how to win.”
When the game finished, Standohar — who had been as emotionally charged as anyone during the game — took a moment to kneel down and pray.
“God has just blessed me with so many things,” he said. “A great coaching staff and a great family and I’m just so happy to be a part of this team.
“We beat their streak and we’re going to build off that and go after our own now.”
Junior Stephen Politano, one of just two returning lettermen, led the Blue Devils with 23 points.
“I knew we probably weren’t the favorites coming in and the one thing I was hoping for was that we would compete,” said Higgens. “We had some jitters early but once we got going, we showed some heart.
“Hopefully that will carry us into the rest of the season.”