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IRISH ON TOP
By Greg Gulas
YOUNGSTOWN
From 1965-69, John McElroy led coach Dom Rosselli’s Penguins basketball squad in almost every offensive category.
His nephew, Desmond, a sophomore for Coach Keith Gunther’s Ursuline High boys basketball team, is doing his best to make sure that the McElroy name remains alive in a North Side gymnasium.
McElroy scored 21 points, including a triple with time running out in the first half to help pace the Fighting Irish over arch-rival Cardinal Mooney, 58-51, Friday at the Ursuline gymnasium.
“The biggest thing that I learned from my uncle is that you need to stay confident; both on and off the court,” McElroy said. “It’s all in your head, he told me.
“I’ve always heard what an excellent player he was and that makes me very proud,” he said.
“On the other hand, the coaching staff is always telling me when I am on the court that I need to take charge and remain in control,” McElroy said.
“Cardinal Mooney wasn’t going to let up and they just kept coming at us,” McElroy said. “With just two seniors on our team, we’re young but getting better each and every time out.”
Coming into their game with Ursuline (2-1), the Cardinals (0-4) had lost their three previous contests by a total of 11 points with Doug Caputo leading the team in scoring all three times out.
He was everything advertised Friday night as he scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the opening frame to stake the Cardinals to the early 16-12 advantage.
McElroy’s 11 points and eight more by Jalen Lowe in the second stanza then ignited a 20-6 Fighting Irish run that enabled Ursuline to build a 35-26 lead at the intermission.
“We’re still forcing the ball and making some silly mistakes, but this was a big win for us this early in the season,” Gunther said.
“With a guy like Jalen [Lowe] in the middle; someone who can clog up the lane and alter shots, he can make a huge difference in the outcome of a game,” Gunther said. “By mid-January, this team really can become a pretty good club.”
The Cardinals, like in their previous three outings, refused to go away or quit as they outscored Ursuline after the break, 11-9 to pull to within 44-37 with one period remaining.
“A bucket by George Brandenstein at the 3:11 mark helped pull the Cardinals to within 46-43, but a 9-3 run, including three buckets by Jeremy Roscoe, gave the Fighting Irish a 55-46 lead and they never looked back.
“We’re still searching for that right combination on the floor and struggling offensively. Until we can capitalize on what other team’s give us, we’re going to struggle,” Mooney coach Chris Kohl said. “We’ll keep working hard in practice in order to correct those shortcomings, and the one thing about this team is that no one will outwork them.
“Give Ursuline credit because they did what they had to do tonight in order to win,” Kohl said. “We did get some nice performances off the bench from both Mark Handel and Anthony Filo.
“And when it is all said and done, Doug [Caputo] will be one very special player at Cardinal Mooney,” Kohl said.
Ursuline held a 30-21 rebound advantage with Caputo hauling in a game-high nine caroms, narrowly missing a double-double on the night.
Both teams struggled at the free throw line as the Cardinals canned just 6-of-13 attempts while Ursuline could manage just 9-of-16 from the charity stripe.