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Mentor too much for WGH
By Jim Flick
WARREN
Thanks to their accurate long-range shooting and nimble ball-handling, the Mentor High boys basketball team defeated Warren Harding Saturday, 75-66.
Mentor (12-3, 4-1 Lake Erie League) sank 11 3-point shots.
Harding (10-3, 3-2 Lake Erie League) failed to make a 3-pointer on the night.
While holding a commanding lead late in the game, Mentor ran a series of stalls that took as much as a minute off the clock, frustrating the Raiders’ offense.
Harding was led in scoring by senior Craig McFerrin, who had 25 points while playing tough in the lane.
Senior Tre’ Brown tallied 17 points for the Raiders, while junior Shaheed Davis contributed eight points.
The game’s leading scorer was Mentor senior Cole Krizancic, who poured in 33 points, including five 3-pointers.
Two other Cardinals scored in double figured. Justin Fritts, a junior, counted two 3-pointers among his 15 points, while sophomore Jeff Foreman contributed 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Tough play under the boards by Harding gave them an early lead.
The Raiders led by six points (14-8) after Tre’ Brown sank a field goal.
Brown boosted the lead to six points again a few minutes later when he scored again to give Harding a 16-10 lead.
But that lead nearly disappeared by the end of the first quarter.
Mentor’s Colin Barth sank a 3-pointer as the clock ran down to end the first quarter, reducing the Raiders’ advantage to 16-15.
Harding started fast in the second quarter, scoring six unanswered points.
The Raiders led 22-15 after McFerrin powered home a layup.
But Mentor countered quickly, scoring 12 straight points while holding Harding scoreless.
After Mentor’s Foreman sank a 3-point shot, Mentor led 27-22.
Harding closed the gap a bit, and trailed only 34-30 at halftime.
But in the second half, the Cardinals’ accurate shooting continued.
Mentor out scored Harding 24-15 in the third quarter, taking a 58-45 lead.
The sharp-shooting Krizancic scored 11 points in the third quarter to pace Mentor attack.
The Cardinals’ precision field-goal shooting continued in the fourth quarter, as they out scored the Raiders 21-17.
Leading by a 63-51 margin, Mentor ran a series of stalls, passing the ball around the court and running time off the clock.