43
Seitz sets McDonald scoring mark in win
By Ryan Buck
McDonald
McDonald basketball forward Matt Seitz’s scoring prowess and four-year march to the school’s career scoring record is perhaps a metaphor for the way he learned the game.
“My dad taught me how to shoot when I was four or five,” said Seitz, who spent his early childhood in Niles before moving to McDonald. “We played on this little hoop that I used to have that was there when I got there. He would lower it and then as I got older he kept raising it when I would shoot more.”
An uncountable number of shots later, Seitz, a three-year senior starter, broke Matthias Tayala’s three-year old school record in a 26-point effort to lead the Blue Devils past Hubbard, 66-59 on Saturday night.
Hubbard did not allow him to score easily as Seitz struggled to shake free from Eagles guard Isiah Scott. When Scott aggravated a football injury late in the first half, he had to leave the game and Seitz’s side.
“Obviously, it was huge,” said Hubbard coach Rick Fox. “He defends well on teams’ best players and he went out early with that shoulder.”
With 5:20 left in the third quarter and the Blue Devils ahead 35-26, Jake Reckard collected a loose ball and fired a pass from his backside to a wide-open Seitz on the right wing.
One point short of Tayala’s mark of 1,089, his jumper was good for three and an ode to the way he crafted a record-setting jumper.
“It’s always been a high rotation and a high release because I wasn’t really tall until I got to my seventh and eighth grade year,” said Seitz, who was unaware of his point total or a fan’s whiteboard that served as an unofficial countdown. “Until I hit that 3 and I heard the crowd go nuts, I figured I had it.”
The Blue Devils never intended to stop the game for any form of ceremony and the Eagles had no intention of stopping, either.
Seitz quickly picked up his third and fourth fouls as the third quarter ended and Hubbard went on a 12-2 run to pull to within two at 40-38.
Moments after Seitz finally returned with six minutes left in the game, Hubbard guard Cole Bencetic tied the game at 50 with 3-pointer.
“They kind of wore us down,” McDonald coach Jeff Rasile said of the Eagles’ comeback. “We play six, maybe seven guys. They’re playing 10 guys and they’ve got some athletes that are different from what we see in the ITCL.”
After baskets from Seitz and teammate Ken Greaver, another Bencetic jumper tied it again at 54 with 4:13 to play.
Greaver and Anthony Pugh alternated baskets on McDonald’s next three trips down the floor and the lead was back to five.
Bencetic, who scored a team-high 11, missed the second of two free throws with Hubbard behind 59-57, but rebounded the miss. His pass found Derek Kopanic open on the left wing, but the shot missed.
The Eagles converted seven of eight free throws in the closing minutes to seal it. Seitz’s final points on his memorable night came from the free-throw line.
“They stepped up and they made the shots when they had to,” Rasile said. “It extended the lead and put it out of range.”