Saturday, March 14, 2015
By Greg Gulas
ORWELL
When the Warren JFK boys basketball team played host to Cornerstone Christian on Jan. 29, the Eagles were able to win each quarter battle but had to hold on for a six-point victory.
In Friday’s Division IV district final at Grand Valley High School, a stingy Eagles’ defense made sure that their rematch with the Patriots wouldn’t go down to the wire.
Zack Usher had a game-high 21 points and top seed Warren JFK used a 28-3 run in the first half to open a 23-point advantage as the Eagles stopped the Patriots, 53-40 to capture the Orwell district crown.
It is the Eagles’ first district title since 2009. They advance to regional play Tuesday at the Canton Fieldhouse and will meet last year’s state runner-up, St. Thomas Aquinas. The Knights (21-4) captured the Struthers district, eliminating McDonald 72-53 in a rematch of last year’s district championship.
“When we played them earlier in the year, they struggled with our 2-3 zone,” Warren JFK coach John Richards said. “We knew that if we could stop their penetration and keep the ball in front of us then we would have a chance to win.
“Credit them though, because they just kept attacking the entire game,” Richards said.
With the Patriots (18-8) nursing a 7-5 lead three minutes into the game, Usher’s 12 points keyed the 28-3 run as the Eagles built a 33-10 margin with 3:43 remaining in the second frame.
The Eagles defense held the Patriots scoreless for exactly six minutes during that run. At one point, Usher, who produced 17 of his 21 points in the opening half, out-scored the entire Cornerstone Christian team, 17-5.
“Our coaches made sure we knew who their shooters were and everyone just stepped up their defense,” Usher said. “The goal was to pack it in, take charges and keep them out of the paint.
“We didn’t want to give up any easy buckets,” Usher said. “A.J. [Grant] can throw them down as well and we feed off of his energy. Plus, my teammates found me and got me the ball all night.”
Richards said Usher is a big part of what they do, adding that a tough North Coast Conference schedule helped to prepare the Eagles for tournament play.
“Zach has the size and is very instrumental in what we do,” Richards said. “We stress inside-out and we’re so much better when we are active.
“With five of six teams in our conference playing for a district title tonight, you saw the fruits of our labor and the strength of our conference.”
The Eagles led 37-16 at intermission, but the Patriots cut JFK’s lead to 43-30 at the 2:34 mark of the third period.
Buckets by Grant and Usher extended the margin to 47-30 with one period remaining.
Cornerstone Christian then out-scored the Eagles, 10-6 in the final frame but saw their season and modest three-game win streak come to an end.
The Patriots canned just 10 of 52 shots from the field and were just 4 of 26 from beyond the arc.
The Eagles were 21 of 42 from the field and 3 of 7 from three-point range.
JFK held a 38-27 rebound advantage with Grant and James Burney hauling in a game-high 11 caroms.