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Second-half run dooms East’s bid against Ellet
By DAN HINER
AKRON
An 8-0 run was the difference in the East boys basketball team’s 83-68 loss to Akron Ellet on Saturday night. It wasn’t in the final minutes of the game, or in the fourth quarter.
It was in the opening minutes of the second half.
East (12-12) trailed 36-35 at the start of the third quarter. But three-straight missed assignments on defense turned out to be the difference in the game.
“More than anything, if we’re down by one coming out of halftime, we blow assignments three times back-to-back-to-back. They’re a number one seed,” East head coach Dennis Simmons said.
“You have to do your job. You have to take it and run away with it.”
Ellet came into the game as a number one seed in the Division I tournament. East was a six seed, and Simmons said you can’t make mistakes if you want to knock off a top team.
Every time the Panthers fought their way back in the game the Orangemen responded. The Panthers frequently cut the lead down to a couple possessions, but miscues on defense and the Orangemen’s offense kept East on their heels.
Eventually East cut the lead down but the Orangemen put the nail in the coffin in the final two minutes. Ellet outscored the Panthers 12-3 in the final 1:40.
Ellet forward A.J. Gerari scored a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. Jaret Jones was second on the team with 22 points.
East’s De’amonte Pagan scored a team-high 14 points. Calvaughn Bryant was second on the team with 13 points. Ce’andre Backus also had 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.
While reflecting on his career, Backus said he should have taken summer practices more seriously during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He said the senior class wanted the underclassmen to understand they will need to work hard to be successful next season.
“I think we set an example for the future,” Backus said. “We showed the underclassmen how to work hard and give it your all. Every time, never quit and just leave it on the floor every time.”
Backus said he was happy with the way he performed in his last game of his career. He said he would have rather had the win, but was happy he gave it all he had in his last game.
“At that point you just gotta suck everything in,” Backus said. “You just have to put you head down and keep fighting. Tonight, that didn’t happen but that’s what you gotta do.”
Simmons said things didn’t go their way on Saturday night. Simmons said free throw shooting, missed layups and defensive positioning caught up to the Panthers.
Backus said some calls didn’t go the Panthers’ way but added the team needed to take advantage of opportunities.
Despite the loss, Simmons said he’s still proud of the way his team performed and the growth the players made throughout the season.
“I have a great group of guys,” Simmons said. “They set a precedent for the younger guys, and we can continue to play like that next year.”