The Streetsboro Rockets boys’ basketball team’s second time playing through the Metro Athletic Conference continues to go as well as it did the first time. The Rockets overpowered MAC foe Akron Springfield 69-16 last Friday evening at Streetsboro High School.
Not only did it keep the Rockets (12-2, 9-0) undefeated in conference play, it also marked the 200th career coaching victory for Coach Nick Marcini.
“Number one it means you are getting old,” noted the 21-year coach. “Number two you are thankful you are able to stay in this game as long as you have been able to and number three, you have been surrounded by a lot of great players and great coaches.”
According to Marcini, what makes his 200th coaching victory more special is that every victory has come while coaching only one team, a very rare feat in high school basketball. He becomes the ninth coach in Portage County history to notch 200 coaching victories.
“I grew up here,” Marcini said. “I went to high school here. That is special. The family is all here and I am thankful that everybody was able to be there and that is what it is about. The community is great. We have a great bunch of kids and a great group of parents and that is what makes it special.”
On Friday, the Rockets’ offense was humming as seven different players scored in the first quarter to push Streetsboro out to a 25-12 advantage. Streetsboro demonstrated great ball movement by burying three 3-point baskets.
“Guys were moving the ball, making the extra pass, we are knocking down shots, it is fun to watch that whenever everybody is getting involved,” said Marcini.
The Indians’ only source of offense came from senior post player Anthony Berger, who tallied eight points in the opening period including a pair of 3-point shots.
Despite a fast offensive start, Marcini acknowledged that he challenged his team to play better defense as surrendering double-digit points was not up to the team’s standards. The Rockets answered his challenge by shutting out Akron Springfield and winning the second period by a 30-0 margin.
Marcini said that while Streetsboro has enjoyed several double-digit victories this season, its large margin of victory is not simply because of a balanced offensive attack but rather a stout defense, which has surrendered 45 or fewer points in 12 games.
“The defense has been our calling card really since this senior group has taken over as sophomores, they really work so hard at it,” he added. “I think the last time I checked our RPI rankings, we were third in our region in points given up. We always tell the guys you are going to make shots or miss shots, but defense always travels.”
Holding a 55-12 lead at the half, the Rockets triggered the running clock in the second half by increasing their lead to greater than 35 points and their defense continued to impress, surrendering only four points in the second half en route to their ninth straight conference victory.
Since last season, the Rockets now own a 14-game winning streak in the MAC, with their last conference loss coming against defending league champion Norton.
With five league games remaining, Streetsboro holds a two-game lead on first place ahead of Woodridge. The Rockets continue to inch closer to their second conference banner since joining the Metro Athletic Conference for the 2020-21 season.
“They are very confident right now,” Marcini said. “They expect to win, and it has been nice. We are just taking it one game at a time and don’t want to look ahead to anything.”
While enjoying a dominant season, Marcini noted the depth of the program and credited the senior leadership of the team, with six seniors having received valuable minutes since their sophomore season.
“We have six guys that have all come up through the youth program and they have all been playing together since the third or fourth grade and that is a rarity nowadays where you have kids that have been here and gone through the entire program and even our juniors have started mixing it up,” Marcini said. “These guys have all been around and it is fun, and it validates what you are doing, and you appreciate it as a coach and your program and it is awesome.”
The Rockets will return to the court when they travel to face Woodridge in Peninsula on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m.
