Over the course of the Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball team’s five-game losing streak, Coach Matt Hill said that the team had shown flashes but needed to put together a complete game. They finally did so when they triumphed 60-58 against Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier foe Liberty last Friday evening in Youngstown.
“We needed a win any way we could get it. I told the kids after the game that Friday night was far from perfect, and we have a lot we need to get better at, but a win is a win and we had to get a win any way we could, and we were glad to get out of there with a win,” noted the first-year coach.
After a 4-2 start to the season, the G-Men (5-7, 3-5) and suffering through a five-game slide, with their last victory coming against Cardinal in a non-conference duel on Dec. 27, they had been winless since the New Year began, with four of their five losses being against MVAC Grey Tier rivals.
“I just keep talking to the kids about how we have to play a complete game and play four quarters and that consistency is something that we are continually striving for and hopefully we can,” Hill said. “Trying to find that consistency and playing four quarters was the theme through that skid and now that we are into the second half of the year, we can do that.”
On Friday, Garfield was deadlocked in a back-and-forth affair with its league rivals, with the score tied at 58-58 entering the final minute of regulation. Hill said that throughout the game, no team built a lead greater than a handful of points.
Junior guard Devin Bates, who had been attacking the basket all game but had not made the most out of his drives as he shot just two-of-10 from the free throw line, did not leave it up to free throws again as he successfully drove into the paint to score the go-ahead shot, pushing Garfield ahead 60-58.
“He attacked the basket all night, so it was nice to see one get in there and he was able to get by his man and put one in and he is always aggressive in attacking the basket,” Hill added.
Liberty had the final possession with 17.9 seconds left, but the G-Men’s defense prevailed, as Hill noted they successfully foiled a set play by poking the ball away, sending it into the backcourt where they gained possession after a mad dash to bleed the clock out and snap their five-game losing streak.
“They tried to run through something, and we ended up getting a batted ball that went the other way,” Hill added. “It was kind of a mad chase for the ball, and we ended up grabbing possession, dribbling out the last 2 or 3 seconds right on the other end but it came down to the last possession.”
While the G-Men finally scored a victory, they also received a boost with the return of junior guard Colin McGranahan, who had missed the first half of the season after breaking his collarbone in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V Region 17 football semifinal against Cardinal Mooney on Nov. 14.
According to Hill, returning McGranahan to action was something that the team was eagerly anticipating, especially since he was one of the most experienced players on the roster this season.
The 5-foot-10 junior guard excelled in his first game back, scoring 19 points, including 13 points in the second half while knocking down four 3-point shots in the game.
“After not having played all season is a testament to him and he is just a competitor and he is nowhere near being in great shape,” Hill said. “I didn’t plan on playing him as much as I did but once he was out there and playing well, I was not taking him off of the floor.”
In the second half, McGranahan and sophomore guard Parker Gill kept the team afloat, being the only two players to make field goals in the half up until the 6-foot Bates’ game-winning drive to the basket in the fourth period.
The G-Men’s duo combined to score 25 of Garfield’s 34 points in the second half, as seven points came from the free throw line and Bates contributed the final two points on the most important field goal of the game.
Following a home duel against MVAC Grey Tier rival Newton Falls on Tuesday night and a road game against league foe Crestview on Thursday evening, Garfield will host league rival Brookfield at the JAG Fieldhouse on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.
