The Crestwood Red Devils boys’ basketball team had matched LaBrae point for point after three quarters but could not sustain their momentum in the fourth quarter and were outscored by 20 points to lose 82-60 against the Vikings last Saturday afternoon in Mantua.
“The game last night against LaBrae was really a very good game,” said Coach Andrew Mertz. “It was just an adjustment that they made late, and it really turned things around, but I thought for the most part we played well and handled the physicality that LaBrae provided.”
After a brief three-game winning streak from Jan. 10-16, the Red Devils (4-10, 1-6) are once again facing a difficult stretch, with the loss against LaBrae marking their third straight loss.
According to the first-year coach, Crestwood’s greatest challenge has been playing four complete quarters, as it has usually been plagued by one poor quarter of play and that one period has dictated the outcome of most games.
“We just had one bad quarter and that has been something that has been a problem for us in a lot of the games,” he added. “If you look at Perry for example, the final three quarters are basically a tie game, we lost the first quarter basically by 16 points. We have one bad quarter that has been deciding a lot of the games lately, so I think that is growth and maturity that has not caught up yet.”
On Saturday, the Red Devils entered the final period deadlocked 48-48 but the Vikings immediately seized control, going on a 7-0 run.
Mertz said that the Vikings adjusted their defensive scheme, bringing two of their players further up halfcourt to play man pressure defense against Crestwood and the change instantly caused trouble for the Red Devils.
He said that Crestwood responded with a key adjustment that enabled them to move the ball past halfcourt and bring it to the middle of the floor but once they did so, the Red Devils’ offense stalled.
“When we got into the middle of the floor, you could see our inexperience and we panicked,” noted Mertz. “We started to collapse and made bad passes, took bad shots, did not rebound. That is kind of something you expect with inexperience when things start going bad; it is very difficult to stop.”
The Vikings continued to increase their lead, which forced Crestwood to attempt to play more aggressive man defense, while committing several fouls. LaBrae shot 14-of-17 from the free throw line to outscore the Red Devils by a 32-12 margin, cruising to victory.
In addition to converting most of their free throws, the Vikings were ignited by senior guard Angelo Melidona, who scored 12 of his 34 points in the fourth period, including shooting five of six from the free throw line.
Although Crestwood suffered its third consecutive loss, Mertz said that the Red Devils demonstrated grit for staying with LaBrae through three periods, given that they were playing short-handed with several players sidelined by injury or illness.
Even after LaBrae took a 19-15 advantage after the first quarter, Crestwood answered by outscoring the Vikings 17-12 in the second period to take a 32-31 lead into the half, spurred by sophomore guard Colton Mayle and senior forward Angelo DiNardo, who each scored five points in the quarter.
Mertz acknowledged that Crestwood’s lack of depth caught up with it in the final period, as LaBrae unleashed an offensive avalanche that the team could not withstand.
“It is more that the game speeds up in the young guy’s head and he gets flustered. Things get out of hand really quick,” he said. “It is something that we will work on and preach to them that you have to be able to self-motivate. That difference in the level of energy can help weather the storms when you are in those little situations,” he said.
As the Red Devils gain more experience throughout the season, Mertz said that the team has shown growth in several areas. He still wants the Red Devils to show physical maturity, given that several games have been gritty battles. The onus has been on Crestwood to match that physicality at the start of the game.
Crestwood will play a back-to-back this weekend, as it will host Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division rival Wickliffe on Friday evening at 6:45 p.m., then will hit the road to face Portage County rival Garfield on Saturday afternoon in at Hiram College at 3:30 p.m.
