The Crestwood Red Devils boys’ basketball team’s historic surge in the second half was halted when they were defeated by Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division foe Chagrin Falls 70-51 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V Northeast 2 sectional championship last Saturday afternoon at the Ralph L. Quisenberry Gymnasium.
“It was a very physical game,” said Coach Andrew Mertz. “We knew that was what Chagrin Falls was going to bring. They are a very physical team and a well-coached team. They did everything that we needed them not to do in order to get a win.”
The Red Devils (12-12, 4-6) had been swept by Chagrin Falls in the season series but entered the sectional championship with momentum, having ended the season winning seven of their last eight games. As well as the Red Devils had finished the season, Chagrin Falls also had a lot of confidence by riding a 15-game winning streak into the postseason.
In the first quarter on Saturday, the first-year coach noted that Crestwood struggled against the Tigers’ physicality, being outscored by a 16-5 margin. Chagrin Falls excelled against the Red Devils’ zone defense and Crestwood only scored two field goals, while the Tigers knocked down a pair of triples to mount an early lead.
“They shot the ball extremely well,” added Mertz. “That is something that we play — that three-two zone look. Its success relies on the opponent’s inability to shoot. We need them to be missing shots for that to be successful. When they are making shots, we have to pull out of that zone and go into a man-to-man defensive look.”
In addition to facing a very physical Tigers’ squad, Mertz said that the Red Devils faced a great degree of difficulty in finding open looks, especially from beyond the arc, which has been one of their staples for success.
The Tigers’ defense continued stifling Crestwood in the second period, winning the quarter 16-11 as the Red Devils only made four field goals.
Mertz said that the Chagrin Falls’ defense did a good job running Red Devil players off the 3-point line and did not allow many open looks.
“These were not even available to take because of Chagrin Fall’s pressure,” he added. “That is when it is tough for us. Chagrin Falls did a very good job at just applying that pressure well beyond the 3-point line making it so we could not get those looks off.”
Trailing 32-16 heading into the third period, Crestwood battled back, trimming the lead to 11 points by outscoring the Tigers by a 23-18 margin, fueled by sophomore guard Colton Mayle, who scored 11 points in the period.
According to Mertz, Crestwood gained momentum by going to a man-to-man pressure defense which included trapping Tiger players frequently to force a loose ball. The Red Devils’ strategy yielded positive results, which Mertz described as a testament to the way that they had played all year with a resilient and scrappy mentality.
“These guys have really bought into and done a really good job of not giving up; they will fight until the final whistle. The seniors will leave that mentality behind and the underclassmen will continue it. Hopefully that is one of the core concepts that this program is built around,” Mertz said.
Ultimately, Crestwood could not sustain its rally, scoring only 12 points in the final quarter. The Tigers assumed control, breaking Crestwood’s trap defense and finding the open man for clean looks at the basket to end the Red Devils’ season.
Crestwood ended its 2025-26 season with a .500 record, but Mertz lauded the fighting spirit that his squad had shown. They entered a season with not very high expectations surrounding the program in the wake of graduating a big senior class and Mertz’s first year at the helm.
As far as Mertz is concerned, the Red Devils’ refusal to give up on the season brought them together and ignited them to prove their doubters wrong.
“I think what really changed was that the guys really bought in and believed that we could do some special things if we just work hard at practice, give a little extra effort and really play with that attitude that is no expectations,” Mertz said. “When you are predicted to not be very good, in my opinion that is a very good spot to be in because you can play a little bit looser.”
Although the Red Devils graduate two key seniors from the program, Mertz said that the standard has now been set for the core group.
