The Streetsboro Rockets’ basketball team has been living on the edge all season. It once again came down to the final minutes but the Rockets prevailed against Marlington, winning 55-47 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II Northeast 1 sectional championship game last Friday night at Streetsboro High School.
It marked the first time since the 2019-2020 season that Streetsboro has earned a berth to the district semifinal.
For Coach Nick Marcini, it was a nice way to celebrate his 45th birthday.
“It is great,” the 20th-year coach said. “These guys work so hard and they earned it and deserved it with two tough-fought games. Just like we have been playing all year, we would not have it any other way. It was a grinder all the way down to the end where you had to knock down some free throws and make some big stops. We have been doing it all year and to get the 15th win and sectional title with as much as we have coming back next year, it is very special.”
Should Streetsboro (15-9, 10-4) defeat Youngstown Ursuline in the district semifinal on Wednesday evening, it will compete against either Edgewood or Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin in the district championship at Warren G. Harding High School on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Clinging to a 44-42 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Rockets needed one final push to propel them toward victory. The Dukes used their size and length to force Streetsboro into playing a halfcourt game and their size also made life difficult for the Rockets on the perimeter.
“We are definitely comfortable playing in halfcourt sets but we definitely prefer playing in transition,” acknowledged junior guard Charles Ivory.
Marlington face-guarded the Rockets on the perimeter and they struggled to free up their shooters for open looks. Junior guard Jack Batten was held scoreless in the first three periods and missed both of his 3-point shots. He finally had an open look at the top of the key and drained his first 3-point shot in the fourth quarter, pushing Streetsboro’s advantage to 47-42.
“It gave everyone a motivation boost,” said the 6-foot guard. “I had been quiet the whole game but when that shot put us up with two possessions, it just filled everybody with energy and hype and after that it was flowing.”
Junior guard Jackson Gula knocked down a turnaround jump shot from the left wing to push the Rockets’ advantage to 49-42 and Streetsboro made six of 10 free throws down the stretch to extend their postseason.
After allowing 19 points in the third quarter, the Rockets’ defense surrendered only 12 in the final period.
“Defense has always been our thing and in the fourth quarter, that is when our defense hits another level and we can stop our opponent from scoring,” noted the 6-footIvory.
Despite having home court advantage, Streetsboro had to contend with a very big Marlington front court, with senior center Bo Bratten and junior forward Dylan Heatherington each being an imposing presence in the paint.
Marlington’s size also played a significant factor in the rebounding game, grabbing several offensive rebounds to extend possessions in the first half.
Despite the Dukes’ rebounding advantage, Streetsboro controlled the first half, fueled by a 5-0 run at the end of the first period and a 7-3 run in the second quarter to hold a 23-16 advantage at the break.
Marlington seized momentum in the third quarter, staging a 16-9 run to tie the game at 32-32.
Despite squandering their lead, the Rockets were prepared to take the game down to the wire, having done so all season.
“Every game is tough for us,” said junior guard Jackson Gula. “Sometimes we struggle offensively so a lot of those are going to be close and we have shown a lot of growth since last year. These close games we would have lost them last year, but since we are a lot older and have that growth, we are able to finish out the games.”
The Rockets weathered the storm and kept the lead, but Marlington refused to go away. According to Marcini, the game would be won by the team who could make the last run near the end of regulation.
“Every game is like this for us,” he said. “We had a couple of good games at home that came down to the stretch. We have been in every game, played a tough schedule and played some good teams down to the wire and it has toughened the guys up.”
In addition to being familiar with clutch situations, the Rockets also have defended home all year and did so one more time with last Friday’s victory finishing their home record at 11-2 this season.
“We are super comfortable playing at home,” said Batten. “Playing here and playing music in the locker room, everyone is comfortable and is hyped to play and we just play our best basketball at home.”
