If it was not clear the Streetsboro Rockets boys’ basketball team felt they had something to prove this season, it should be now. Streetsboro continued its fast start to the season by hammering Metro Athletic Conference foe Akron Springfield 73-15 last Friday evening in Lakemore.
“Unfortunately for Springfield they were missing four of their starters,” said Coach Nick Marcini. “They had a couple of guys, but I take nothing away from our guys. They played hard, played well and played together and it was a good night.”
As long as the 15-year coach has been at the helm of Streetsboro (2-0, 2-0), the Rockets have always held the upper hand against Akron Springfield. Since becoming conference rivals in MAC in the 2020-21 season, Streetsboro has swept the season series against the Indians.
“If you are continually successful over and over again., you have the confidence and again them missing guys and things like that helped our cause obviously, but our guys are really focused right now,” Marcini noted. “They are determined and focused and want to go and finish this thing off right.”
On Friday night, the Rockets surged to an early lead with a dominating first period, outscoring Akron Springfield by a 24-2 margin. According to Marcini, Streetsboro swarmed the Indians with a full-court press, leading to several easy fast break opportunities. In addition to a smothering defense, he added that the Rockets’ ball movement was sharp it showed as they buried five 3-point baskets in the first quarter.
Senior guards Trevor Murray and Jack Batten, Streetsboro’s all-time leader in 3-ppoint shots, were responsible for all 15 points from beyond the arc, as the 5-foot-10 Murray buried three 3-pointers and the 6-foot-1 Batten made a pair of 3-point shots.
“We preach it every day,” Marcini said. “It does not matter who is doing the scoring, just keep that ball popping. Charles Ivory did a great job running the show and a lot of those were on penetration so just sharing the ball and when it does not matter who is doing the scoring, we just keep pounding that in their heads.”
The only points that Streetsboro surrendered in the first period came on a pair of free throws as it did not allow the Indians to make a field goal. The Rockets continued rolling in the second period and increased their lead to 46-11, triggering the running clock in the second half en route to a dominant victory and setting a school record for the fewest points allowed in a game.
As dominant as the Rockets’ offense was, it was a true team effort as seven different players scored in the second quarter.
While the Rockets return a wealth of experience from last year, graduating only one player from their starting five in Michael Berry and returning six of their top seven rotation players, Marcini said that the squad is blessed with the most depth he has ever had since becoming the head coach.
“I have never had this deep of a team,” he said. “There is not much of a drop-off anywhere, it has been a treat to coach these guys so far, our practices have been wars, these guys are getting after each other and making each other better.”
Senior guard Charles Ivory, senior forward Jackson Gula, Batten and Murray all return to the starting five and are flanked by senior forward Preston Laryea and junior guard Ethan Laryea off of the bench. Junior guard/forward Janiere Cook is the only new member to the starting rotation but that has not prevented the Rockets’ offense from hitting the ground running, outscoring the opposition by a 128-48 margin in their first two conference games of the season.
According to Marcini, with the Rockets benefitting from senior leadership, having seven seniors on this year’s roster, the squad is setting some high goals for itself this season. He noted that finishing as the MAC runners-up last season has fueled the team’s desire to prove last season was no fluke and it should be treated as a significant threat this year.
“Last year we dropped a couple of games early and they did not play well,” he said. “Fortunately, we got so much better throughout the season last year in our second time around the league and we avenged some of those losses and we had a nice tournament run, winning two games and getting to the district their confidence bled right into the spring and the summer with great attendance.”
Following a road game against reigning MAC champions Norton on Tuesday night and a home contest against MAC foe Woodridge on Thursday evening, the Rockets will return to action when they host MAC foe Ravenna on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.
