The Streetsboro Rockets boys’ basketball team needed to use every tool at its disposal to fend off Metro Athletic Conference foe Woodridge. The Rockets withstood a late Woodridge rally, winning by a 42-39 margin last Friday evening at Streetsboro High School.
“We had a couple of mess-ups there against their press defense at the end by turning the ball over,” said Coach Nick Marcini. “Credit to Woodridge. They played until the last second. It was good to see the guys close one down after a tough one on Tuesday.”
It marked Streetsboro’s (9-8, 7-4) first victory against the Bulldogs since the 2021-22 season. Since the schools became members of the MAC, the Rockets dominated their league rivals by winning the first four contests, but lately Woodridge had claimed the upper hand, winning the last three games.
In the fourth quarter last Friday night, the Bulldogs seemed poised to snatch victory in the final minute and run their winning streak to four games. Trailing 38-35 with 33.3 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs forced a turnover when they double-teamed junior guard Charles Ivory when he tried bringing the ball up the court.
Ivory could not hold onto the ball and senior guard Cole Blower came away with the steal and converted a lay-up, cutting the Rockets’ lead to 38-37 with 20.9 seconds left in regulation.
“It was tough,” said junior guard Jack Batten. “We knew we had to stay calm and let the game come to us. We made the right decisions and got the right passes and beat their press defense and everything else fell into place.”
The Bulldogs tried pressuring Streetsboro again with man defense but fouled senior forward Jackson Gula and the 6-foot-2 forward made both free throws, pushing the Rockets ahead 40-37 at the 20.3 second mark.
Woodridge tried to find an open shooter to attempt a game-tying 3-pointer but the Rocket defenders played stiff defense. The Bulldogs tried isolating senior guard Taneil Gaddis in the corner but the 6-foot Batten played smothering defense.
“Coach Mancini told us to switch everything,” noted Batten. “No 3-pointers and that was the mindset. Once I saw him pick up his dribble, there was no way I would let him get a shot off.”
Gaddis had nowhere to go so he heaved a desperation shot but it fell short of the basket and sophomore guard Ethan Laryea collected the rebound. He was fouled by senior forward Evan Duve and the 6-foot Laryea made both free throws to seal the victory and snap the Rockets’ three-game losing skid against Woodridge.
In two of Streetsboro’s last three games, it has held the opposition to 40 or fewer points.
“I can’t say enough,” noted the Rockets’ 20-year coach. “These guys dig in and get after it. It is every day in practice, and they have totally bought in on the defensive end. We have our struggles scoring at times as you could see in the late second half of the third quarter. By being able to withstand their run and getting to the line and splitting a couple of free throws, every one of them counted at the end.”
It was a slow start for the Rockets, being outscored by a 10-5 margin in the first period. Although Streetsboro limited the Bulldogs to shooting only four-of-12 from the floor, it only knocked down two field goals.
Streetsboro made a run at the beginning of the second quarter, sparked by some dribble penetration into the paint and staged a 10-2 spree to take a 15-12 edge in the middle of the period.
After Woodridge freshman guard Kellen Morr made a lay-up off an assist from senior forward Charles Lambers at the beginning of the second period, the Rockets held them scoreless until Duve scored on a drive to the basket at the 3:16 mark.
Streetsboro did not rely on a single player to ignite its offense but spread the wealth and had five different players score in the second period to take a 21-16 lead into the half.
Following an 8-0 run to build a 13-point advantage in the third period, Streetsboro’s momentum faded and surrendered 8-0 run to Woodridge to trim their lead to five points.
In addition to some empty possessions, the Rockets struggled to keep Woodridge off the offensive glass, which allowed the Bulldogs to cut the deficit to single digits.
“I think there was one possession where it bounced off of our hands six times and they kept getting it before finally knocking down a 3-pointer,” acknowledged Mancini. “They were beating us up. Evan Duve really did a great job in the third quarter just willing Woodridge back into the game.”
Streetsboro’s offense heated up again in the fourth quarter and they made enough winning plays to preserve the victory.
The Rockets will hit the road and take on MAC rival Akron Springfield in Lakemore on Friday night at 7 p.m.
