Written By: Don DiFrancesco
The Elyria Pioneers captured a share of the Greater Cleveland Conference Title, and had to work for every bit of it in Friday night’s 76-73 overtime thriller in Solon.
Solon came ready to defend home court and jumped out to a 27-13 lead after one quarter, as Sincere Carry came away with five steals in the first period alone.
The Pioneers found themselves down by 13 at halftime, but dug deep in the second half.
As hot as the Comets were in the first half (shooting 17-of-33), the shots just wouldn’t fall down the stretch (10-of-33 in second half).
Elyria cut the deficit to single digits heading into the fourth quarter, and shut Solon down for the next eight minutes, holding the Comets to only eight points in the quarter.
Solon clinged to a two-point lead with 13 seconds left in regulation, but couldn’t capitalize on a one-and-one opportunity at the line.
Justin Koepp made the biggest shot of the night with three seconds left, and Carry’s attempt at the buzzer was no good, sending the game to overtime.
Solon briefly took the lead in OT on a 3-pointer by Ryan Bergen, but Elyria was not to be denied, and the Pioneers outscored the Comets, 10-7, in the period.
Antonio Blanton scored a game-high 26 points in the win, eclipsing the 1,000 point mark in the final regular season game of his high school career.
Koepp posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Dez Brown and Josh Lotko also reached double figures in scoring for Elyria.
Solon was led by 18 points from Bergen, while Carry scored 10 points, passed for 10 assists and came away with six steals.
Carry didn’t just force turnovers and distribute the ball well, but also took care of the ball for Solon all game, as the Comets only committed six turnovers on the night.
David Gulley, Jason Steele and Michael Bekelja also tallied double digits scoring.
With the win, Elyria shares the conference title with Mentor and will open up tournament play on Mar. 4 at home, facing the winner of Strongsville-Midview. Tip-off is set for 7 pm.
Solon plays the winner of Willoughby South-Painesville Riverside the same day at 2 pm.
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