by Gabby Ortiz
NORTH ROYALTON, OHIO– The Stow-Munroe Falls Bulldogs ended the North Royalton Bears four-game winning streak with a 55-40 victory on Tuesday night.
After suffering its first loss of the season from Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Stow-Munroe Falls set the tone of the game early. The Bulldogs were fresh, and had high energy on the defensive end of the floor, only allowing the Bears to score nine points in the first quarter of the game.
The Bears did a nice job matching the Bulldogs defensive energy, but it simply was not enough to overpower the size and defense of the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs held the Bears to one point in nearly four minutes of play into the second quarter, making it difficult for the Bears to establish their flow on offense.
The Bears never really seemed to get into the flow of the game, second guessing themselves on shot selections. Too much passing and no communication on the floor led to an immense amount of missed shots. The Bears would only score 40 points for the entire game, which is the second lowest scoring game of the season. The first meeting between these two teams, the Bears only scored a total of 39 points.
The Bears kept the score within 10 points for most of the game until late in the third quarter. By the end of the frame, the Bears lacked energy to compete on both ends of the floor. The Bulldogs knew they had the Bears right where they wanted them, and had their way in the paint, increasing their lead to 35-23 going into the fourth quarter.
There was a small scuffle between Bulldogs forward Mason McMurray and Bears forward Jordan Garland at the end of the third quarter, as McMurray bumped Garland in the back of the head coming off a layup. Garland disapproved, and gave McMurray a slight push after the play. After that scuffle, McMurray would dominate Garland in the paint, scoring on Garland on almost every possession.
McMurray was the Bulldogs leading scorer, and would finish the game with 18 points and eight rebounds. Garland would only score eight points and five rebounds. The Bears leading scorers were guard Omar Abuhamdeh with 11 points and Evan Bainbridge with 12 points.
The Bears will take on Twinsburg High School on Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Stow-Munroe Falls will face the Wadsworth Grizzlies at home on Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
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